Train ride around the layout

[Terry Toenges]

A train ride around the Christmas layout. I made it today. The date is off. At the very end, after I shut the video down, I tried to back the Mogul up and the camera caught on the corner of the tunnel. The loco and tender fell over and I broke some tender wires while trying to extract it.

[Ken Huck]

At about 1:12 there's a pretty realistic figure in the prone position on the floor.
Nice tour.  Thanks Terry.

Ken

[Terry Toenges]

I was hoping I could just blend into the woodwork. When I was getting the camera set up, I had the kitchen light and all the other lights off and I closed the curtains so it would be just the layout lighting. I have one of those kaleidoscope lights overhead so that's what makes the eerie colors.
I figured with all the other lights off, I wouldn't be as noticeable back there. Just before I started, my wife came in from the back and turned the kitchen light on. I didn't realize it until I looked at the video. She just ruined the whole "ambiance". 
I can't redo it like that because the wires came loose from the connector on the Mogul tender. When I tried to reverse out of the tunnel at the video end, the camera caught on the side of the tunnel and caused the loco and tender to fall over. When I went to retrieve them from under the tunnel, four of the wires got disconnected from the tender connector. They are much too little for me to try to solder and they are all black so I wouldn't know which one go to what anyway. I'm looking for a DCC On30 Mogul tender chassis with the wiring intact.

[Terry Toenges]

Here's a daylight ride around my layout. I used my HO ALCO Mogul for the pulling. The camera is mounted on an On30 ore car.

[Quentin]

I've never really gotten into On30. Is it worth it to get into?

[Terry Toenges]

I like it because things are bigger. There a big difference watching my HO trains go around the track and watching my On30 go around. You can get more detail with the On30 stuff like with the figures. Bachmann was putting more On30 stuff out there than they are now. I sold off most of my On30 when I decided to just do Christmas layouts but I kept my one Mogul and some cars.

[Ralph S]

Great video, but I need some education.  You state that the train is HO but is on On30.  What is the difference or is that a difference between HO an On30.  I've seen On30 but never questioned it thinking it was someone's typo.

[Terry Toenges]

On30 is narrow gauge O scale that runs on HO track. I have HO and On30 stuff that both run on the HO track. On30 stuff is 1/48 and HO is 1/87.

[Terry Toenges]

Narrow gauge stuff is usually smaller than standard gauge stuff. The pic is a standard gauge loco next to a narrow gauge loco. Mountainous areas were good candidates for narrow gauge railroads because the rails could be closer together, the equipment smaller, and the curves sharper. Standard gauge is 4' 8 1/2" between the rails. Narrow gauge railroads often used  30" to 36" between the rails. On30 stands for "O scale narrow gauge 30" between the rails".

[Ralph S]

So, the train shows I've been to...the On30 wasn't typos.  Well bless my britches.  Okay, I understand that both can operate on HO scale tracks (code 100, I guess).  Then is the width of the loco/car body the same as HO or wider/smaller?  I ask this because I run my Bachmann tracks as close as possible, of course without the cars/locos hitting each other.  An if I obtain one of these On30 locos/cars will they operate on my track without hitting other cars.  Or should a stay clear of On30.

[Terry Toenges]

My HO stuff is about 1 3/8" wide. My On30 stuff is about 1 3/4" wide. If you only ran one train at a time you would be ok.
E-Z Track is about 1 15/16" wide. On30 would be 1 12/16" wide. You still have 3/16" to spare. It would be real close on curves and I don't know how that would work.
I like the On30 stuff.

[trainman203]

Southern pacific steam locomotives are some of the best looking engines ever. It would be great if Bachmann offered one or two. The SP was as big or bigger a Railroad than the Pennsylvania, and plenty of people model it.