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3' 6" gauge modelling


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Purely out of curiosity really, but.....is there much modelling done of UK 3' 6" gauge railways?

 

If so, what actual track gauge do people use in 4mm and 7mm scales? 

 

Is there much product support (kits etc)?

 

 

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Were there any? 3'6" seems to be more of a colonial thing. 

 

That being said, Antipodean 3'6" modellers seem to favour S scale (3/16" to the foot) on 16.5 mm gauge, so as to use easily available H0 wheels, mechs and, sometimes, track. Pretty much all scenic items require scratch building, but this is considered easier than the mechanical bits. I believe that H0 scale on 12mm track also has a following. 

 

For 4mm scale, I would think the 14mm track standard used in 3mm scale would be the best option, unless you can live with the old 00 scale on H0 scale track compromise ;-). 7mm scale would probably be best served using S track standards. Pretty close, and easier than developing a whole set of standards from scratch. 

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I'm sure an old friend told me about a line of this gauge in Staffordshire, somewhere! I can't remember any other details except it was maybe up in the moorlands, sorry. I only recall it as I thought it unusual for the UK.

 

Naughty boy mode: :diablo_mini: Why not just use 00 - 4'1½" is practically as close to 3'6" as it is to 4'8½"!!:diablo_mini:

 

There's a nice list here that doesn't include my Staffs Moorland railway!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_foot_six_inch_gauge_railways_in_the_United_Kingdom

Edited by Allegheny1600
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4 hours ago, sir douglas said:

i'm sure i recall seeing south african 3'6" being done in HOm (12mm gauge)

The DJH kits for SAR were available for 12 or 16.5mm gauges. 12mm is closer to 3'6" than metre gauge in H0 anyway (12 x 87 is 1044mm, 3'6" is 1067mm). They referred to it as H0n3.5 rather than H0m, but its still 12mm.

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I think there are a lot of 1:64 scale model railways in 3' 6" gauge New Zealand, sufficient to support a level of commercial brass RTR models in years gone by, and my brother still runs NZR models as well as British    being on 00/H0 track is handy... kitsets in white metal brass etc are still sold commercially.

 

Here is a brass Korean Ajin model, a run of a number I now forget, in the 1990s, of an NZR Ka class 4-8-4 at a representation of the station at Paekakariki  where electric engines were changed to steam (until 1965) with expresses to and from Auckland.. 400 miles away.

 

These engines often exceeded 60 mph with 14 heavy steel carriages, amazing given the tight loading gauge. They also slogged up 22 miles of uncompensated 1-in-50 grades including the Raurimu Spiral, sometimes double-headed,  very impressive stuff! The engine with tender was 145 tons.

 

944_NZR_Ka_class_3a_r1200.jpg.65876d500a523beef3625d8a584ba250.jpg

 

Note the engine is as produced, scenery adapted from photos using PSP6 photo editing software.

 

cheers

 

p.s. I should add that it was on one such engine at this very station where I got my first cab-ride, backing down to 'The 3.40pm Auckland Express' when I was 11 or 12 years old....

 

 

here is a 1960s photo with 2 Ka's and about 550 tons on the Raurimu Spiral..

 

Raurimu_Kas.jpg.ff018a9d1b9a7fdf8ab18c7b7a223c5d.jpg

Edited by robmcg
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13 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

How about 5mm:1ft on 16.5mm track?  Lots of scratch building.

I believe that has been used to represent metre gauge but Sn3 1/2 is almost dead on for 3' 6".

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Re the OP  OO or indeed HO on TT gauge track (12mm)  should do the trick?

 

3' 6" being a well used gauge across the world (Aus, NZ, Japan, Alaska, Dutch tramways as were)  there must be a fair amount of layouts out there?  Although mainline railways rather than narrow gauge as we know it...

 

I've seen layouts for NZ trains in 1:64th on 16.5 mm track,  Sn3 1/2 as HSB said.  Also 9mm scale on O gauge track,  or 1:24th scale on gauge 1.  I thought about  1:120 scale on n gauge track, think this has a very small following, as I once joined a Yahoo group on this but no-one ever posted...

 

Japanese railways are 3' 6" and I think their models are produced to 1:150 scale on n gauge track, not right but looks ok. 

 

 

Edited by railroadbill
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21 hours ago, robmcg said:

I think there are a lot of 1:64 scale model railways in 3' 6" gauge New Zealand, sufficient to support a level of commercial brass RTR models in years gone by, and my brother still runs NZR models as well as British    being on 00/H0 track is handy... kitsets in white metal brass etc are still sold commercially.

 

Here is a brass Korean Ajin model, a run of a number I now forget, in the 1990s, of an NZR Ka class 4-8-4 at a representation of the station at Paekakariki  where electric engines were changed to steam (until 1965) with expresses to and from Auckland.. 400 miles away.

 

These engines often exceeded 60 mph with 14 heavy steel carriages, amazing given the tight loading gauge. They also slogged up 22 miles of uncompensated 1-in-50 grades including the Raurimu Spiral, sometimes double-headed,  very impressive stuff! The engine with tender was 145 tons.

 

944_NZR_Ka_class_3a_r1200.jpg.65876d500a523beef3625d8a584ba250.jpg

 

Note the engine is as produced, scenery adapted from photos using PSP6 photo editing software.

 

cheers

 

p.s. I should add that it was on one such engine at this very station where I got my first cab-ride, backing down to 'The 3.40pm Auckland Express' when I was 11 or 12 years old....

 

 

here is a 1960s photo with 2 Ka's and about 550 tons on the Raurimu Spiral..

 

Raurimu_Kas.jpg.ff018a9d1b9a7fdf8ab18c7b7a223c5d.jpg

 

The Ka looks very realistic, Rob.  Only the Kaydee coupler that gives it away.....

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2 hours ago, railroadbill said:

 

The Ka looks very realistic, Rob.  Only the Kaydee coupler that gives it away.....

 

Actually the central buffer hook-couplings on NZR had drop-in buckeye adaptors for steel main line passenger cars  which looked just like the Kaydee...  but were rarely used on the front coupling.   At least as I remember them

 

cheers

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P1330306.JPG.df4b830782d0e486f31e84b506826bc9.JPG

 

Rob, further to your pic of the Ka with the front buckeye coupler.

Here's a DX at Kaikoura in 2000.  (And yes we did get to see whales, plus a lot of albatross as well). It has the American style (AAR) coupling which and I'm now guessing, would by then have been the standard on passenger trains and heavy duty wagons like the Midland line coal trains etc.

In my "New Zealand loco and rolling stock 2000" book, pics of the AO class cars for instance and CC class hopper wagons show the AAR buckeye coupling.  However, plenty of other stock in the book has the chopper coupling.  Is that still the standard coupler?

Got the book at Scorpio Books in Christchurch, just looked them up and they're still going strong.

The Kaikoura line was closed by the earthquake but up and running now, on the Rail New Zealand web site the  Coastal Pacific doesn't look much different to how it did in 2000!  That was Tranz Rail then with the pale blue livery.

As the DX is a re-gauged GE U26C, with a 2750hp diesel, 3' 6" gauge has seemed to me for mainlines.  As a gauge there are certainly some interesting railways in different countries.

 

Edited by railroadbill
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I beiieve the recognised options for NZ prototype are Sn3 1/2   , using 16.5mm track/mechanisms and NZ120   1:120 scale (Continental TT) on 9mm track/mechanisms

 

Sn3 1/2 is also used by modellers of the Western Australian Govt Rlys and I think also Queensland Rlys

 

The "Staffs Moorland"  railway referred to above may well be the Leek & Manifold (2'6" gauge)

 

As an aside I have seen one or two examples of 3n3 - that is 3' gauge systems modelled in 3mm scale using 9mm gauge track/N gauge mechanisms. I'm a little surprised that hasn't been adopted more widely. There are quite a few 3' gauge prototypes around the British Isles (it's not just Ireland), and with N gauge material readily available and  reasonable support for 3mm scale it would arguably be an easier route to 3' gauge prototypes than OOn3 these days

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On ‎08‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 17:35, Allegheny1600 said:

I'm sure an old friend told me about a line of this gauge in Staffordshire, somewhere! I can't remember any other details except it was maybe up in the moorlands, sorry. I only recall it as I thought it unusual for the UK.

 

Perhaps the one mentioned here: https://www.churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk/cvr-history

 

The Churnet Valley was an important site in the mineral industry with a number of iron, copper, limestone and sandstone quarries along the valley. At Froghall Junction, the NSR had inherited a tramway connecting Froghall Wharf to a Limestone Quarry at Cauldon. In 1849 a replacement 3ft 6in cable-operated narrow gauge line was built, with two brand new steam locomotives delivered from Henry Hughes Works at Loughborough in 1877 (called Frog and Toad) for shunting the wagons from the quarry face at Cauldon to the top of the incline prior to their attachment to the cable system. A third steam locomotive called Bobs, constructed by Bagnalls in 1901, would later join Toad & Frog in operating the system around the quarry. Eventually though the line’s purpose was to be transferred to the NSR’s Leek Brook to Cauldon branch upon its opening in 1905. Despite this, the narrow gauge system was to continue in use until 25th March 1920.

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4 hours ago, Ravenser said:

I beiieve the recognised options for NZ prototype are Sn3 1/2   , using 16.5mm track/mechanisms and NZ120   1:120 scale (Continental TT) on 9mm track/mechanisms

 

.....

 

*

I understand that in the past (after WWII) 9mm scale on 32mm track was used in NZ to model 3ft 6ins gauge. I do not know (but would be interested to be informed) if this option has continuing popularity.

 

CP

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2 hours ago, cp409067 said:

 

*

I understand that in the past (after WWII) 9mm scale on 32mm track was used in NZ to model 3ft 6ins gauge. I do not know (but would be interested to be informed) if this option has continuing popularity.

 

CP

There have been quite a few kits produced in this scale over the years.

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On 18/08/2019 at 23:17, robmcg said:

I think there are a lot of 1:64 scale model railways in 3' 6" gauge New Zealand, sufficient to support a level of commercial brass RTR models in years gone by, and my brother still runs NZR models as well as British    being on 00/H0 track is handy... kitsets in white metal brass etc are still sold commercially.

 

Here is a brass Korean Ajin model, a run of a number I now forget, in the 1990s, of an NZR Ka class 4-8-4 at a representation of the station at Paekakariki  where electric engines were changed to steam (until 1965) with expresses to and from Auckland.. 400 miles away.

 

These engines often exceeded 60 mph with 14 heavy steel carriages, amazing given the tight loading gauge. They also slogged up 22 miles of uncompensated 1-in-50 grades including the Raurimu Spiral, sometimes double-headed,  very impressive stuff! The engine with tender was 145 tons.

 

944_NZR_Ka_class_3a_r1200.jpg.65876d500a523beef3625d8a584ba250.jpg

 

Note the engine is as produced, scenery adapted from photos using PSP6 photo editing software.

 

cheers

 

p.s. I should add that it was on one such engine at this very station where I got my first cab-ride, backing down to 'The 3.40pm Auckland Express' when I was 11 or 12 years old....

 

 

here is a 1960s photo with 2 Ka's and about 550 tons on the Raurimu Spiral..

 

Raurimu_Kas.jpg.ff018a9d1b9a7fdf8ab18c7b7a223c5d.jpg

 

Rob,

My small NZR collection: Ww480 and Kb970, two generations of South Island motive power. The Ww is from the On-Line Models kit, whilst the Kb came from JG Kits of Christchurch. I have a few NZR coaches too that came from South Dock Models - one day I'll start ordering some wagon kits to make up a suitable freight for the Kb.

I've been keeping an eye out for the Ajin Ka but have yet to come across one and I doubt many reached these shores.

I sometimes wonder if my models are the most northerly NZR examples, or perhaps the furthest

away from NZ?!

20190821_140803.jpg.52eac1d6cbad7a9d2da3c5e362029f74.jpg

20190821_140844.jpg.7e5719eca2630d976b47db32f63b7982.jpg

20190821_140926.jpg.8e7318ef9c6ff6346aef4d16138d535c.jpg

Edited by Bon Accord
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