On30
Encyclopedia
O scale
O scale is a scale commonly used for toy trains and model railroading. Originally introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad scale in the United States and remained so until the early 1960s...
on HO
HO scale
HO or H0 is the most popular scale of model railway in the world.According to the NMRA standard S-1.2 predominantly used in North America, in HO scale, represents 1 real foot ; this ratio works out to about 1:87.1. According to the MOROP standard NEM 010 predominantly used in Europe, the scale is...
gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
track
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
. Other terms used include O16.5, Oe, and On2½. It is part of the hobby
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
of rail transport modelling
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
.
Definitions
On30 uses the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
O scale
O scale
O scale is a scale commonly used for toy trains and model railroading. Originally introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad scale in the United States and remained so until the early 1960s...
of 1/4" to the foot, (ratio 1:48) to operate trains on HO gauge track. The 30 indicates the scale/gauge combination is used to model (30") narrow gauge prototypes, although it is often used to model and gauge prototypes as well. This scale/gauge combination is sometimes referred to as On2½.
O16.5 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is a model railway scale/gauge combination of 7mm to the foot. This is the same scale as British O scale (1:43.5 ratio) running on gauge track, which is used by HO/OO gauge model railways. It thus represents the prototype gauge of just over , although also widely used to model , and gauge UK prototypes.
0e (sometimes Oe) is the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an notation for 0 scale using track. In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and many other European countries 0 scale uses a ratio of 1:45, and the prototypes represented are the European and narrow gauges.
Appeal
On30 is regarded as the fastest growing gauge/scale combination. Proponents of the scale suggest the appeal lies in the models representing "quaint" narrow gauge prototypes . The scale gives the models a certain bulk, and allows details to be easily seen compared with HO scale. At the same time electrically and mechanically it is the same as the very popular HO scale, ensuring reliability of operation. Models can also round tight radius curves, allowing layouts to be built in confined spaces. Lastly, models are cheaper to purchase than those produced for On2On2 scale
On2 scale is part of the hobby of rail transport modeling. The name is based on the common model railroad 'O' scale and refers to the gauge between the rails and the fact that it is narrow gauge, thus 'On2'....
, On3
Modelling 3' gauge railroads
Modelling 3' gauge railroads is part of the hobby of rail transport modelling. Specifically it relates to the modelling of narrow gauge prototypes of gauge. This gauge was the most common narrow gauge in the United States and in Ireland. Apart from some other lines in North, Central and South...
or larger scales such as G gauge.
Critics, particularly in the United States, point to the inaccurate track gauge, especially when modelling or gauge prototypes. They also dislike the tendency to modify HO models, claiming this produces freelance models that would not have been built in reality .
United States
In the United States modelling in On30 dates back to the 1950s, using HO gauge wheels and locomotive chassis. The scale was popularised to some extent in the 1960s and 1970's by the writings of modellers such as Gordon North. An On30 layout, the Venago Valley (built by Bill Livingston) was featured in the June 1971 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine. However, as there are very few prototype gauge railways in the United States, it remained very much a minority modelling area, especially when compared with modelling in On2 and On3Modelling 3' gauge railroads
Modelling 3' gauge railroads is part of the hobby of rail transport modelling. Specifically it relates to the modelling of narrow gauge prototypes of gauge. This gauge was the most common narrow gauge in the United States and in Ireland. Apart from some other lines in North, Central and South...
.
In 1998 Bachmann Industries
Bachmann Industries
Bachmann Industries is a Bermuda registered Chinese owned company, globally head quartered in Hong Kong; specializing in model railroading....
introduced a model of a 2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
steam locomotive in this scale for the Christmas village
Christmas village
A Christmas village is a decorative, miniature-scale village often set up during the Christmas season. These villages are rooted in the elaborate Christmas traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch...
market. This model, being very inexpensive, was quickly adopted by modellers. Other manufacturers followed Bachmann into this market, and Bachmann also introduced a number of other models. On30 is now regarded as the fastest growing segment of the model railroading market in the United States.
Many US modellers can be broadly cast into one of two groups. The first are freelance modellers, not modelling any specific prototype. These modellers are adept at taking HO scale
HO scale
HO or H0 is the most popular scale of model railway in the world.According to the NMRA standard S-1.2 predominantly used in North America, in HO scale, represents 1 real foot ; this ratio works out to about 1:87.1. According to the MOROP standard NEM 010 predominantly used in Europe, the scale is...
models and modifying them with new cabs and other features into models without prototypes. A common saying in this group of modellers is that they model with "no standards", a reaction to the highly accurate modelling known as "rivet counting" found in some other sections of the hobby.
The second group model prototype American narrow gauge railroads ranging from mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
companies through to large shortline railways such as the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes
Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad
The Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad was a narrow gauge common carrier railroad that operated approximately of gauge railroad in Franklin County, Maine.-History:Josiah L...
and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
. Modellers following these prototypes often choose On30 over the more accurate On2 and On3 gauges citing the lower cost of models and the ready availability of ready-to-run models by Bachmann
Bachmann Industries
Bachmann Industries is a Bermuda registered Chinese owned company, globally head quartered in Hong Kong; specializing in model railroading....
, Accucraft Trains and Broadway Limited . Detail parts and kits for specific models can be adapted easily from models manufactured for On3 modellers and others.
Britain
7mm Narrow Gauge Association
The 7mm Narrow Gauge Association is a United Kingdom based society for railway modellers interested in modelling narrow gauge railways in British O scale .-Scope of interest:...
supports the hobby, and publishes a magazine, "Narrow Lines". Most modellers attempt to accurately model one of the many , and gauge railways that were found throughout Britain, although European, American and even railways from Britain's colonial empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
have become popular. For accurate modelling of two-foot gauge railways, such as the Ffestiniog
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
or Lynton and Barnstaple
Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track narrow gauge railway slightly over long running through the rugged and picturesque area bordering Exmoor in North Devon, England. Although opened after the 1896 Light Railways Act came into force,...
O14 has been employed, although there is some limited commercial support for this scale/gauge, it is mostly of industrial prototypes.
Europe
A similar pattern of small manufacturers producing kits is followed in continental Europe. However the German firm FleischmannFleischmann (model railroads)
Fleischmann is a German manufacturer of model railway products.Fleischmann was founded in Nuremberg in 1887 by Jean Fleischmann, as a toy company. Their first model train, in O scale, was produced in 1938...
produces ready-to-run models of small German and Austrian locomotives and associated rolling stock in Oe scale. The most popular prototypes are the German gauge and Austrian gauge railways.
Australia
Surveys at modelling conventions in Australia have found that the majority of all narrow gauge modellers in that country model in On30, 1:48 scale. An early pioneer was Rick Richardson, with his Vulcan Vale model railway. Recent examples include 'Steam in the Bush' who are based in the Blue Mountains and produce a mediocre range of On30 'craftsman' style kits. Many modellers choose to model the 2ft6in gauge railways in VictoriaNarrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways
The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia built a number of experimental narrow gauge railway lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.- Background :A...
, such as Puffing Billy
Puffing Billy Railway, Melbourne
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Australia. The primary starting point, operations and administration centre, main refreshment room and ticket purchasing are located at Belgrave station...
, and a number of kits and ready to run models have been produced for that prototype. However the scale is also popular for modellers of timber logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
tramways and the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
sugar cane tramways, as well as freelance modellers. A small number of models have also been produced in 7mm:ft scale, mostly of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
prototypes.
Japan
On30 is also modelled in Japan, where it is used to represent the narrow gauge railways, such as the Kiso Forest RailwayKiso Forest Railway
The was the name given to a network of 400 km of -gauge light railway lines that operated in the Kiso Valley of Nagano Prefecture, Japan.The railway was used to support the logging of cedar forests in the region. The Kiso Forest had historically been the possession of a local lord, but at...
, that were once quite common in that country. Several brass locomotive kits have been produced.
Sources
- Model RailroaderModel RailroaderModel Railroader is an American magazine specializing in the hobby of model railroading. It was founded in 1934 by Al C. Kalmbach and is based in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It is published monthly by Kalmbach Publishing...
magazine - Narrow Gauge and Shortline GazetteNarrow Gauge and Shortline GazetteNarrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette, subtitled Accurate Information for Fine Modelbuilding, is a magazine published bimonthly in the United States by Benchmark Publications, Ltd. of Mountain View, California....
magazine - "Narrow Lines" magazine
- "Proceedings of the Australian Narrow Gauge Convention 2005"