Narrow gauge help please

[bbdave]

Hi i have a little plan forming in my head but not sure of the gauge i want it to run on n gauge track so is it oo? what or where should i be looking for locos stock etc i'm thinking of a small pit/quary  or port or both operation any help appreciated

Dave

[OwL]

Hi i have a little plan forming in my head but not sure of the gauge i want it to run on n gauge track so is it oo? what or where should i be looking for locos stock etc i'm thinking of a small pit/quary  or port or both operation any help appreciated

Dave

There is to be no mention of 00 here! .........

only kidding......

00 gauge modelled in narrow gauge runs on 009 track which is spaced at 9mm (same as N although sleepers are spaced differently to reflect narrow gauge)
I know Peco do this track and I seem to remeber them doing some trucks and 009 steam engines although this was a few years ago, although try the main PECO web-site and ebay. Also try Rails of Sheffield, as I was in his shop a few weeks ago and seem to remember seeing some 009 stuff.

Let us know how you get on.

[EtchedPixels]

Hi i have a little plan forming in my head but not sure of the gauge i want it to run on n gauge track so is it oo? what or where should i be looking for locos stock etc i'm thinking of a small pit/quary  or port or both operation any help appreciated

Dave

Depends on the prototype. Fairly standard ways to mix prototype gauges:

OO on N track (4mm scale, 2'6 gauge), used for a lot of modelling stuff like FFestiniog and Welsh Highland
HO on N track (HOe - similar but continental)
Sn2  S scale (1/164) to get 2' gauge on N track
O on N gauge track to model 15" (the Ratty etc)
NZ120 - 1:120 (TT) on N gauge track. Primarily used for modelling New Zealand stock. Also suitable for Cape gauge etc

Some others you may meet are:

OO on TT track (3' gauge) used for a fair bit of Irish modelling, Isle of Man etc and sometimes for metre gauge and cape gauge.

NN3 (N on Z track) - modelling 3'-3'6 gauge and metre gauge in N with Z scale track. Again you could do African stuff this way or 3mm Isle of Man but the out of the box stock is pretty much all RhB or US.

3mm on OO - one way to go modelling 5'6 gauge Indian or 5'3 Irish nroad gauge

Ne - N on T gauge track. Close to Nf but using standard T bits to model 15-18" gauge industrial in N. The kind of modelling where a sneeze results in derailments.

T in OO can also be used for 10" garden railway modelling. Z is used for 15-18" in OO and 10" in O. In theory you can do 15"-2ft ish in N using T. I'm experimenting...

And then of course there is OO which is good for modelling 4' gauge like the Padarn railway, as opposed to EM and P4 which are appropriate for modelling standard gauge in OO

Zm/NN2 - Z on 4.5mm track for modelling the RhB, also borrowed by a few crazy folks for doing 2'-2'6 gauge in N.

at the other extreme is Gn15 - modelling in G using OO track to model 15" stock.

[bbdave]

Blimey! I have a few turnouts and some track so thought i could make a small layout as i may be having to condense my modeling so thought a narrow gauge layout may be fun i have been looking at the Peco parkside kits etc.

What kind of radius can i work to?

Dave

[EtchedPixels]

Radius heavily depends upon the models you choose. Most of the kits re-use N scale chassis so N scale curve rules tend to apply, but certainly down to 9" and with careful stock choice and some coupling tweaking down to 5...

Smaller than that and it's the world of NN3, where with small locos and short or bogie stock you can get down to about 10cm radius !

[bbdave]

I thought it was so simple looks like i am looking into a totaly different hobby i was only thinking of running a line from a quary or mine to a small dock so i guess just the small v shaped mine wagons.

Dave

[EtchedPixels]

That and a four wheel shortish loco ought to go around ridiculously sharp curves just fine, and would be fairly prototypical for many such lines.

[painbrook]

http://www.009society.com/  Dave, think about becoming a member, they have lots of second hand gear plus, like the NGS there are lots of other advantages. Cheers john.

[bbdave]

Thanks i have had a quick look just to clarify OO9 is OO on N gauge size track? i am very tempted as i may be reduced to a coffee table size layout by the end of the year

Dave

[painbrook]

My neighbour used some of my spare track and points for her layout, by the time it was ballasted the difference in the track can't be noticed. Cheers john.

[BernardTPM]

Thanks i have had a quick look just to clarify OO9 is OO on N gauge size track?

That's it exactly - 9mm scales out at 2ft 3in (same as Talyllyn Railway, for example), though it's used to represnt most gauges from 2ft to 2ft 6in. Most small industrial lines were 2ft gauge, so a small diesel and some tippers would be ideal. Those sort of industrial lines often had tight curves.

[Oldman]

Used to model OO9 years ago, still have some stuff, including Loco's including at least one with the classic 009 Ibetren cuckoo chassis, unmade kits etc, will
have a look over the weekend and get photo's.
Was thinking of removing the chassis from  the loco's for N gauge kits.

[painbrook]

Used to model OO9 years ago, still have some stuff, including Loco's including at least one with the classic 009 Ibetren cuckoo chassis, unmade kits etc, will
have a look over the weekend and get photo's.
Was thinking of removing the chassis from  the loco's for N gauge kits.

, Dave PM that man immediately . Cheers john.

[EtchedPixels]

Used to model OO9 years ago, still have some stuff, including Loco's including at least one with the classic 009 Ibetren cuckoo chassis, unmade kits etc, will
have a look over the weekend and get photo's.
Was thinking of removing the chassis from  the loco's for N gauge kits.

I'd put the Cuckoo chassis on e-bay with a stupid price and wait for the cloud cuckoo bidders that descend on them

I've got a few OO9 oddments, but it never grabbed me.  You get all the disadvantages of OO size (too big to fit in small spaces, too small to get the real feel of close up) and all the disadvantages of N (short wheelbase four wheels, with power pickup problems). Alas I lack the space for O scale narrow gauge, which to me really does capture the close up in your face experience of narrow gauge so much better, and allows for good sound, steam etc as well as proper fly shunting and so on.

Neither however is as much fun as standing in the pit at Maespoeth working on a coach bogie !

Alan

[bbdave]

I hadn't thought about pick up problems i was hoping to have a nice easy compact layout

Dave