Why the appeal to On30 vs On3

ON30 can run on HO track, while ON3, me thinks, is narrower (?) JMG (just my guess).

Whoop0s, wrong again!

ON3 is actually larger than ON30 in terms of track width.

ON3 is 36" (three feet wide) and ON30 is approximately 30" wide.

In terms of scale, ON30 has a large company (Bachmann) producing lots of cool products.

ON3 has more limited locos and rolling stock but, according to the railroad you model, it may be more prototypical.

I plan to model in ON3. MMI, has die cast locos with amazing detail for about $600. Add a decoder and you have quite a piece. ON3 cars (San Juan Car Co.) are a bit pricey but have amazing detail, too. 

Eliot

At first blush, On30 equipment was considerably less expensive than On3 stuff and you could use rail, switches, wheelsets, and drive trains from HO equipment. However, I've noticed the prices of current On30 equipment is nearly the same as the On3 items. So, what was a cost advantage is less so now and that's making On3 look pretty good...

Scrappy's right - On3 track gauge at .75" is larger.

Neil

Bachmann made NG trains an affordable option for the very first time other than G.

You can also use affordable HO track in hidden areas or staging tracks.

I think these are the primary reasons.

You might want to grab a few issues of Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette.  Quite a bit of On3 has been put on the market over the past couple of decades.

Ok, a good bit of that is in kit form, but you're not going to let that little detail dissuade you................

And, I should be selling off some On3 cars and an engine or 2 next month....

A friend added Bachmann NG as the upper loops in his mountain. He must have over a thousand hours run time on those poor things.

If serious on selling email me.  May be market for a K-27 or

C-19

Mike P

This is one of my pet gripes, since I hope, if I ever get around to it, to have a narrow

gauge connection that WILL BE On3.  I have long argued that Bachmann could have 

expended all that energy making affordable On3 rolling stock and track, for a modeling

area that has been too "gold-plated" (made exclusive by high pricing), than wasting it on an illegitimate child scale like On30.  Instead, many must spend time and energy 

regauging Bachmann to get inexpensive On3.

I like Bachmanns On30 models, they look good and run great. You can detail them to death if you wish but are very well detailed out of the box.

If it was not for Bachmann I would not be in narrow gauge. 

At least On30 stands better a chance at being kit-bashed into the wider On3.

The fact Bachmann has ho track already being made didn't hurt On30s chances there.

Bachmann does not make On30 track although they are fairly deep into On30 production.

Im just waiting for the right loco at the right price. HO track is here waiting. The "incorrect" spacing is not an issue. Ive seen photos of narrow gauge lines that would curl the toes of any track inspector. Whole untrimmed trees as ties. On some lines, nothing was wrong with what that worked in a pinch.

On30 doesn't have to be On3. It can also be On2 as well. It is a great way for freelancers and non-rivet counters to get into narrow gauge. It was/is a place for ingenuity and creativity.

Bachmann was never going to get into ON3. Some of their first ON30 products were actually branded for Department 56 to be sold with Christmas villages. The first products, a trolley and 2-6-0 set sold well to others and made them realize their was a demand. They used their existing track and power packs thus saving money. They were not about to invest in ON3 track. While they have moved onto a lot of separate sale items the original plan was starter sets. That is why they chose ON30. The stuff is not hard to gauge to ON3 and if anyone thinks they can do a better job than Bachmann is they are free to invest and try.

ON30 is very appealing because it runs on HO track.  This trumps all other considerations.  It is very easy to get started in narrow gauge by buying standard HO track and switches.  HO track is readily available and affordable.   

Bachmann took advantage of this to develop a line of very good narrow engines and cars.  

I have also seen ON30 equipment running on HO layouts.  It is grossly oversize for the buildings, etc., and the operator has to make sure that there is sufficient clearances.  

I would use ON30 if I was going to get involved in narrow gauge modeling.  

Joe

My mission, should I decide to accept it, will be to dismantle the Munoz Lines and hand lay dual gauge track on a new layout O and On3. Should I fail, the Secretary (my amazing wife Ginny) will disavow any knowledge of my sanity . . .

Er . . . I mean the whole idea. 

I was so happy that I'd be able to use HO track for my staging yard, then once the layout got built I decided not use a hidden yard at all. I have no hidden track on the layout but if I had, it'd been HO for sure.

But for mains, On30 track is somewhat limited. And if you're looking to lay decent looking NG track (like, for example, the D&RGW in its heyday), the available On30 track really won't look 'professional' enough as the ties are all over the place with the ME stuff, and PECO only make it with code 100 rail.

HO mechanisms.

Ability to have a narrow gauge Climax for $125 to start my logging empire.

If you don't like the looks of available On30 track, lay your own...

I had brass On3  sometime ago but sold it off when I sold all my HO brass. All 100 engines !! I liked the looks but things were getting too small for my eyes and fingers so when I saw the Bachmann ads for HO30,  thought it was cool. Let's face it, the gauge is a marketing tool for Bachmann and a smart move.  I considered getting in to it but then saw the prices and changed my mind.  Could be a neat kitbashing thing, though. But for a quick, easy way in to narrow gauge  that is the way to o. as for the track, on a lot of narrow gauge RRs the ties were usually buried or covered with weeds.  Currently reading through some of my 80-90  Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazettes that I had accumulated.