I’m running 45mm gauge as American Standard for my railway, the Freedom Central (granted, only the Sodor Secondary is operational as yet). Yes, I know that 1/32 is the correct scale, but because of the available equipment, I’m running 1/29th standard. However, I have a mining scene planned, as well as a Narrow-gauge history in the FCR’s back story. I’m thinking that using O scale standard would suffice for trackwork for the mining scene. I’ve envisioned a garratt 2-8-0+0-8-2 freight unit and a 4-6-0+0-6-4 passenger unit for the narrow-gauge lines, a portion of which were 36" and another part being 42". The engines were designed so that the loco’s could be re-gauged simply by dropping the axles and replacing them. On 36" and 42" lines, they’d be outside frame with outside cranks like the Bachmann Connie, while the 56.5" version would be a standard inside-frame, driven directly on the drivers. I’m actually thinking of doing one of each version, one to be run on the 32mm gauge mining scene, and the other to be run on 45mm gauge as a larger narrowgauge trainset. (Okay, who doesn’t like the look of NG steam even if they are SG intermodal/unit-train mainline fans?) I’m thinking of doing the 2-8-0+0-8-2 in 45mm gauge on the theory that I can use the Connie as the bashing bases. When designing the engines, I endeavored to make as much interchangeable as possible between the passenger and freight version. The main drive rods, the pony axles, and almost the entire super structure were all designed to be swappable between versions. (The story has that they were designed & the first two units built at PRR’s Juniata Shops, so standardization was the idea)
The passenger version, equipped as back-to-back 4-6-0’s. The prototype was No.4601 and was tested on the Allegheny Division of the Appalachia Great Eastern. When the AGE disintegrated in early 1903, the Allegheny Division went back to its owners, the Allegheny Valley.
The freight version, equipped as back-to-back 2-8-0’s. The prototype was No.2801 and was tested on the Broad Top and Tonawanda Divisions of the Appalachia Great Eastern. When the AGE disintegrated, the Broad Top Divn went back to its owners, East Broad Top, Tuscarora Valley, Newport & Sherman’s Valley and a few other smaller roads between Broad Top Mountain and Harrsiburg. Tonawanda Division went to the Bradford, Eldred & Cuba, which was immediately torn up, and the Tonawanda Valley & Cuba, which immediately went into foreclosure. It was standard gauged from Attica to Freedom by the successor line Buffalo, Attica & Arcade and almost immediately leased to the Buffalo & Susquehanna. When B&S went bankrupt in 1915, local businesses panicked and formed the Arcade & Attica to operate the 30miles between its namesake towns. (In real life: The A&A is still in common-carrier and excursion service today.) The A&A remained solvent into the early 2000’s when a stockholder coup threatened the company. Rather than tear it apart, they broke apart and formed the fledgling Freedom Central Railroad. A few years later, the vastly superiorly operated FCR completed a hostile takeover of the A&A on its way to becoming a multi-state economic powerhouse. Is there any thoughts on the possibility of building such a unit to run on O scale track? Any thoughts as to the whole idea? Anything? hello? 
-J.D.
