10 Things to Know BEFORE You Start an On30 Model Railroad | Workbench Wednesday

I'm often asked about what it takes to build an On30 model railroad, so here are 10 things I think are essential to know before you begin. I give a little background on On30 and scale vs gauge, then talk about the space, cost, and time required to build a layout in this scale. I also discuss sourcing equipment, finding model railroad community, and the importance of starting with a good story!
Thanks for watching!
Dave
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[@scottrobertson56]

I so agree with the start small approach. Unfortunately, I find so many modelers who can not adhere to this idea and think too big, get frustrated, do not develop the skills, then loose interest. I always encourage a modular approach to any layout design. Having that one small piece at a time to work on really helps build confidence. Great video as always.

[@lawrencetuck6265]

"Model railroading is a storytelling medium." Absolutely right, and that's one of the reasons I like On30 -- so many, I f not most, On30 modelers are great storytellers.

[@FunAtDisney]

This great advice Dave and reminds me of the same advice given to gardeners! I follow a couple of gardening channels, “Garden Answer” and “Epic Gardening” for years and they give the same advice. You look at their gardens and after years they are still a work in progress. And whether it’s a model railroad, or a garden or any hobby we all want it Now! But in reality all those things need to develop organically (pun intended) over time. Do something, small let it settle for awhile and see if that is the direction you want to go. Because over time you will actually save time! And money. And frustrations!

[@officervaca00123]

When I started model railroading I always dreamed about a huge layout for my N scale stuff, when I finally got a house with a basement all to myself and set up some folding tables to mimic the massive layout dream I had, I quickly realized how much work and planning it would take when I haven't built one before! So at the moment I am working on a suitcase layout in OO9 based off Wallace and Gromit and a 36x80 door layout for my n scale stuff. If I can pull that off I will allow myself to start pondering on the full basement layout...when and if I retire that is!

[@tcsyme]

Very well done Dave. You've offered a lot of excellent info in an easily digestible format. It is a shame that the On30 RtR supply line has slowed down a bit, but you are right, there are a lot of cottage industry vendors filling in the gaps. And fortunately, we will never run out of HO donor stock. Thanks for all the inspiration.

[@politicsandtrains]

i like the DC as its more interactive and enjoy manual switches. Yes, DCC has some fancy options, but I enjoy the block technology with DC.

[@troysimpson9550]

As a fellow life long modeler, I would say this list is the best top 10 list on this subject and I agree with all you said. Tell your story and create the world that you want to have. Also find a local model railroad club, they can be such a wonderful treasure of knowledge and place to buy, trade materials to build your layout.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

11th thing to know, or at least reinforce... On30 is a whole lot cheaper for locomotives than fine-scale On3. If you want to build accurate railroad models, you will need to go On3. Even though On30 is not 'accurate to prototype' it opens the door to some great modeling opportunities without the cost of fine-scale On3 locomotives. Everything else cost the same... scenery and structures, layout framing, electric wiring and controls.. all the same. Another resource for On30, is the vast array of kits and cars offered in On3. You can easily fit narrower 30 inch gauge trucks to any existing On3 (36" gauge) car. You may have to adjust coupler mounting height. Good video Dave! Covers the basics pretty well. I especially like the emphasis on finding a story... the meaning behind your miniature railroad.

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

Good points!

[@amraceway]

Australia had extensive 30 inch gauge rail systems as did other countries The USA does not represent the whole world of trains.

[@douglaskinloch6272]

Ebay is your friend for finding the equipment, there was very little here in Scotland anyway, but I do plan garden railway in On30 for next summer

[@vincenthuying98]

Dear Dave, great summary! Love the personal touch, definitely agree on the start small incentive. Community indeed, will hook with the NMRA and the ScaleFour society. Storytelling, the visual and audible fictional freelance doing justice to the prototype. Cheerio

[@NorseNerdleMeister]

I love ON30 and look forward to your vids every week and love the Instagram posts! You’ve inspired me greatly with my ON30 shelf train and one day I hope to build a large table layout.

[@ColorMeMozart]

Thank you for this, I feel silly but actually did not know all the distinctions of track gauge and scale descriptions!

[@Gregtrainmaster]

you covered this very well

[@pbyfr]

The start small advice is great. I discovered that it is even useful when switching of scale! After many years of O-16.5, I wanted to try N scale, so I started a very small layout (80x50cm), but even that small layout take a lot more time than I though.

[@user-mt1ty9oz9n]

You are absolutely right, the #1 question is the story you want to tell. I fell into mine without realizing it or planning it until one day it dawned on me where I was going. Thanks as always for your wonderful videos!

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

Thank you!

[@loispadgett6306]

Great advice start small. I have N scale but also like 0n30. I like your 0n18 also someday hope to find one to build. To see how small you started and just added on gives me hope. Thanks for sharing and I missed this when you were gone. GOD BLESS 🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖

[@patlatorres7000]

Dave, I will pick on you for one comment, when you said that 30" gauge was very unusual. Where I lived in Northern California, there were two 30 " gauge railroads fairly near by -- in the distant past (late 1800s, very early 1900s). Where 30" gauge really left its mark was for industrial railways, inside factories and industrial plants -- and this opens up one other possibility for a model railroad that many folks miss. building a small steel mill or port facility with a railroad inside the facility that then maybe connected to a standard or narrow gauge railroad that reaches out to the "outside world". Beyond that, you really hit the nail on the head, especially your comment about community! Having other modelers to reach out to makes the journey so much more enjoyable! I strongly recommend getting involved with your local NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) chapter / division / region. Since I got involved with the NMRA I have met friends from literally all over the world. This provides people to travel with when going on layout tours, resources for information and ideas for modeling, folks just to sit and have a beer with and talk about modeling and life in general (one of those friends was a menister who conducted our wedding when my wife and I got married --- at a model railroad convention! As for conventions, if you decide to go with 0n30, look into the National Narroe Gauge Convention, which moves around the country each year. Just search NNGC, preceded by the appropriate year. Again, a great source for ideas on how to build your railroad. Most of all, have FUN!!!

[@NYCJDClark]

Dang it, I missed the premiere. But I'm watching it now. All good points Dave. This should help newcomers to this wonderful hobby. Well done.

[@WheresJoseToday-im1gr]

Excellent presentation! Thank you! I am wanting to create an On30 layout-once my workshop is built. I really like the idea of making things from buildings to unique, even fantastical steam locomotives. I think O scale gives a good size for detail. Have thought even of G scale, but then much less space to work with.

[@winterliy103-7]

Outstanding information for getting started.

[@MineMountModels]

Great video with excellent advice.

[@andywolf3205]

I finally got all the adequate answers to my questions (most of them). Thank you.

[@mikeregan8894]

Hi Dave, great show very helpful. I almost consider you a modern John Allen. He started with a very small ho layout then ended up with a masterpiece. I really hope to meet you in the near future and see the Thunder Mesa. Well done.

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

That is very humbling, thank you

[@SteveLee-iw6wz]

I agree. The John Allen comment/compliment is accurate.

[@martytaylor2004]

Thank you so much for this Dave. You cleared up a lot for me. In the limited space I have, “ N” scale would be best. H O perhaps. Anyway, you’ve given me somethings to think about. Cheers

[@TheBoyMechanic]

. I found an On30 Shay that had seen better days at a train show. That got me in. My layout takes up a shelf and a de-doored closet. I also was lucky to trade my collection of N Scale trains for an On30 collection. I've also done a lot of 3D printing. Small is good - O is a huge scale and really deserves a lot of details. Plus you can also do a little selective compression with HO and N Scale in the background. I will admit to being in a bit of modelers block at the moment as there is a small town scene I'm stuck on. But there are always other parts of the layout to work on.

[@dstenger]

When converting from HO to On30 plans remember the structures will take up twice as much space!

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

Good point!

[@lawrencetuck6265]

Actually, eight times as much. Twice as long as twice as wide, and twice as high. That was the biggest shock for me when I made the switch.

[@geraldstewart]

Great food for thought Dave

[@davidbales8053]

This video’s for you… Yaaaay!

[@PaulsinMo]

I needed this! Thank you

[@brianrooney2970]

Excellent job on this, thank you.

[@ddyodaman5515]

Covered well!

[@josephmartin2443]

I really enjoy your channel. It really keeps me interested and relaxed. Thanks.

[@whhsfordian]

Great overview. Thanks!

[@andrewdarley8988]

Sensible and practical advice. Also sticks to the point without a lot of padding, repetion or waffle.

[@user-qp2pp2ro2t]

Great tutorial Dave! Thank you!

[@timothyboles6457]

Very well presented. And I agree with On30 isn't as easy to do as it was a few years ago. Bachmann seems to have really backed up from the scale/gauge combination that they really championed for quite a while. Others have poked at it. But no one jumped into it as deeply as Bachmann. 3D printing has really helped in certain areas. But you still have to source a driveline for motive power.

[@pbyfr]

I don't understand Bachmann: on one hand, they put a new On30 locomotive or rolling stock out per year (or less), and on the other, they push like crazy the UK HOn30 (OOn30) locomotives. Maybe the success of Minitrains in HOn30 in Europe explains that, but then why only UK prototypes? As I more inclined to continental European narrow gauge, I could only rely on kits, as I missed the Magic Train of Fleischman! Having assembled a few Japanese kits, I would try to use the Arumodel power as most are excellent, smooth running, and very quickly assembled.

[@doncure2019]

Great job Dave

[@allenlandis4504]

Oh no so what's to think about ? On30 it is !

[@HumancityJunction]

What is this thing you call patience?

[@prpman99]

Hey thanks for some thought provoking and informative hints. Especially like #1. Hadn't thought of it that way but that is exactly what I did, without really thinking about it, modelled a German scene as I remember Germany from my time being stationed over there. Starting small, 4x8, but thinking next year will time for expansion. Thanks again,

[@peterforden5917]

O scale is 7mm = 1ft or 30mm, oo is 4mm=1ft ,ho is 3,5mm =1ft , T.T. is 3mm =1 ft , N is roughly (!) 2mm = 1ft. easy :)

[@WMTrackdog]

Dave, very well done spot on. If any thing left out of the mix would be in choice’s of powering your rail road. In addition to DC, DCC power on board or battery power as another option to the up and coming railroader.

[@ioanekirarahu951]

Don't forget another thing to remember before starting an On30 layout is that you might have to put up with comments from purists who recall for us that 30 inch track gauge was very unusual, while for narrow gauge Americana railroads, 3 feet or 36 inches was far, far more common. Much better to start right in with On3, if you want to model narrow gauge in 1:49. Bachman should start to offer all their nice equipment in On3 as well as On30. Woof.

[@colinoldham7947]

Top video Dave! The story telling aspect really stood out. its not until I discovered your channel that I really started using my imagination. So can I clarify, On18 is HO scale running on 9mm HOe scale track and chassis/bogies??

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

Thank you. On18 is O scale running on 9mm gauge track, the same gauge as N scale. There are a lot of useful parts that can be used from HOe/HOn30. For example, I use Peco HOe track for On18.

[@colinoldham7947]

Right got ya! Thanks Dave. I have a bulk load of Kato 109 chassis, so this could be a fun project 👍

[@davevan8864]

Great info....thx

[@skeetermctavish5386]

Love your layout. Part of my “Empire” will hopefully incorporate several of your desert mountain scenery. I do have a question though. I am an O gauge guy but plan to have a significant On30 section. Within the area I want to have a mine but not just an entrance. I want to have a full interior that can be seen. If possible I want to have some of the track operable with engines and ore cars. I was curious if the track inside should be the On30 (HO) gauge or should it be N? Are there Ore cars and engines that are different than typical On30 size? Any thoughts on what running gear to use inside a mine? Thank you for your thoughts and your great videos and demos-Sean B

[@tomphillips8565]

Thanks for sharing your information with us. This has been very helpful!

[@SteveLee-iw6wz]

Outstanding video/information!

[@TWNTY-es8lu]

late view for me...but great info!!!!!!!!

[@danshobbies13]

I want to know why Lionel O is still bigger than On30 if both are 1:48. Seems to me S scale is closer to On30 than O. I want to see if I can make my own On30 rolling stock. I just ordered an old American Flyer box car for 9 bucks, I’ll throw some HO trucks on it and BAM! On30 😂😂

[@tenoregermania]

What is the ideal height for benchwork or height of the rails?

[@azmike1]

Bachmann Locos in any scale looks great! But they do not run. My opinion as a model railroader since 1992.

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

They're hit and miss. The Bachmann On30 4-4-O, Heisler, and Forney, WWI Trench Loco are great runners. The Porters need a Keep Alive to run reliably, and the Shays and other geared locos have their problems.

[@TheBobservations]

A+++

[@therailfanman2078]

Hot take here, but the ON30 scale isn't about having a big layout. ON30 is more of a small railroad or mountain railroad scale.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

How do you explain that the big RR has 3 rails and the little one has 2 rails?

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

More Realistic O scale trains can run on 2 rails. 3 rail trains like Lionel are traditionally known as "tinplate" - aka toy trains. I wouldn't mix those with narrow gauge.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

@@ThunderMesaStudio l was being sarcastic.

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

Well, I get legit questions like that all the time, so, how would I know? @@frankmarkovcijr5459