on3

On30 is 2'6" gauge. On3 is 3'0" gauge.

The former is "fake" because apart from a few very minor mineral lines in the middle of nowhere, the American narrow gauge lines were 3'0".

Most of the Bachmann stuff is wrong because it should be 3'0" gauge, although the little Porter was available in 2'6". The rest is essentially freelance painted for "real" 3'0" gauge lines.

These models are to American O scale which is 1/4 inch to the foot, or

In message , Christopher A. Lee writes

You left a number and a decimal point out of the last sentence.

OO is 1/76.2.

O Scale is variosly 1:43.5/1:43 in Britain, 1:43/1:45 in Europe and 1:48 in the USa.

The "n" in On30/On3 refers to 'narrow gauge'. The "30" refers to a track gauge representing 30' or 2'6" and the "3" refers to track representing "3' or 36".

US On30 is 1:48 scale with 16.5mm/5/8" gauge representing 2'6" gauge rolling stock. Track can be normal HO/OO track, or more properly wider spaced sleepers with HO rail applied. Bachmann US On30 rolling stock should be available from a few British model shops or from the USa.

Greg.P.

Thanks all for the info. Pete

On30: 1:48 scale running on 16.5mm gauge, representing almost exactly

Bachmann's On30 rolling stock is loosely based on both 3ft and 2ft gauge prototypes.

The outside-framed 2-8-0 is a 30" prototype, IIRC.

I believe you're right. It looks like a Baldwin to me. Baldwin offered several locomotive models in multiple gauges, so it's quite likely that this one was built for 30" gauge as well as for 2ft and 3ft. It does look low-slung enough to have been designed for 2ft gauge, I think. Anyhow, it's a good looking engine.