In the UK there were specialist "gunpowder vans".  A photo of one used in Wales for slate quarry work is at www.penmorfa.com/Slate/Tramways.htm (scroll down a little).

There were also standard gauge vans, these were wooden 4 wheeled vans covered with steel cladding. Seewww.brc-stockbook.co.uk/GWR_Spec_1.htm 

Models have been made including kits of the narrow gauge ones. Seewww.modelrailways.tv/narrow_gauge/rolling_stock.htm (again scroll down). There are also some other makers of gunpowder vans.

Hamish

Newington Armory, on Sydney Harbour (Sydney, Australia) was a naval depot that had a 2 foot gauge railway around the depot. Locomotives were battery electric, flat cars seem to have been used to transport goods around, including explosives. The place is preserved, and tourist trains operate on the armory tracks on designated days. I have not visited it myself yet, but it is on my "must do" list.

The follwing site contains photos taken by some-one (I am not sure who) who has vistied the armory.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~steven.walker/album/Newington%2021%20Jun%202007/index.html

Hamish

Yes Bachmann made it, but it is not in the current catalogue. perhaps the Bach Man can comment if it might be re-introduced?

Hamish

P.S. If you had posted this in the Large Scale forum you may have got more replies.

Assuming Bachmann does end up buying Williams it will be interesting to see what they do with it. Williams makes 3 rail only, some reproductions of old Lionel models, other variously described as O-27, semi-scale or scale. At one stage they made highly detailed scale limited edition 3 rail models under the Crown Edition label. (I have no personal knowledge of their trains, I live in Australia where US 3 rail is rare).

I would expect Bachmann to continue with 3 rail "Lionel-like" models, this seems to be a sugnficant part of the US market and Bachmann probably wants a slice of it. And it fits in with the Plasticville range.

Of course Bachmann's  other involvement with (US) O scale is their ON30 range. From time to time there have been suggestions that Bachmann should produce O scale standard gauge to complement the ON30 range. Perhaps Bachmann could use the Williams purchase (if it does happen) to introduce a more detailed scale range, available in both 2 and 3 rail, suitable for use together with ON30. As I indicated I would see any such range as being sold alongside a 3 rail only range based on the existing Williams models and not a replacement for it.

Just my thoughts

Hamish

This, and other large Colorado locomotives, has been made in On30 by another manufacturer (MMI a division of PSC). True this manufacturer makes limited runs, but you may be able to find a K 27 if you look around. A K36 is due to be released shortly.

Personally I would prefer Bachmann not to enter the large Colorado locomotive field and duplicate another manufacturers models. By sticking to different prototypes the total range of ON30 models is increased.

Hamish

Congratulations Bach Man!

Good to hear that the future of model railroading is assured!

The great thing about grandchildren is that it is your duty to spoil them rotten and that you can love them - and then hand them back.

Hamish

Quote from: Conrail Quality on September 20, 2007, 09:20:34 PM
This doesn't seem like the way Bachmann operates. They already have an established brand identity, they don't need another one.

I have no idea whether Bachmann might acquire Williams trains or not. However Bachmann has bought existing companieis and kept their brand name in the past. Bachmann acquired Liliput in Germany, this was how they entered the German market. It is still called Liliput. In the UK Bachmann established Bachmann  Branchlines selling OO scale trains. Later they expanded into N scale by purchasing the long established Graham Farish and have kept the Graham Farish name.

So, if Bachmann  did want to expand into US O standard gauge they might do so by purchasing an existing brand if it was available. Does Bachmann wish to do this? I have no idea!

Hamish

At least according to Wikpedia the first 4-6-4 tender locos in the world were French, built in 1911. They were used on Paris - St Petersburg expresses, hence the name "Baltic". There were however earlier 4-6-4 tank locos, including in New Zealand (1902).

Hamish

Jerry

I think zubi was only mentioning the scales produced by LGB which ranged from about 1:13 for some of their "Feldbahn" (field railway) equipment (other LGB feldbahn equipment was about 1:18)  through 1:22.5 to 1:26 or 1:27 for their standard gauge stuff. This was not his personal view of "G" scale but the different scales produced by LGB as "G".

Hamish

"G" was invented by LGB as a promotional label to desribe their 1:22.5 scale on 45mm track range. The correct European designation for this is IIm and this, at least for a while, used to be on LGB boxes. (II is the european term for 1:22.5, the suffix m means metre gauge). "G" was convenient for LGB as it hid that not all of their models were to 1:22.5 scale (e.g. the standard gauge prototypes) and that not all the prototypes were metre gauge. As the originator of the term used it imprecisely I think we should accept that it is not a precise term.

Hamish

Quote from: David(UK) on September 04, 2007, 10:55:25 AM

In that case you can tell him it was " Malachite green"

The British Southern Railways were created in 1923 (a merger of several companies, called grouping). The first green they used was "olive", also called "sage". From around 1937/38 this was replaced by "Malachite" green (a rather brighter colour).

(This does seem to wandering from the original topic)

Hamish

To add to Guilford's comments:

In the USA standard gauge is 4 foot 8 1/2 inches. Anything less is narrow gauge.  The most common narrow gauge in the USA was 3 foot. ON30 represents 30 inch (or 2 1/2 feet) gauge. This was not common in the USA (although there was some) but quite common in other parts of the world. Bachmann chose ON30 as ON30 uses HO track and thus avoiding the need for a whole new track system.

Bachmann's ON30 equipment uses HO couplings set at HO height. However some people change the couplings to a higher height, prototype narrow gauge practice varied widely

Although ON30 and HO equipment might be able to be coupled together it would look very odd as the ON30 equipment is much bigger. Strictly there is no such thing as ON30 buildings or scenery, The scale (ratio of model to prototype) is the same whatever the width between the rails.
O scale buildings are too large for HO and HO too small for O. (Occasionally an item in one scale  may be useful in the other, but this is very much the exception and not the rule.)

If you particularly want to model narrow gauge go with ON30 as it is, thanks mainly  to Bachmann, the easiest and most affordable way of modelling narrow gauge.

If you are not particularly concerned as to whether you model narrow gauge or not I would suggest HO (which represents standard gauge) as the range of available equipment, buildings and scenery items is much greater.

Personally I prefer ON30, but that's because I love prototype narrow gauge.

Hamish

Quote from: drhone on August 22, 2007, 08:54:01 PM
This is interesting, as the data is conflicting.

Depending upon where you research data you will find the following"

The CNR diesel unit #9000 was a C-Liner not an EMD F3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Locomotive_Company
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/TORONTO/CNRdiesel.html

CNR 9000 (the second) is NOT a C-Liner as is obvious if you compare the photos of it to photos of C-Liners. Nor do the quoted references state that it is. The Wikpedia article does not mention #9000 that I could find - yes CNR did have C-Liners but #9000 was not one of them. C-Liners were made from 1950, #9000 in 1948.

The second reference does list CNR 9000 (and 9001) as made by Canadian Locomotive Company. However it is referring to the FIRST #9000. This is clear from the retirement dates listed for the locomotives (1939, 1946), For information on the First CNR 9000 see http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/earlydiesels.html

Hamish

The heading should be 3 truck Climax of course, my apologies (a vlimax might be an interesting type of unknown geared locomotive however).


Hamish

Dear Bach Man

When the HO Climax was originally announced both 2 and 3 truck Climaxes were to be made. However only the 2 truck ever arrived. Now that the 2 truck is becoming scarce (HO Climax thread below) will the 3 truck  be finally released?

Hamish