On30 (also called On2, O16.5 and Oe) gauge is the modelling of

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s in

O scale O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad sc ...

on HO ()

gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

track in 1:48

scale ratio The scale ratio of a model represents the proportional ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the same feature of the original. Examples include a 3-dimensional scale model of a building or the scale drawings of the elevations or plans of a ...

by American and Australian model railroaders, in 1:43.5 scale ratio by British and French model railroaders and 1:45 by Continental European model railroaders (excluding France).

Definitions

On30

On30 uses the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

of inch to the foot, (ratio 1:48) to operate trains on HO gauge () track. The 30 indicates the scale/gauge combination is used to model narrow gauge prototypes, although it is often used to model and gauge prototypes as well. This scale/gauge combination is sometimes referred to as On2.

O16.5

O16.5 (sometimes O-16.5) in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

is a

model railway Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are Model building, modelled at a reduced Scale (ratio), scale. The scale models include locomotives ...

scale/gauge combination of 7 mm to the foot. This is the same scale as British O scale (1:43.5 ratio) running on gauge track, which is also used by OO gauge model railways. It thus represents the prototype gauge of just over (e.g. the

Snailbeach District Railways Snailbeach District Railways was a British narrow gauge railway in Shropshire. It was built to carry lead ore from mines in the Stiperstones to Pontesbury where the ore was transshipment, transshipped to the Great Western Railway's Minsterley b ...

), although also widely used to model (e.g. the

Ffestiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway () is a heritage railway based on Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia#Snowdonia National Park, Snowdonia National Park. The ...

) and (e.g. the

Tal-y-llyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway () is a narrow-gauge railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 to carry slate from the quarries at ...

) gauge UK prototypes.

0e

0e (sometimes Oe) is the Continental

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an notation for 0 scale using track. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and a few other countries 0 scale uses a ratio of 1:43.5. In

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and many other European countries 0 scale uses a ratio of 1:45. The prototypes represented as example the German gauge,

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

gauge, and gauge rack railways in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Development

Oe gauge rack railway in Bern Switzerland

United States

In the United States modelling in On30 dates back to the 1950s, using HO gauge wheels and locomotive chassis. The scale was popularised to some extent in the 1960s and 1970s by the writings of modellers such as

Gordon North Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

. An On30 layout, the Venago Valley (built by Bill Livingston) was featured in the June 1971 issue of ''

Railroad Model Craftsman ''Railroad Model Craftsman'' is an American magazine specializing in the hobby of model railroading. The magazine is published monthly by White River Productions, which acquired the title from Carstens Publications in 2014. Its first issue in M ...

'' magazine. However, as there are very few prototype gauge railways in the United States, it remained very much a minority modelling area, especially when compared with modelling in On2 and On3. In 1998

Bachmann Industries Bachmann Industries (Bachmann Brothers, Inc.) is a Bermuda-registered, Chinese-owned company, globally headquartered in Hong Kong; specialising in model railroading. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the home of its North American headq ...

introduced a model of a

2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. T ...

steam locomotive in this scale for the

Christmas village A Christmas village (or putz) is a decorative, miniature-scale village often set up during the Christmas season. These villages are rooted in the elaborate Christmas traditions of the Moravian Church, a Protestant denomination. In the traditi ...

market. This model, being very inexpensive, was quickly adopted by modellers. Other manufacturers followed Bachmann into this market, and Bachmann also introduced a number of other models. On30 is now regarded as the fastest growing segment of the model railroading market in the United States. Several other companies have produced mass market models for the USA market including Mountain Model Imports (MMI) who produced die-cast K series DRGW models (also available in 0n3), Broadway Limited who produced a 2-8-0 and a "galloping goose", San Juan Car company produce kits and RTR plastic wagons, Accucraft/AMS produce brass engines and plastic rolling stock. Many US modellers can be broadly cast into one of two groups: The first group are freelance modelers, not modelling any specific prototype. These modelers are adept at taking

H0 gauge H, or h, is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, including the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches'' ...

models and modifying them with new cabs and other features into models without prototypes. A common saying in this group of modelers is that they model with "no standards", a reaction to the highly accurate modelling known as "rivet counting" found in some other sections of the hobby. The second group model prototype American narrow gauge railroads ranging from

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

and

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fr ...

. Modelers following these prototypes often choose On30 over the more accurate On2 and On3 gauges citing the lower cost of models and the ready availability of 'ready-to-run' models by Bachmann, Accucraft Trains and Broadway Limited. Detail parts and kits for specific models can be adapted easily from models manufactured for On3 modellers and others.

Britain

In Britain O16.5 modelling also began in the 1950s, using modified proprietary

OO scale OO gauge or OO scale (also, 00 gauge and 00 scale) is the most popular standard gauge model railway standard in the United Kingdom, outside of which it is virtually unknown. OO gauge is one of several 4 mm-scale standards (4 mm to , or 1: ...

models. A number of small companies now supply kits for locomotives made of materials such as brass and white metal, as well as rolling stock kits. British modellers have also had the advantage of Peco flexible track and turnouts, which have become popular throughout the On30 modelling world. The 7mm Narrow Gauge Association supports the hobby, and publishes a magazine, "Narrow Lines". Most modellers attempt to accurately model one of the many , and gauge railways that were found throughout Britain, although European, American and even railways from Britain's

colonial empire A colonial empire is a sovereign state, state engaging in colonization, possibly establishing or maintaining colony, colonies, infused with some form of coloniality and colonialism. Such states can expand contiguous as well as Territory#Overseas ...

have become popular. First items in the PECO O-16.5 range of track, and rolling stock kits appeared early in 1978, with other items released over the next 2-3 years to become a large part of the range that we have today. For accurate modelling of two-foot gauge railways, such as the

Ffestiniog Ffestiniog (; ) is a community in Gwynedd, Wales, containing several villages, in particular the settlements of Llan Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It has a population of 4,875. History Ffestiniog was a parish in Cantref Ardudwy; in 12 ...

or Lynton and Barnstaple O14 has been employed, although there is some limited commercial support for this scale/gauge, it is mostly of industrial prototypes.

Continental Europe

Spur 0e Zahnradbahn im Modelleisenbahnclub Basel mit BChe 2 4 und Vorstellwagen kurz nach 1940

The first known 0e gauge model railway is probably the rack railway of the Basel Model Railway Club (MCB), german: ''Modelleisenbahnclub Basel'', in Switzerland can be traced back to 1938. Just a few years after Trix and Märklin independently launched 00 gauge products with a model gauge of 16.5 mm. In 1957, an early gauge 0e modell railroad line according to the

Mariazell Railway The Mariazell Railway () is an electrically operated narrow-gauge railway which connects the Lower Austrian capital of Sankt Pölten with the Styrian pilgrimage centre of Mariazell. The line was opened in stages between 1898 and 1907, and had ...

was built on the club layout of the St. Pölten Railway Model Club, german: ''Eisenbahnmodellbauklub St. Pölten'', in Austria, based on experience with 0e gauge railway models built in the years after 1948. The narrow gauge rack railway in Basel, the narrow gauge railway in St. Pölten, as well as the following Billerbahn were initially assigned to gauge 00. This, as far as Billerbahn is concerned, even in 1956. The term '0 scale' as well as the term 'gauge 0e' did not exist at that time. A similar pattern of small manufacturers producing kits is followed in Continental Europe. However the German firm Fleischmann produced ready-to-run models until a few years ago of small German and Austrian locomotives and associated rolling stock in Oe gauge on a scale of about 1:40. The line was called "Magic Train". "Billerbahn" was already producing its field railway from 1948 to 1977.

Märklin Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin (stylized as ma̋rklín) (MÄRKLIN or MAERKLIN in capital letters) is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg. Although it originally specialis ...

also produced a small range of 3 rail 0e gauge models between 1970 and 1972 under the "MINEX" range name. All three ranges were aimed at children but had appeal to serious modelers too.

Australia

Surveys at modelling conventions in Australia have found that the majority of all narrow gauge modellers in that country model in On30, 1:48 scale. An early pioneer was Rick Richardson, with his Vulcan Vale model railway. Recent examples include 'Steam in the Bush' who are based in the Blue Mountains and produce a range of On30 'craftsman' style kits. Many modelers choose to model the 2ft6in gauge railways in Victoria, such as Puffing Billy, and a number of kits and ready to run models have been produced for that prototype. A ready to run die-cast and plastic model of the NA Puffing Billy locomotive was released by

Haskell Haskell () is a general-purpose, statically typed, purely functional programming language with type inference and lazy evaluation. Designed for teaching, research, and industrial applications, Haskell pioneered several programming language ...

in 2014 and they have subsequently also released NQR openwagons. The scale is also popular for modelers of timber

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksQueensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

tramways, as well as freelance modelers. Ixion produced a "Coffee Pot" (a 3-foot 6 gauge prototype) for this market. A small number of models have also been produced in 7 mm:1 ft scale, mostly of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

prototypes.Proceedings of the Australian Narrow Gauge Convention 2005

Japan

On30 is also modeled in Japan, where it is used to represent the narrow gauge railways, such as the Kiso Forest Railway, that were once quite common in that country. Several brass locomotive kits have been produced.

Summary

The following table lists the most popular narrow gauges in O scale:

Remarks

Model railroaders with layouts and rolling stocks by American standard and usually by British standard, use for designation of the scale in English language publications the letter ''O'' and not the number ''0''. In British and sometimes in French-speaking countries, for narrow gauge it is written after designation of the scale the model gauge in mm. As examples OO9 or OO6.5 in United Kingdom and H09 at the place of H0e or H06,5 at the place of H0f in France.

Bibliography

Model Railroader ''Model Railroader'' (''MR'') is an American magazine about the hobby of model railroading. Founded in 1934 by Al C. Kalmbach, it is published monthly by Firecrown Media of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Commonly found on newsstands and in libraries ...

magazine *

Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette ''Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette'', subtitled ''Accurate Information for Fine Modelbuilding'', is a magazine published bimonthly (every two months) in the United States. It was published by Benchmark Publications, Ltd. of Mountain View, Califo ...

magazine * "Narrow Lines" magazine * "Proceedings of the Australian Narrow Gauge Convention 2005"

References

External links

*{{usurped,
The On30 Information and Resource Center
}
Big Indoor Trains
Model railroad scales 30 inch railways and modelling 0016.5 mm Narrow-gauge railway modelling