Large Scale Central

I am confused

Other Scales O / On30
#1

OK

Sorry guys but bare with me. This whole dual gauge micro thing is becoming more confusing all the time which just means I want to do it more now than ever.

So a few recomendations have come in on where to find a O gauge motor block. The European site works with 32mm track and another European mfg makes 32mm motor blocks. Now I also contacted NW Shortline about what they have avaialbe in 2 rail O and got two very cryptic emails.

the first email he sent stated this:

Hi Devon,

Right now, the only drive I have that’s going to work for 32mm track would be one of our HO scale Stanton drives. Attached is a photo of a unit we built for a customer to power an O (standard) gauge crane model; one of our HO wheelbases happened to work out for the (short) O wheelbase needed for his crane, and we just “water bugged” the wheels/axles to run on the O track.

Largest HO wheelbase we currently make is 10’0", which would be fairly small in F scale. Would that work?

To which I responded:

If I did my math right that is 1.38"? which is 28" in F. I am thinking that is to small. My hope was to make a 0-4-0 saddle tank steamer. What is your 2 rail O magic carpet drive?

To which he responded:

Hi Devon,

The O magic carpet would be even better but it’s set up for O standard gauge and no narrower, so we wouldn’t be able to get down to the 32mm track you’re trying to work with. We can stretch HO out, but we can’t narrow our O scale.

If you’re making an 0-4-0, why not go with a gearbox and motor? Here’s part 4 of our catalog; for an engine that size mod 0.5 would be a good choice and a 25:1 ratio because 0-4-0’s are not rockets. Please see page 4-12:

http://www.nwsl.com/uploads/chap4a_web_02-15.pdf

Choose one that matches your axle shaft diameter, then choose a direct style or an idler style depending on what kind of room you have to work with. I’d recommend an idler style so that the input shaft is up and over the drivers, allowing you to install the motor horizontally.

The drawing at the top of the page show the size of the gearboxes themselves, to help you with planning.

Whats going on? What is standard 2 rail O guage in mm?

#2

I am not confused anymore.

He responded:

My apologies as well; somehow I had it in my head that you were after O narrow gauge but you are correct. 32mm is indeed O standard gauge and yes, our Magic Carpet will work fine for your application. You’ll want slow-speed operation so you’ll want the Magic Carpet I for your engine. What do you need for wheels?

#3

where to find a O gauge motor block.

Altas used to make a cute little 0-6-0 diesel, which I saw for sale at various shows. Haven’t looked much recently, so I’m not sure if there are any around now. Lima also made an 0-4-0, which I used to repower a Lionel Flyer for my 2-rail layout.