ON30 layouts – there are a surprising number of them on the site.
Here are a few of them:
Tom’s ON30 mining layout
“This is an On30 mining layout in the early 20th Century. My new modules will be 48″ high and I will be adding a couple of operating oil wells and storage tanks.
The last picture is my live steam train in 1.5″ scale. It is a walking beam locomotive with a toybox caboose from the 1960s
“I thought you might like to share some pics of my, still under construction layout. It’s Colonial narrow gauge of 2ft 6ins, using a rough scale of 7mm/ft, O scale on OO gauge track. I suppose it’s On30, but as in real life, anything goes.
“As can be seen in this view, the HOn3 extension starts from just beyond my current harbour and will go around to the other side where the waterfront will be.
As said before, I have more that enough boats (more than I need) and will be floating them on the water once I get closer to completion.
HO train layouts 4×8, it’s a popular scale and a popular size.
Here are some of the 4x8s on the blog:
Rich’s 4×8 HO scale
“All the locomotives and rolling stock have been saved. Some of the locos and rolling stock are sixty years old.
All rolling stock is either scratchbuilt or built from LaBelle, Central Valley or old Roundhouse kits. All Locomotives are DCC conversions, some of which are old Mantua kits from the 1960’s.
All of the structures were scratchbuilt, the only purchased items being most of the windows and doors.
“I am making some progress on my switching layout. More ballast down and more scenery added. Still a longggggg way to go but I think that is what is fun is enjoying the labor of love we each put into our layouts
“As you can see, we’ve been busy adding details to the layout including finding pin-striping that was nearly a spot on match for road dividing lines and parking lot markings.
Someone asked in the previous post about the inclines I used in the layout and in case someone had not answered, they are from Woodland Scenics. While I like to create most of the scenery myself, these precut inclines are too good to pass up.
I also realized a part of this hobby I do not enjoy and that is ballasting switches. It seems no matter how much I brush away the excess, there seems to be a little piece that gets stuck in the switch which the trains do not like!
“I designed the track so I can run 2 trains at the same time and I can run a locomotive in the yard all at once. I have a controller with 2 cabs.
I wanted a HO train layout 4×8. I wired the track in blocks. I used one negative feed for the entire layout. Then I used a positive feed from the transformer to the switch then to the track. (Block). That way I have better power for the entire layout and I can switch on and off sections of track when I see an imminent collision getting ready to happen.
I wired the turnout switches the same way and I just used the atlas switches that come with the turnouts.
“I built a 10’ X 16’ shed, initially for my grandsons to leave their train layouts set up in, but with plans to eventually “appropriate” some of the floor space for the 4’ X 8’ benchwork of an HO scale layout.
I scoured ebay and local sources for bargains in rolling stock and locomotives.
I decided to start with Bachmann EZ-track because I got a steal on a big lot of new and barely used track at an estate sale.
Last week I finally cleared the decks of other projects and got cracking on the benchwork and layout.
“The layout will be mountainous with tunnels and bridges. It is of no particular place only to say that it is a fictitious town in the northern mountains of Pennsylvania USA because we have a cabin there.
The railroad used to run behind our cabin and one could hear the triple diesels coming from a long way off as they pulled a long line of coal cars up the incline.
“It is a 4X8 built and planned for expansion. I built this with the idea of selling it as my joy is in the building and seeing the finished product.
It is foam over a wood frame and very light weight. The scenery is all hard shell plastercloth, with both molded and sculped rock and features made from light weight Hydrocal.
“A great part of our hobby is creating illusions. I am creating the illusion of unit coal trains running between a coal mine and a coal fired power station.
I do not have the space to model either industry to scale, so a photo backdrop helps to create the illusion.
“For the HO layout I have scenery basically finished and now I’m going into detail mode and will be weathering cars and engines and finishing up a variety of small projects. While it’s mostly done it’s never done and Ive been enjoying operating the layout.
All the locomotives and rolling stock have been saved. Some of the locos and rolling stock are sixty years old.
All rolling stock is either scratchbuilt or built from LaBelle, Central Valley or old Roundhouse kits. All Locomotives are DCC conversions, some of which are old Mantua kits from the 1960’s.
All of the structures were scratchbuilt, the only purchased items being most of the windows and doors.
“This is a 4×8 that has been in the works for 10 or so years, I now have it in a loft that is 16×20 and I am building a new layout and this 4×8 will not work into it well at all so I will be dismanteling it in the next few weeks to get started on the new one so I thought I would share some of it with you.
“I have always enjoyed modeling scenery, but had to relocate 8 times for my job. As a result I crafted scenery from foam board and sculpted it using a “Hot Wire” cutter and a wire brush, depending on the effect I wanted.
“This scene shows Angelo is waiting for a local delivery to pass his water tower…there are 4 towers in the area, Angelo has worked in all four the towers for the railway and is the longest employed tower operator.
“I now have the left side of my layout started. As you may recall, this is going to be a coal hauling railroad set in the mountains of West Virginia, only my mountains are going to be more like the Rockies, that is more bare rock and steeper sides.
The left side also has a number of storage tracks that will be under the mountains and the coal mine, those are in and I can now run trains completely around the U shaped layout.
“My choice was an HO scale layout 8×15 DC layout consisting of a double loop passenger line encompassing a double loop and figure 8 freight line representing the fictitious “Somerfield Valley R.R.” surrounding the main street area of the Village of Somerfield, and some outskirts.
“Started out with diesel power circa 1990 to present day. Recently I have decided to build a much larger layout in one of my business buildings when I retire. So I am changing this layout to steam era 1950-1960s. The larger layout will be diesel. I will be able to work on the current U shaped HO scale layout in my basement until then.
“The railroad is freelanced, late steam prior to 1950 set roughly in NW New Mexico. The town is San Juan Creek (named for the San Juan mountains of that area).
The local shortline is the San Juan & Central. Major industries include San Juan Coal and San Juan Lumber; both own and operate their own branchlines.
There is a saw mill, a planing mill, oil distribution center, a small cattle ranch and beef processing plant. Various other normal businesses are also included.
