Those dimensions are only dependent upon the size and weight of stuff that you want to run on those tracks and the cost of getting those materials to where the tracks were being laid. Remember, there really is no such thing as a 'standard' narrow-gauge track sleeper/tie size and spacing or a standard rail weight for narrow gauge tracks in the real world. There are ways of camouflaging standard off-the-shelf OO/HO track so that it looks suitably 'narrow gauge'. Unless you choose to do so, narrow gauge trackage does not necessarily have to be handlaid. Others were there in On30 far earlier than Bachmann with kits and scratchbuilds using HO/00 stuff on 16.5mm gauged tracks for On30 locomotives and rolling stock. Some of the Bachmann On30 locomotives are even of 'real' 30'-gauged prototypes. Maybe it is time to take the blinkers off and look at other stuff that can be done with On30 apart from 'not-exact-gauged On3?'īachmann came into ON30 pretty late in the longer term history of On30.

On30 can be many things, not just masquerading as a cheaper version of ON3.

If you want to build freelance, then there are many more prototypes other than just 3' gauge Colorado, EBT, SPNG, SPC lines that can be used as inspiration for an On30 layout. And, no, they weren't all logging or mining railroads exclusively. If you want to bring in 2' gauge prototypes that are also far more easily modelled with On30 than with a correct scale 2' model gauge, then the amount of prototypes that can be considered for inspiration for an On30 layout goes up astronomically (especially if you are prepared to look at prototypes outside the US). Why must any On30 layout or trackplan almost always appear to measured against 3' gauge Nevada/Colorado prototypes only? There were many more miles of real 30' or 750/760 mm gauge railways around the world than there ever were of 3' gauge tracks in the USA.

Youtube anyrail 6