HOn3/HOn30: Wheelsize vs. Type of Car

jon-monon

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Aug 15, 2002
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There seems to be a lot of wheelsize choices for narrow gauge. What size is appropriate for what types of rolling stock?

I guess the smallest I can find for small carts and baby flat cars (20"???), and the next up for typical freight (Box cars, gondo's larger flatties 26"???) , 28" for cabeese? 30" for passenger? I dunno. Presumably smaller than HO.

Some of hte scratch built stuff on Russ's Cane Link uses N scale wheelsets, which is I guess a 16.5" in HO. BTW: Russ, that one hit the spot, I was hoping to eventuall model some of the sugar cane plantations I visited in the Philippines. Had to dig a whop-whop outa one of those one time. Port side landing gear visibly bent, but functional thereafter :D
 

Vic

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Feb 1, 2002
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Hey Jon, Unless everything has to be exactly to scale the Grandt Line HOn3 wheelsets are about the standard for Colorado narrow gauge, D&RGW,C&S,RGS etc.
 

kettlestack

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Jan 18, 2002
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Jon,
And the Roundhouse (MDC) HOn3 trucks/wheels are good for passenger stock. (At least on their converted HO Sierra RR shortie passenger cars) .. :)

The Grant Line trucks are beautiful and very fine if it's absolute scale you want. (Vic has good taste .. :) :) )

I'm satisfied with "close enough is good enough" :)

Errol
 

60103

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Mar 25, 2002
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wheel sizes

Jon: On the NMRA data sheet I quoted before, it shows wheel sizes. They're almost all 26" except a D&RG series from 1871 at 20" and an EBT of 24".
usual warning: it only covers 12 series of cars on 9 railways.
My own feeling is that a railway would have standardized on one size so that everything was interchangeable.