You know, of course, that No Trains ran on 30" track in the US.
As a former On3 modeler I am aghast at the notion!
Remember all the arguments for it and apply when all y’all dis my 1:24!
Tom Grabenstein said:
Looking forward to seeing what you build…On30 is a lot of fun as is 1:20.3 large scale…heck all the scales are fun.
Doc Tom
Thats just it Doc,
I could make an argument for why I should do any number of scales. 7/8ths and my rubber 1:24 really would be acceptable but I want a little more empire. Sn3 Gn15 heck even Nn3. To manyy choices. On30 has stuff available, I can see it, and will give me a little more to work with.
John Caughey said:
You know, of course, that No Trains ran on 30" track in the US.
As a former On3 modeler I am aghast at the notion!
Remember all the arguments for it and apply when all y’all dis my 1:24!
I never have dismissed your 1:24. I think its the perfect catch all scale. And while I would prefer to be an On3 purist I have no intention of doing so. To much already going on in On30 and when you see as bad as I do what 6 scale inches.
I thought about doing some of the Pittsburgh railways stuff. But re-gauging whatever scale I choose to 5 foot 2.5 inches would be a hassle.
After the contest, I’ll join you, sort of, with a On3 2 truck shay build. A plastic motorized kit by PSC and a Backwoods Miniatures Steam Shovel. Also a C and S Coach #62 resin kit by The Cimarron Works…
I’m thinking about a couple of shelf layouts,I have a On3 2-8-2, the RGS 455 also by PSC that needs to stretch her legs.
I also bought the Fast Track system to make my own switches and hand lay the track … I was going outside, until I saw what monsoons did to my property and jumped to G.
When that is done I have a Ruby kit to assemble and steam around the pike … should be warm again by then. A mountain outside beckons… if I can stay healthy long enough(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
John Caughey said:
After the contest, I’ll join you, sort of, with a On3 2 truck shay build. A plastic motorized kit by PSC and a Backwoods Miniatures Steam Shovel. Also a C and S Coach #62 resin kit by The Cimarron Works…
I’m thinking about a couple of shelf layouts,I have a On3 2-8-2, the RGS 455 also by PSC that needs to stretch her legs.
I also bought the Fast Track system to make my own switches and hand lay the track … I was going outside, until I saw what monsoons did to my property and jumped to G.
When that is done I have a Ruby kit to assemble and steam around the pike … should be warm again by then. A mountain outside beckons… if I can stay healthy long enough(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
John,
I have just gone inside because my part of the world is in the grip of a drought with a heatwave that has been going on for nearly a month with no sign of stopping (half of the country is burning).
I returned to HO and now found out why I switched to G, man that stuff is small but then again so is the space I have. a 10’x10’ corner of a shed.
I have a Ruby and find it a totally different experience to electric locos, have to fill the boiler, fuel it, oil it then after it has run service it for the next run. It is the whole process that makes it fun.
If you are after some shelf layout plans let me know as I was sent heaps when I was planning my small layout and I may be able to send you some.
Okay I have a couple questions as I am imagineering all this. I had automatically assumed I would be using Micro-Engineering On30 track because its already assembled flex track and I personally think it looks better for the backwoods look compared to Peco which to me looks like the ties are too small, which is why I don’t want to use HO track with ties removed. Not that any of that is set in stone. But this brought up some questions.
Switch selection seems very limited in On30. But given it is basically HO on different ties, is there any reason using HO switches of the same code and removing all the ties and re-laying the switch on new/matching ties wouldn’t work well? On my main run I am not concerned with the limit in turnouts but for my branch lines smaller/tighter turnouts would be nice and possibly . . . gasp . . . don’t say it. . . curved turnouts.
Now this then in turn brings up a whole new thought. What about hand laying? I was going to hand lay my 1:24 layout so I could use “log” ties as opposed to milled ties. Nothing says backwoods narrow gauge more than hand cut round ties. I have little experience hand laying track but other than being a lot to do seems like its easily plausible and getting donor HO switches and re tieing them seems as if it would open the doors of possibilities.
Thoughts? I am an open mind when it comes to this. Oh and is there any reason a person can’t make their own flex track? Seems hand laying on a bench would be easier than in place and then use it as you would any flex track.
Devon.
Why not use what the two guys in the club use for track? They are both happy.
And they both use DCC with sound.
John Bouck said:
Devon.
Why not use what the two guys in the club use for track? They are both happy.
And they both use DCC with sound.
John,
this is pretty much led to this discussion. I was not sure what Mike used but I know John is using the ME and assumed that since he does what Mike tells him that Mike also uses ME. John is the damn fool ( and I say that with the utmost love and respect for him, my dad could care less about my model RR hobby when I was a kid. John is like the model RR dad I didn’t have) that put this notion in my head to begin with. His ADD I think is contagious. If I bail on the hand laying on log ties idea which I am about 50/50 on I will use the ME. But it wouldn’t be right if I just ran “out of the box”. It just wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mess with it, take it apart, rebuild it, and push the limits. So I might as well start now. One thought which is a very “real world” application is to use all ME for my mainline and then hand lay my backwoods branch lines on log ties. Considering they will be short runs and only a few turnouts I think this is a very happy compromise.
Hey, I’ve got some HO flex track and turnouts for sale… And I’m heading over to the east side of the state on Friday.
Whose Railroad is this?
Hand lay on timber ties!
Get a pair of short nose needle nose pliers. Cut notches in the face to hold a spike. Leave enough for a push pad on the end. It’s tedious and yes you can assemble where you want, but carefully so the spikes aren’t loosened.
I’m looking at hand laying code 70 (,070") on individual ties. I bought the Fast Track system and have the switch building machined aluminum plate.
Devon look at this site; https://www.handlaidtrack.com/fixtures-on30
They have curved switches!
Craig Townsend said:
Hey, I’ve got some HO flex track and turnouts for sale… And I’m heading over to the east side of the state on Friday.
I’ll call you
John Caughey said:
Whose Railroad is this?
Hand lay on timber ties!
Get a pair of short nose needle nose pliers. Cut notches in the face to hold a spike. Leave enough for a push pad on the end. It’s tedious and yes you can assemble where you want, but carefully so the spikes aren’t loosened.
I’m looking at hand laying code 70 (,070") on individual ties. I bought the Fast Track system and have the switch building machined aluminum plate.
Devon look at this site; https://www.handlaidtrack.com/fixtures-on30
They have curved switches!
John,
Its 99% mine and 1% my friend John’s. He is the motivation for this and I am switching as much to please him as I am for pleasing myself. It’s complicated to convey why in type. He is in our G club and had an awesome layout. Age and health mandated he leave his family ranch and give up his railroad. He now lives in town but has a place to build an On30 empire. He wants to stay active with the club and he kinda adopted a few of us so he would have people to share trains with. He loves to call and talk trains. So by me switching it gives him someone to have common ground with and then I can still go visit him and run trains. But I am not doing it FOR him as much as BECAUSE of him. I had always liked the scale and it really will be better suited to my indoor space and is still large enough that I can scratch build.
Now that really makes no nevermind in track choice. John B (I think I can say this) was simply saying this is what your friends use and it works for them. John is as much a rogue as anyone in our club and so I don’t think he meant it as if they are doing it then you have to do it. I am pretty confident this is where he was going with that.
Now to the fun stuff, I am really torn right down the middle between all hand laid on timber ties and using a commercial flex. I don’t think you can possibly get more rustic than the hand laid timber tie. It would be a serious level of appreciable detail. But on the other hand is the level of work and involvement worth the effort? Any time spent doing that takes away from other stuff and I likely will be dead before I finish (you all know how I work). Putting down a commercial track will be quick and then will allow me to move on to other aspects. (and I still have an outdoor layout too). So its a time/reward thing on the hand laying. But making my branch lines on timbers would take very much less time and give it that level of detail and make the boring mainline seem purposeful as it was laid for longevity but the sidings move with the logging operation which was real world so an unballasted laid in the mud branch line on timbers would actually give even more dimension to the overall picture.
Yes? No? Am I nuts? (wait don’t answer that!)
I was joking …
My On3 is my Finescale fix, I was hoping G would, but my elements removed the details …
Have fun or I’ll have to come over and …
Devon, I hand laid HO/HOn30 dual gauge track. It is time consuming but nothing beats the look.
I hand laid switches using just lengths of rail. Its easier then doing it in large scale, a grinding wheel can make HO points in seconds. You just have to use your track gauges constantly because the margins for error are a bit smaller.
Devon, I like the idea of using flex for the mainline and hand laid for the branches. The flex gives you the ability to get some track down fairly quickly and then you can take each branch, one at a time, and lay it on the hand hewn timbers. Each branch would become a project unto itself with its own back story. My 2 cents (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)BTW: Is it done yet? (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Dan Hilyer said:
Devon, I like the idea of using flex for the mainline and hand laid for the branches. The flex gives you the ability to get some track down fairly quickly and then you can take each branch, one at a time, and lay it on the hand hewn timbers. Each branch would become a project unto itself with its own back story. My 2 cents (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)BTW: Is it done yet? (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
I really a, thinking this is the way to go. If I was going for the proto/fine scale yeah okay hand laid would be best. But getting the main down fast would be good. Its a dog bone and I could run trains while taking my time on the branch lines.
Devon Sinsley said:
Dan Hilyer said:
Devon, I like the idea of using flex for the mainline and hand laid for the branches. The flex gives you the ability to get some track down fairly quickly and then you can take each branch, one at a time, and lay it on the hand hewn timbers. Each branch would become a project unto itself with its own back story. My 2 cents (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)BTW: Is it done yet? (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
I really a, thinking this is the way to go. If I was going for the proto/fine scale yeah okay hand laid would be best. But getting the main down fast would be good. Its a dog bone and I could run trains while taking my time on the branch lines.
Exactly (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
Or take the HO flex, remove every 3rd or 4th tie and call it good. 
Personally, I think you should be doing Gn15. 