Carolina Central Moves to HOn30 Maine

[hminky]

Been in and out of HOn30 since the early 1970s. Was N-Scaling and got a good deal on the Kato Carolina Central layout about four years ago. Sure looked like HOn30 with the track spacing. Bought some Minitrains and Shapeway HOn30 cars but health problems caused me to shelve model railroading.

2018 was a good health year so returning to model trains tried N-Scale with an attemept at a "door layout" in N-Scale with standard gauge. Trouble is "I see narrow gauge". Various other odd model train ventures intervened. Got a Myner Models Model Power 2-6-0 conversion working. Runs great after a major D-oh moment.

Found that I could make my Kato track look like HOn30 with little effort.



So the layout is still in track planning stages.



Harold

[Bob S]

Unitrack tie size and spacing is too far out of scale for US N scale standard gauge, but it looks convincing for HOn30 … JMHO.  I've used it for several HOn30 "trial" layouts. 

I must be in the penalty box ... I'm not allowed to add pictures 

Respectfully, Bob S.

[Chris333]

I must be in the penalty box ... I'm not allowed to add pictures 

Think you need at least 25 posts for that.

[hminky]

Unitrack tie size and spacing is too far out of scale for US N scale standard gauge, but it looks convincing for HOn30 … JMHO.  I've used it for several HOn30 "trial" layouts. 

Isn't KATO "N Scale" track really Japanese National Railways Track  1/120 scale 3'-6" gauge track or TTn3.5?

All their steam offerings are 1/120 even though no one seems to model 1/120 in Japan.

Harold

[Bob S]

I've been told that Japanese N scale is 1:150.

Respectfully, Bob S.

[hminky]

I've been told that Japanese N scale is 1:150.

The Japanese use strange scale to gauge ratios. The models are 1/120.

1/80 is used to represent Japanese National Railways with HO gauge track. 1/64 represents the track at 3.5 feet.

Different point of view.

Harold

[Dave V]

While the tie width and spacing looks appropriate for HO narrow gauge, I guess my hangup is in the length of the tie.  Maine 2' gauge track has quite a bit of the tie outside the gauge, to wit:



I'm not sure the Unitrack really captures the feel for me.  The Peco HOn30 stuff is better:



...but even then I think the ties are too "stubby."

[hminky]

The Peco track represents 009 tramway track.

Like Peco O-16.5 track for On30 the ties are too thick and clunky for me.

Like the Kato Unitrack because I can weather the track at the bench. Track painting is the worst part of layout building.

Close enough for me. The rail height is the worse part of all the track, far more than the ties.



Am old.

Harold

[Dave V]

Were I to do On30, I think the ME track is dead-on.  I much prefer Peco turnouts from a mechanical perspective, but yes, those ties are too stubby for me too.  Although for cinder-buried track and hidden staging, HO scale Unitrack would work quite well.

[hminky]

HO Kato Unitrack looks quite good as 1880s HO standard gauge track.

The fine rail profile and wide spaced ties make the rail look smaller.







Strange about proportions.

Harold

[hminky]

HO Engineer Bill likes the look of this N-scale Unitrack test piece with the faux fur grass berm for our HOn30 project.



The other berm attempts were Sculptamold mixed with my base earth color latex paint. Really messy and time consuming.

My fur grass articles are at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/fur_grass/

Thank you if you visit
Harold

[Dave V]

HO Engineer Bill likes the look of this N-scale Unitrack test piece with the faux fur grass berm for our HOn30 project.



The other berm attempts were Sculptamold mixed with my base earth color latex paint. Really messy and time consuming.

My fur grass articles are at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/fur_grass/

Thank you if you visit
Harold

Ya know, now that I see it like that, I agree with HO Engineer Bill.  It looks the part.  Bravo!

[ChristianJDavis1]

The Japanese use strange scale to gauge ratios. The models are 1/120.

1/80 is used to represent Japanese National Railways with HO gauge track. 1/64 represents the track at 3.5 feet.

Different point of view.

Harold

The first part is incorrect. All current offerings in N gauge as far as Japanese "standard" gauge prototypes are 1:150, running on 9mm track (true N-scale Japanese track would be closer to Z scale, and some people regauge equipment to run on Z gauge and it looks very good). The very first few steam engines by Kato were slightly oversized, but not to 1:120.

The 1:120 trains you are thinking of are T-gauge (scale?), and are entirely separate than anything Kato has ever done (as far as I know). I have seen a few brass kits, but as far as I have seen nobody is mass-producing anything like that.

Japanese HO has two "scales." Like you said, there is 1:80 running on HO track (not quite right, but close enough for the purpose of the Japanese, I guess). All of the early Ken Kidder Japanese prototypes are 1:80, which is why things like the Mogul look "large" compared to actual HO equipment (because it is). Shinkansen's are then usually 1:87. because they are standard gauge so they would be correct on HO scale track. Now, some manufacturers produce kits for 1:87 scale equipment that runs on T-gauge track. This is usually marketed as "HOj."

I hope my information was at least a little useful. Modeling Japanese prototypes in both N (1:150) and HO (1:80), I have to be conscious of all of these differences to make sure I don't buy the "wrong" equipment. Almost spend a big chunk on an "HO" steam engine which was actually "HOj" (so would not work with anything else I have).

[hminky]

The Ken Kidder stuff was 1/64 scale.



The mogul next to an 1/64 cabbed HO model.

Harold

[ChristianJDavis1]

Here is the end of one of the *original* Katsumi boxes for this locomotive. Most of the Ken Kidder Imports were made by Katsumi (abbreviated as KTM on the motors). As far as I know, they never made S scale anything; just HO and O scale. If you have anything that definitively proves it as S scale, I would be very interested, as KTM marketed it as 1:80, based on the "Benkei" prototype imported into the country as their railways were just starting out. I own other Ken Kidder pieces and they are definitely not S scale (1:64).