ABOVE: A small engine terminal scene modeled in O scale narrow gauge (in this case, “On30”), featuring a Bachmann Trains outside-frame Consolidation 2-8-0 steam locomotive. OPPOSITE TOP: Peering through a window in the engine house reveals this detailed scene. OPPOSITE MIDDLE: A Rio Grande narrow gauge class C-19 2-8-0 steam engine in HOn3 (equipped with sound, offered by Blackstone Models). OPPOSITE BELOW: Three gauges of trains are found in this HO scale scene. A narrow gauge industrial line (from BCH Minitrains®) hauls coal to the coke ovens , while a conveyor helps transfer mined coal from the East Broad Top three-foot gauge hoppers (from C&BT Shops) to the standard gauge Pennsylvania Railroad hopper (available from Bowser). Such transfer scenes were common where narrow and standard gauge lines met.
Train Set Gazette 20I2 Searching for the “Non-Standard”
Four feet, eight and one half inches between railheads is the standard gauge for North American railroads. Nearly everyone entering the model railroad hobby begins with and continues to model railroads that conform to this “standard” gauge. Even so, there are many railroads constructed in a wide range of gauges ranging from a mere eighteen inches for mining and industri- al railways to over six feet wide. While the “wide” or “broad gauge” lines were rebuilt to standard gauge by the begin- ning of the twentieth century, narrow gauge lines both in industry and as com- mon carriers lasted in commercial ser- vice until very recently. The modern White Pass & Yukon; Cumbres & Toltec; Durango & Silverton; and the East Broad Top lines are rem- nants of once extensive three foot gauge railroads that continue in operation today as tourist lines. In Maine, a resur- rected Wiscasset, Watertown & Farming- ton two foot gauge line is a reconstruc- tion of the original railway that hauls
visitors “Down East.” These and other examples provide a living connection with the past in addition to giving to- day’s railroad enthusiast a chance to do hands-on research on the subject. Narrow gauge railroading seems to
best capture the interaction that existed between machines and humanity. This more human scale coupled with quaint rolling stock and frequently spectacular scenery makes this type of railroading one of the most popular categories with both railfans and railroad modelers. For the modeler, narrow gauge’s smaller equipment, sharper track radii and less dense operating scheme allows one to build a close representation of the proto- type in a modest space. Modeling narrow gauge railroads was
until recently the exclusive domain of ex- perienced model railroaders and model builders. Few beginners dared to venture into this realm, however, recent develop- ments in ready-to-run equipment and starter sets have opened up the category to anyone interested in this specialty.
The first mass-distributed narrow
gauge products aimed at the beginner is the BCH Minitrains® line of HOn30 in- dustrial locomotives and rolling stock. These trains operate on 9mm (or N gauge) track. Minitrains products were originally available in the late 1960s and have a long legacy in the hobby. Recent- ly, BCH (
www.bigcityhobbies.com) has again begun to offer an improved and ex- panded line of Minitrains to the model railroading public. Minitrains are offered as equipment sets that include a powered locomotive and selection of industrial rolling stock. All one needs in addition to get started is an oval of track and a pow- er supply. You can use any readily avail- able N scale sectional track or Peco OO- 9/HOe “crazy” track with realistic random ties in either sectional or flexible sections.
Bachmann Trains is now in its second
decade of producing On30 narrow gauge models (
www.bachmanntrains.com). This popular size combines ¼” inch to the foot scale with a 16.5 mm (HO gauge)
S14 2011 TRAIN SET GAZETTE • SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN MAGAZINE
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