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This is all hinting US narrow gauge to me, where they had abbreviated rolling-stock for real.

 

On30 is one of those ideal scale/gauge/prototype combinations that I always find a bit tempting, and thinking about it, wouldn’t it be good for British Colonial 30” gauge? The Barsi, or the Egplyptian Delta, or Cyprus, or any number of Indian lines, or, or, or .......

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5 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

thinking about it, wouldn’t it be good for British Colonial 30” gauge? The Barsi, or the Egplyptian Delta, or Cyprus, or any number of Indian lines, or, or, or .......

No no no.... :nono: stop all that thinking malarky & stick with good ol' Uncle Sam outline trains!! :good:

But 13" radius in O scale??!!?? :scare: I've done as tight as 24" for light engine moves, and 26" on my loft layout, which wasn't too clever & was recently relaid to 36" radius, but 13"..!!!!! That, Sir, is quite simply Showing Off!! :boast: :locomotive: 

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The boxcar length was lifted from Maine twofooter practice, but transferred to a standard gauge cross section. Then using an Atlas chassis for diesel motive power gives you a decently cheap unit for O scale, so for a slight loss of credibility, you’re getting the best of both worlds. I suppose the next step would be to convert the prototypes you cite to standard gauge, to get cut price narrow gauge.... then again... “Last to the bar’s a three legged crow, set em up, Joe, set em up, Joe, set em up, Joe!!!”

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Actually, Jordan, it’s easier to do with American shorty outline on bogies, than British four wheelers. I’m afraid the track has to be well laid, which won’t suit everyone, (hem hem) with things like check rails at rail joins. I found the worst thing was propelling backwards, and here Kadee couplers on Talgo mountings came into their own, though on my Whimsy line (8”radius for OO track) I since discovered magnetic couplers.

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I think yiu can get couplers to work on tight 'corners'  but I doubt whether they would align to couple up every time. I seem to remember some very tight Hornby 0 gauge curves probably around 12-13 ins. As you say short bogie verhicles may work better particularly if the overhang from the bogies at the ends is minimal to keep the sideways movement to a minimum.

 

Don

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Thanks, Jacky, and Jordan, for not wanting me certified, I might well persist a bit more along this path with your encouragement. Now I’ve got Doris Day singing the Deadwood Stage out of my head, Kevin, I suppose the best place to look would be John Aherns “Madder Valley”, where James recently posted a good set of pictures, for a “is it standard, is it narrow?, is it American, is it British?” layout. There’s just the one American outline passenger car, but with some more, it could be transplanted from an English country town to any of the far off exotica you suggest.

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You have to admit it was a triumph of Paramount studios that they could generate such an image of unalloyed wholesomeness as our Doris. You could regard her with affection, and never a naughty thought enter your head.

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5 hours ago, Northroader said:

You have to admit it was a triumph of Paramount studios that they could generate such an image of unalloyed wholesomeness as our Doris. You could regard her with affection, and never a naughty thought enter your head.

 

Not so sure about that.

 

Don

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Sorry, only my usual sort of post to congratulate Northroader on his creativity!  Let me know if you unexpectedly need some freight and/or passenger car bits, etc if you run out next time you build.  Oh, did I miss out loco and track bits?  Yes cheap trucks (or expensive) and some Kadees, long time till the next Winchester Meet.

 

Non-public (Closed) Facebook group  American O-Scale in the UK  and email group  ukoscale  in operation.  I'll remind them about this and other Nth Am O-scale  topics on RMWeb and Western Thunder.  Any others I really should mention?  OK ogaugerr.com's 2-rail page and ....?

Jason

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Thanks, Jason, the last lot of useful bits you found (Atlas F9 bogie details) came in useful, and I actually managed to finish a job for once. I won’t run out of stuff for now at the present rate of progress, just sorry I didn’t make Winchester this year.

Do you have to put earmuffs on the dog before you go out walks? I was pegging out the washing yesterday and could hear the Army with their big howitzer at Larkhill thumping away, I reckon that’s around 23 miles from us, and about 5 from you.

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Well, Reading came and went, and I spotted Jason and had a chat,  I do hope things come together for you O.K., Jason. Nothing American was obtained, but I wasn’t worried, as I knew a small parcel was winging across the Atlantic, courtesy of those Shylocks in the US postal service. My way of self justification is “well, the cost equals time saved”. So, we now have a bodyshell, here teamed up with an Atlas chassis which has been ready and waiting.  I feel a Beep coming on, but that garish Chessie paint job will have to go.

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Christmas is approaching fast, so it remains to thank all lurkers and commentators who turn up on this thread, hope you all have a happy Christmas, and a productive years modelling in 2020.

 

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So pushing on with the Beep, the handrails were gently tweaked out, (they’re a push fit) and the window glazing popped out. (Edit, added much later in the job- I took the handrails off to help progress the paint job, but subsequently found they’re real trouble to put back, so think twice before you do that!) Then try to strip the paint off, time was I would just let it soak in a tinful of hydraulic brake fluid, and a wrinkled paint skin would nearly float off. These days I use Phoenix Supastrip, which involves more effort, you might get some blistering, but there’s a tendency to combine with the paint in a kind of sludge. Then it’s try to shift this with white spirit, wiping with a tissue, then repeat the cycle, to eventually get there. I fancied having a freight Beep, rather than a passenger Beep, so I trimmed the train heating bits off the short hood, then blanked and filled the holes. The bodyshell came in a Taylor Trucks box this time, (they’re an American manufacturer specialising in commercial road vehicle models) and I’m glad to say the resin was much better to work on, not at all as brittle as the previous one, which came in a RMT box. Then cement in double thickness strips of .060” styrene sheet, around the inside under the deck and across the ends. Pads of the same go on top at each end to mount the Kadee 801s on. The deck of the Atlas switcher is trimmed to fit inside.

 

You'll see that outside frames, also plastikard, have been added under the deck, with dummy side bogie frames on the outside, and a brace across both ends. Then a primer coat of grey, and a nice serviceable coat of black paint on top. I say black, but I always mix in quite a bit of grey with the black, so it’s really a charcoal grey shade, and you do get a bit more light reflected off it.

 

it’s had a run along the line, making a terrific clatter, very surefooted and purposeful, so now to finish the paint job and put the handrails back.

(sorry, no pictures)

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At present I’m having an attack of “Beep Fever”, la specialite du maison. I’ve done an assessment of the CNR stock I’m running, and decided that the original Beep was surplus there, so it’s had the paint off and back to undercoat. Then I just happened to have a spare Atlas chassis, and couldn’t resist getting another bodyshell while they were going. This is now put together, so I’ve now got three of the things. OK, they do look like an £8 banknote, but in fact I find they’re a really handy little engine, and I prefer the “main-line” look to the Plymouth switcher bodyshell, even if that did really exist.

 

 

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