OK so I officially hate this site.

It has been on my mind to build an indoor 1:20.3 display track ever since I got bit by the large scale bug. In fact it started out simply as that with no intention of ever having an outdoor layout. I have a little over 12 foot by 6 foot on one end and 3 foot on the other side wedge in which to work with. This set up will actually set over a static HO display (that will in turn be the top of a short book case) and the underside of the F scale display will house the lighting for the HO below. It was going to be fairly simple really.

Thanks to this site and the 2015 MIK challenge, between Vic’s pizza layout and Shawn V’s logging micro, I think I want more. I laid awake one night scheming and the thought of a 2 foot gauge 7/8ths mining micro came to mind. Well while that would be all fine and good it does nothing for my current desire to display my 1:20.3 trains. This led to a 1:20.3 2 foot gauge mining RR spur (actually a loop) that would head onto and leave a dual gauge track. The front would be a 12 foot long dual gauge section with my CR&N depot; however, leaving that and traveling behind the depot would be a two foot gauge mining RR that would re-enter on the otherside for a continous loop that would be an operating micro.

I planned already (thanks to more suggestions here) to hand lay the track on homemade hewn ties for realism. Well if I am hand laying track already why not lay dual gauge. So if this pipe dream (yeah John C. this one really might just be a pipe dream) were to be come a reality how does one make the switch from the dual guage track to the single gauge track?

I was going to ask “and am I nuts for even thinking about this” but I already know the answer.

As I was re-reading this to correct for spelling (I haven’t gotten Joe his copy of Devonics for Dummies (or maybe that should read to understand the dummy)yet) I may have come up with my own solution. Just simply run the two foot gauge off the end of the dual gauge and loop back around and onto the dual gauge again. In essence make it 2’ foot gauge and add a third rail at 3’ along the front section.

Also this is plausible for the prototype kinda. They ran dual gauge in front of the depot for a few years 3’ and standard. There were also a few narrower than 3 foot mine RR in the area (though they did not have interties that I know of).

What’s in that pipe?

Been there dun dat… I have one standard Ga boxcar for my On3 interchange.

I have seen a Std Ga. interchange Garden RR style on the Tucson tour…

Not nuts, just a serious case of Railroaditis, not a hating offense!

John

John Caughey said:

What’s in that pipe?

I should have seen this coming especially from you.

I can honestly see this coming to be.

So this is a rather famous little loco. The Iron Mountain “Helena” photo is part of the Robert Pearson collection courtesy of Narrow Gauge Chaos (used without his permission) and its owner Marty Johnston (great site check it out if you like narrow gauge and generally old stuff http://www.narrowgaugechaos.com/) Here is te 1:22.5 LGB version

Well this little loco has a connection to my beloved CR&N (OK use your imagination). It interchanged with NP on the DeSmet/Idaho State Line Branch, at the town of Iron Mountain, which went from Missoula Montana to Wallace Idaho via the Coeur d’Alene Branch Line. This line from Missoula to Wallace had to be broken on paper at the Idaho Monatana border. At the border at Lookout Pass it switched to the Coeur d’Alene Branch Line which was built under the Coeur d’Alene Railway and Navigation Company, albeit standard gauge not the narrow gauge of the CR&N. So the Iron Mountain RR has a connection to the CR&N and therefore I feel I am well within my artistic lisc to build a mining RR based on this loco. See how I did that.

There are at least three other small gauge locomotives (smaller than 3’) that operated in the area in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

A shameless plug for a friend of mine. If you want to read a great history of railroads check out John Wood’s Railroad through the Coeur d’Alenes he details the history of railroading in the Coeur d’Alene Mining district. Even if your don’t care about Idaho John’s book is a classic example of how RR became to be and how they developed. His story could be told just aout anywhere in the US and probably the world.

Gauge seperation track? Like this?

David,

Thanks for that. For some reason that was way more complicated in my head. Seeing that picture kinda made me think of the V8 commercial when the lady trainer smacks her trainee in the head for not getting his veggies in. That is pretty straight forward.

Not that unusual in the UK. take a look at the bottom of this link http://www.grsuk.com/Custom_Track_and_Dual_Gauge-C309000

This retailer does a lot of special track work to mix 32, 45 and 64 mm (Gauge 3 1:22.5 standard gauge) Could be some inspiration there for you.

Max Winter said:

Not that unusual in the UK. take a look at the bottom of this link http://www.grsuk.com/Custom_Track_and_Dual_Gauge-C309000

This retailer does a lot of special track work to mix 32, 45 and 64 mm (Gauge 3 1:22.5 standard gauge) Could be some inspiration there for you.

I’ve long looked at their stuff, becuase Id love to do some 32/45 dual gague as a 2/3 foot interchange, and a stretch of 45/64 as a 3’, standard gauge…

Bob McCown said:

Max Winter said:

Not that unusual in the UK. take a look at the bottom of this link http://www.grsuk.com/Custom_Track_and_Dual_Gauge-C309000

This retailer does a lot of special track work to mix 32, 45 and 64 mm (Gauge 3 1:22.5 standard gauge) Could be some inspiration there for you.

I’ve long looked at their stuff, becuase Id love to do some 32/45 dual gague as a 2/3 foot interchange, and a stretch of 45/64 as a 3’, standard gauge…

Some of us are sicker than others, aren’t we, Bob? (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Devon, where that track would get truly complicated is if both gauges continued along the tangent, as well as diverging. There would be at least four frogs. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)

Steve Featherkile said:

Bob McCown said:

Max Winter said:

Not that unusual in the UK. take a look at the bottom of this link http://www.grsuk.com/Custom_Track_and_Dual_Gauge-C309000

This retailer does a lot of special track work to mix 32, 45 and 64 mm (Gauge 3 1:22.5 standard gauge) Could be some inspiration there for you.

I’ve long looked at their stuff, becuase Id love to do some 32/45 dual gague as a 2/3 foot interchange, and a stretch of 45/64 as a 3’, standard gauge…

Some of us are sicker than others, aren’t we, Bob? (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Devon, where that track would get truly complicated is if both gauges continued along the tangent, as well as diverging. There would be at least four frogs. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)

Add a cogg if you want a challenge! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

And how about some of the triple guage areas. I use to have a picture of such a switch - number of frogs was crazy.

No,

Really guys this, if it happens, will not be an experiment on how to overly complicate things. It will be a simple micro made as easily as possible and still achieve the effect. I quite possibly will keep it all 3’, but I like the dual gauge idea and doing 32/45 seems feasible. The 3’ part of the dual gauge section will be static a shelf to display my train indoors. The only functioning part would be the 2’ gauge and even for simplicity that would be simple DC operation and maybe even then have a simple on off switch and a constant speed in one direction. I am even still thinking clock work motor in the fashion of the “Swamp Logger”. No switches necessary just a simple divergence and convergence (if that is simple) like what Dave’s picture shows.

One thing I am wondering is what would one use for a motor block? The obvious thought that jumps out is to use something from the O world. But I know nothing of O other than there is three rail and two rail. Can a cheap broken lionel 3 rail from ebay be turned easily into a working two rail DC motor block? A quick search on Ebay shows that 2 rail is premium. I don’t want premium. The cars would all be two axel affairs and wold likely pick up used 3 rail wheel set. I am only thinking 4-5 cars total with ony say 2 or 3 behind the loco. So ten old O axels shouldn’t break the bank. Everything else will be scratch built.

So back to the track I am thinking code 215 or even 185 hand laid. The prototye used 40# so 185 seems reasonable. Do say bachmann metal wheelsets sit well on 185 knowing that portion will be static. I know this came up before but I was fixed on 215 and don’t rememeber the conversation as it pertains to 185. If I went this route I could even use commercial 2 rail 32mm for the single gauge portion as this layout will set fairly high and you will be looking in on it not down on it and the ties won’t be glaringly small I don’t think.

I am getting kind of excited about this. It is really coming back full circle from why I got into large scale in the first place. I started because I wanted to make larger models of the CR&N for display. Running them wasn’t a thought. So this will be my interesting display and give me a litle micro in the man cave.

Steve Weidner said:

And how about some of the triple guage areas. I use to have a picture of such a switch - number of frogs was crazy.

But outside… My theoratical 2 footer could meet up with my very prototypical 3 footer which did infact share trackage with its parent NP standard gauge. I even know where in my track plan this could happen… evil website with evil people I tell you.(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)

Glad we can help!(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

There are a couple of nice photos of Bob Poli’s indoor layout in the current issue of Narrow Guage Gazette - http://www.ngslgazette.com/issue.htm

Perhaps it will provide some inspiration.

I did a Bing search for a few nights before I came up with a good picture of the gauge divergent track. I drew it up, but I wanted to see one to make sure I got it right, and I did get it right. The prototype that confirmed it for me was a Maine railroad 3 foot and 2 foot gauge dual gauge trak set up. So anything is possible.

The thing about using standard O gauge wheels and power blocks is that you would have to electricly isolate one wheel from the axle. In 3 rail O the running rails are the same voltage (AC) so the whees are not insulated from the axles. And making a 3 rail (AC) motor block run on 2 rail DC would be quite the feat

David Maynard said:

The thing about using standard O gauge wheels and power blocks is that you would have to electricly isolate one wheel from the axle. In 3 rail O the running rails are the same voltage (AC) so the whees are not insulated from the axles. And making a 3 rail (AC) motor block run on 2 rail DC would be quite the feat

Yeah this is what I expected but not having any experiene I wasn’t sure. The question becomes then is it easier to isolate one wheel from the other on an existing 3 rail O or try and narrow a 45mm motor block. I thought about buying a kalamazoo or new bright loco on ebay for ten bucks or so and seeing what it would take to narrow it. I know there are two rail O motor blocks but are way out of my price range unless I am missing something.

If this gets to ugly I will stick with 45mm and be just as happy I am sure. I honestly see this micro as a way of letting my hair down. It will be way less about counting rivets and way more about having a cool little micro. I really like Seans and Vics. Neither scream rivet couting but both are very interesting uses of a very small space. Mine will be palacial compaird to theirs.

Hi Devon

you could try looking at the UK for SM32. A couple of links :

http://www.grsuk.com/32mm_Narrow_Gauge-C131000

http://www.ipengineering.co.uk/page104.html

there are probably others as well.

Mick

mick benton said:

Hi Devon

you could try looking at the UK for SM32. A couple of links :

http://www.grsuk.com/32mm_Narrow_Gauge-C131000

http://www.ipengineering.co.uk/page104.html

there are probably others as well.

Mick

You have come through. The europeans seem to have this covered. Just don’t call it O call it 32mm The I P Enginneering has a 32mm budget chassis. Nice.

Devon, I have repaierd my Kalamazoo 4-4-0 motor block as well as a Heartlaned 4-4-0 motor block, and I do not think that narrowing the gauge of themn would be easy. First off, the plastic block would be too wide, and then you would have to machine new steps into the axles after you shortened the axles.