I'm working on a Drover right now, using the Banta cupola, and it's a very nicely designed model.  The geometry is really well done, and it's a tight fit.  But I ended up slicing a hole in the combine roof, so the cupola is open to the car below.  Having that clerestory continue through the cupola was too visually wrong.  And installing the windows is a delicate matter.

Agreed, a RTR Drover from Bachmann would be a welcome addition.

manager

My personal preference, visually, is for the Microscale On30 track.  Long ties, longer than HO spacing, and very small spike heads.  But I've also seen photos from many narrow gauge lines, and most had minimal maintenance.  As a result, the ties are seldom even visible.  As a test, I tried some Atlas HO code 83 on a test layout, mostly because I had some extra, and it's cheap, and buried the ties in dirt and rock.  It looks pretty darn accurate.

Along the same lines, I've always wanted a "drop-in" coupler that had a knuckle the size of the Kadee On3 coupler, but with the mounting arm of an HO #5.  This would eliminate one more link to HO.  But again, the real narrow gauge lines used a range of coupler sizes, so as long as you are freelancing, almost any size will be right.

Manager

Let's see if I can post an image.  It's from www.goldenspike.us.  They have 4 books on Hawaii railroads.



For the Brazilian 4-6-0, check here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZitFNX3Q5A

and especially here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcv36Qu67To&feature=related

Manager

There were some sharp outside framed 4-6-0s on the Oahu Railway, and there is a sister loco to the latest 4-4-0, in Brazil, which is a 4-6-0.  There was a book about the Oahu that has a photo of a 4-6-0 on the cover.  Google that, and 4-6-0 Brazil.

You might want to check your people's height with a 1:48 scale.  Some people that are advertised as "O-scale" are on the tall side.  Several of my 1:48 people scale at around 6 feet tall, which is very tall for people in the past.  I also bought some unpainted people from Micro-Mark, and some of them scale to around 6'-6" tall in 1:48.  They are probably designed to work at 1:43,and they are going to look huge standing next to a proper 1:48 train.  [But they were cheap, and I'm going to butcher them up and use them as seated passengers.]

It seems there was a website where they were showing ways to shorten people, mostly by cutting a section out of their midsection and legs.

Manager

Knowing the ETA would help with the budget planning.  Also, I need to know when to crank up the Honey-Do projects, and earn some extra points, so I'm not in trouble when a new train shows up.

Manager

On my micro-layout, the radius is slightly less than 6".  Atlas HO code 83 flex glued to foam, stock couplers.  The train will run all day, and most of the rolling stock is bashed Thomas HO from Bachmann.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsvWOX3jYp0

Manager

I built one of the caboose bodies that fits on a Bachmann passenger car base [kit #6], and it was a fun project.  Definitely not a "shake-the-box" kit, and you do have to take care to keep the corners square as you go.  But the pieces fit together nicely, and the end result is very satisfying.  I've also used Ken's cupola kits to alter the look of my Bachmann cabooses, and they make a big difference.

Next, I need to order the shorter caboose body, since I've got an extra caboose base sitting around.

Manager

11-3/4" for the outside framed 4-4-0, with the drawbar pin in the closer hole.

Manager

You're welcome.  Got to keep the trains rolling!  I converted one observation into a business car, complete with interior, and the owner of the line on the back platform. 

And HHRR is right, the windows on the back are about the same size as the side ones.  Somehow they just seem bigger, I guess, because they are fixed panes, not double-hung, like the side windows.

Manager

The observation body also has large windows on the back end, so the folks in the facing seating can see out the back.  I have seen some on Ebay, from folks who buy a passenger set, and sell off the bits they don't need.  There is one on Ebay now, although it's D&RGW, and I know that not everyone feels comfortable with Ebay.

Manager

The 2-8-0 has been on the market longer, and thus the demand isn't as high.  Still a great model, though, probably the heaviest and best pulling of my On30 locos.

Manager

I would hope that someone will offer a replacement wood cab for this loco, esp. if there is some sort of Tweetsie detail that this model doesn't address.  I used a wood cab from Ken Berlo [Mount Blue Models] when I converted my Forney to a 2-4-0, and found that with some oil paint, it was able to take on a nice varnished look.

Manager

My understanding of narrow gauge track standards is that there weren't any.  Different railroads used different sized ties and spacings, and there are some that we have no idea about.  So as long as you aren't modeling a specific line, almost any type of track could be considered realistic.

The other thing to remember is that most narrow gauge lines had very little maintenance, and as  a result, the ties were often buried in ballast, dirt, weeds, and/or sand, and weren't visible at all.  I recently ran across an On30 layout by a couple of British gents, which is set in Mexico.  Called "The Layout with No Name," it has track that is so deep in the rocks and dirt, that you can't see ties at all. 
I also built a small On30 test layout last year, and I used some Atlas code 83 flextrack that I had on hand.  You really can't tell that it's HO track at all. 


Manager

The most recent ETA I've heard was May. 

Manager