Catalog

Factory, N

Brick factory with “saw tooth” roof and KD33 boiler house. Footprint: 10” x 3 1/8”

Number Item Price
KD1001 Factory $14.95

Narrow Gauge

Modeling railways with a track gauge of less than 4' -8 1/2"?
Track, switches, engines and rolling stock for HOn30.
Rolling stock for On30.

Modeling Narrow Gauge Railroads

HO is the most popular narrow gauge modeling size or scale followed by O and S.
When an actual railroad item is
reduced to HO, the size of the model is 1/87 th of the
actual item. The following table lists other popular narrow gauge
combinations.  The dimension that identifies
narrow gauge modeling is the distance between the railroad track rails.

 

HOn30 is also known as
HOn2 1/2˝ or Hoe.  It is simply one way of
modeling narrow gauge track and trains. The parts of this term come from 'HO'
referring to HO scale, 'n' referring to narrow gauge and '30' referring to the
30 inch spacing between the railroad track rails (the gauge) of the prototype.
How this is modeled is explained below.

 

When discussing narrow gauge
models it is important to make the distinction between scale and gauge. These
terms can tend to be used interchangeably by those who model only standard
gauge. While it is true that an HO scale standard gauge locomotive runs on HO
gauge track, it does not follow that you can have a HO “gauge” village hall.
Both standard and narrow gauge HO locomotives and buildings are the same 3.5mm
on the model equals one real foot scale.

 

Assuming you are interested
in the way narrow gauge railroads look and operate, the easiest approach with
narrow gauge modeling is to select a commercially supported scale that results
in engines and track of your gauge being available and commercially supported.
Although that sounds a bit hit and miss it does
actually work out quite well.

 

HOn30 works by combining HO
scale models and N gauge locomotives and track. HO scale is 3.5mm per foot or
1:87. [HO Gauge is 16.5mm]. N gauge is 9mm [N scale is 1:148(UK) or 1:160(US),
close to 2mm per foot]. Working through the math using the above figures it can
be seen that when N gauge track is used in HO scale it works out close to
30". Modelers use HOn30 to model gauges between 24" and 30".

 

The following table lists
other popular narrow gauge combinations.  

 

Name mm/foot Gauge(mm) Prototype Description
OO9 4 9 2’ 3” Used to
model 2' 3" gauge,   prototypes,
popular in UK.
HOn30 3.5 9 2’ to 2’ 6” Used to
model 2' gauge, mainly in US.
HOe 3.5 9 29.5” Used in
Europe to model
750mm gauge
prototypes
OOn12 4 12 3’ Used to
model 3' gauge prototypes.
HOn3 3.5 10.5 3’ Used to
model 3' gauge, mainly in US.
HOm 3.5 12 39” Used in
Europe to model meter gauge prototypes.
Sn2 4.8 9 or 10.5 1’ 10.5” to 2’ 2” Used for 2'
gauge prototypes.
On30 1/4” 16.5 2’ 6” to 3’ Used to
model 3' gauge, mainly in US.

 

MinitrainS Introduction

Ready to run HOn30

HOn30 modelers now have available, ready to run, mass produced engines and cars. BCH has done for HOn30 what Bachmann has done for On30 by again offering the MinitrainS engines and cars. Many two foot and 30 inch railroads were short or industrial lines and the BCH engines fit right in.
These BCH engines were last sold as MinitrainS when they were first produced by the German firm, EGGER-BAHN. EGGER-BAHN was the first company to manufacture a narrow gauge railway in HO (1:87) scale on 9mm gauge track. This combination is HOn30 for an actual gauge of 2 ½ feet (30 inches) or in Europe, HOe for an actual gauge of 750 mm. Of course, this is not the same thing as N gauge, which also runs on 9mm track but represents standard gauge of 4 feet – 8 ½ inches in 1:160 scale.
Currently there are a four wheel Plymouth diesel engine, a four wheel Porter tank steam engine, a four wheel Koppel tank steam engine and another diesel and steam engine. There is also a variety of four wheel cars.

HOn30 Couplers
Like the originally produced MinitrainS all of these engines and cars are manufactured with European hook and loop couplers. These couplers are popular in Europe and England for narrow gauge model railroads. Although the couplers made by model companies and on the kit market are slightly different, they all use the approach illustrated by this Peco version.

Freight and passenger cars use this type of coupler. The coupler used on engines is simpler because it does not have the wire loop. The engines have only the vertical hook because only one loop (on the car) is necessary. In fact some modelers remove the loop from one end of their cars. Of course these cars can never be turned to be sure there is at least one loop between cars.

In North America most modeled HOn30 narrow gauge engines use the Micro Trains knuckle couplers.

These engines usually pull freight and passenger cars mounted on two, four wheel trucks fitted with the Micro Trains knuckle couplers. To enable their use with North American style cars the BCH MinitrainS Plymouth, Porter and the Koppel engines are available ready to run from Railway Models with Micro Trains couplers. Railway Models retrofits the Plymouth, Porter and the Koppel with the Micro Trains couplers.

In the BCH MinitrainS sets of engines with cars, all the engines and cars have the original hook and loop couplers

BCH MinitrainS Hon30, Silver Gmeinder Diesel Freight Set

BCH MinitrainS Hon30, 5091 Gmeinder Silver Diesel Freight Set.
This set includes: 5011 Gmeinder Locomotive, four (4) 5123 Sugar Cane Cars and the 5127 three car set (5122 Stake Wagon, Short Flat Wagon and Brake Wagon).

Number Item Price
5091 BCH MinitrainS Hon30, Silver Gmeinder Diesel Freight Set $155.00

BCH MinitrainS Hon30, Blue Gmeinder Diesel Freight Set

BCH MinitrainS Hon30, 5093 Gmeinder Blue Diesel Freight Set.
This set includes: 5013 Gmeinder Locomotive, four (4) 5123 Sugar Cane Cars and the 5127 three car set (5122 Stake Wagon, Short Flat Wagon and Brake Wagon).

Number Item Price
5093 BCH MinitrainS Hon30, Blue Gmeinder Diesel Freight Set $155.00

BCH MinitrainS Hon30, Blue Gmeinder Diesel Locomotive

BCH MinitrainS Hon30, 5013 Gmeinder Blue Diesel Locomotive with one hood mounted headlight and a red chassis.
Picture is a red and silver prototype with two headlights.

Number Item Price
5013 BCH MinitrainS Hon30, Blue Gmeinder Diesel Locomotive $105.00

Minitrains Sugar Cane Car

Set of two (2) cars. Used to carry cut sugar cane from the field to the extraction plant, these cars can also be used to carry any material such as corn stalks.
Four wheel cars with MinitrainS couplers.

Number Price
5123 Minitrains Sugar Cane Car $33.98
Minitrains Dump Car

Set of four (4)cars. these cars can be used to carry and then dump any loose material such as ballast, sand, salt, dirt, gravel, rocks or coal.
Four wheel cars with MinitrainS couplers.

Number Item Price
5101 MinitrainS Dump Car $34.00

Minitrains Cement Car

Set of four (4)cars. Although labeled "cement cars", these cars can be used to carry and then dump any loose material such as sand, salt, dirt, gravel, rocks or coal.
Four wheel cars with MinitrainS couplers.

Number Item Price
5102 Minitrains Cement Car $34.00