Do you guys prefer HOn30 or HOn3, and why?

[Beezow Doo-Doo]

Somewhat self-explanatory, I just want to know what pushed people into the specific gauges they model. This is partially to get up to 25 posts, but also so I can use this as inspiration for my endeavors.

[Scott1984]

For me I chose Hon30 for space considerations. I did not have a lot of room for a layout and did not want to go with N scale because the parts are so small. The issue with Hon30 is that there are not a lot of readily available rolling stock or locomotives. So you need to go with the 3d printed route for the most part. Overall it has been fun and a little challenging.

[Dave V]

Tinkering in HOn30 for the novelty...modeling primarily in HOn3 because my favorite railroad (the Rio Grande Southern) was 3-foot gauge.

I think the HOn3 versus HOn30 ratio is probably flipped in O scale, where On30 is probably more popular than On3. Bachmann's almost solely responsible for that.

HOn30 works really well for modeling Maine 2-foot gauge, but our own @Chris333 is doing amazing things in HOn30 representing some turn-of-the-last-century Ohio and West Virginia narrow gauge. My dabbling in HOn30 is pure fantasy...planning a tiny Wild West layout (think The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) where the N-scale tight curves possible in HOn30 are a huge plus.

HOn3 OTOH is very much a prototype modeler's scale. Sure, you can freelance in HOn3, but even then most freelancing tends to be closely related to the D&RGW, RGS, and (to a lesser extent) C&S prototype narrow gauge since that's what's being manufactured. Sadly, really cool prototypes like the East Broad Top, the White Pass, and the Tweetsie don't get the same amount of love from manufacturers in HOn3 as do the D&RGW and RGS, but I think that's largely a function of visibility. The D&RGW kept operating its narrow gauge into the late 60s (and until 1981 if you count the Silverton Branch before it was sold to the D&SNG) whereas so many other 3 foot gauge lines quit hauling freight by the 50s. Couple the abundance of color photos with spectacular Colorado and New Mexico scenery, and I think you have an explanation for why HOn3 is dominated by the 'Grande.

Then again, the White Pass was doing narrow gauge freight with diesels into the 80s in scenery even more spectacular, even into the VHS camera era, so...dunno. Maybe my logic is flawed.

That said, there's still brass and kits available for many other 3-foot gauge lines. I have quite a collection of East Broad Top stuff (much from my father). The EBT was the first narrow gauge I ever rode...the 1978 Winter Spectacular. I was 3 and my brother was 9. But I still remember the cold, the snow, the triple-headers, and the unique EBT whistles. My grandparents lived in Lancaster (PA) a few miles from Strasburg, and so while we hit Strasburg several times a year, trips to the EBT were few.

I was grateful to get to meet up with @Ed Kapuscinski and @DeltaBravo this past August at the EBT to ride behind steam! My youngest followed in his parent's footsteps and began his freshman year at Penn State, so this was a target of opportunity after moving him into the dorms.



Riding the EBT whiloe we were in central PA was my wife's idea. I'm a lucky bastard. She's all-in with my narrow gauge disease.



And the following week, my HOn3 Rio Grande Southern First District was open to the 43rd National Narrow Gauge Convention which was in Denver (I'm over the hill in Colorado Springs).



So...long story... HOn30 is great for space constraints, 2-foot-gauge prototypes, and other obscure applications. HOn3 is more (IMHO) for specific prototype modeling. As always, your mileage may vary.

[Scott1984]

You are right Dave!! Hon30 is not very prototypical for the most part. My layout is like you said, based on a fantasy or freelance I guess. I would love to build something more realistic but just do not have the space yet. Maybe my adult son and his girlfriend and our 18 month old grandson will evenyually move out so I can get my other 2 bedrooms back Not holding my breath though!!

[Scott1984]

Here are some ore cars from Chris that I had printed. They came out pretty good.

[Dave V]

You are right Dave!! Hon30 is not very prototypical for the most part. My layout is like you said, based on a fantasy or freelance I guess. I would love to build something more realistic but just do not have the space yet. Maybe my adult son and his girlfriend and our 18 month old grandson will evenyually move out so I can get my other 2 bedrooms back Not holding my breath though!!

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that it's more for fantasy. I know some guys do get hung up on the 30 inch gauge not being prototypical. That said, I've seen some fantastic 2-foot gauge prototype modeling done in HOn30 including the Monson RR and the Gilpin Tram.

[Scott1984]

No problem Dave. You are right though, it is more non realistic than other scales or gauges. It's the space constraints that are problematic. My layout is only 28 in by 58 in. Not much room for anything prototypical for sure. Hopefully I can make up for it with scenery and stuff. Chris has done some awesome work with small space layouts, I think that's how I started. I watched a few of his short vids on his you tube channel and realized you can do something in a small space. Great work on that snow shed by the way!! Looks amazing

[Buck.H]

I model HOn3 because the equipment  I’m am interested in modeling are 3’ gauge. I’m across the board in my interests but chose to go with HO scale because it’s a size I’m comfortable working in,  has a reasonable space requirement  as  well as what is available as far as accessories and parts. I’ve even played around with TTn3 a little as a way to get the 3’ gauge equipment in that small footprint. But if I was less concerned about representing 3’ gauge prototype and just wanted to run narrow gauge trains I would absolutely embrace HOn30 because of the availability and value of N scale donor material and the abundance of HO scale accessories. In all honesty, the vision I have for my mini HOn3 layout would be better served as a HOn30 layout, but I’ve decided to be difficult. I am wanting to work in some 9mm track into my layout  to model an interchange between different gauges and use some N scale material that I have.

[Beezow Doo-Doo]

Wow, I didn't expect this to blow up. However, I think I'm gonna go with HOn30 just for cost reasons. Unfortunately, I don't have the funds to shell out 500 bucks on a K-27.

[Scott1984]

Here is a link to some of the stuff Chris has done. This might help you out. He has a whole lot of experience with Hon30 stuff.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41787.0

[Dave V]

Wow, I didn't expect this to blow up. However, I think I'm gonna go with HOn30 just for cost reasons. Unfortunately, I don't have the funds to shell out 500 bucks on a K-27.

Yeah, Blackstone is crazy expensive. But, I mean, you do get what you pay for. Those K-27s are freaking amazing. Can pull anything, beautiful sound, smooth as silk, and detailed for each individual road number per photographs. After years of tinkering with steam in N scale and struggling with sub-par performance, I've become sooooo spoiled by Blackstone. They run like Kato. I have 5 K-27s and I lost count of how many of their C-19s I have. Since they only appreciate in value (even as they're used) I look at them as investments.

Of course, I bought most of them when $400 was a top price.

[Chris333]

I modeled the Maine two footers when I was a kid. Now I try to use it to model 3' gauge railroads. I can use a 10 or 12" radius with HOn30. So that is why I didn't do HOn3. Plus most of what I want doesn't exist in HOn3 so HOn30 lets me try to make em with N gauge chassis.

I would say that in general most people in HOn30 do fantasy stuff. Just plop a locomotive shaped body down on an old N scale loco. I try to keep things prototypical, other than the wheel gauge 

[Beezow Doo-Doo]

Here is a link to some of the stuff Chris has done. This might help you out. He has a whole lot of experience with Hon30 stuff.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41787.0

I've been following Chris's work ever since I found out about it about three or so years ago and it's my main inspiration to do HOn30

[Another modeler]

Hey there I felt like I should add to this thread. I stick to (and exclusively do) HOn30 for a good number of reasons
1. I tend to like dinky little industrials and smaller pieces of stock in general which at least IMHO HOn30 tends to fit well
2. Cost, as should be relatively obvious, of course there is plenty of scratch building with HOn30(Would post some of mine but, 25 posts and the such) I can use N gauge drives and wheel sets. However, in HOn3 I would need custom-built ones either by me(of which I currently lack the skills to do week) or others (Those tend to cost a rather pretty penny)
3. Flexibility I use HOn30 as a rubber band gauge, or in other words I use it to represent an idea of 2ish foot gauges rather than the more strict 3ft, and beyond that, literal flexibility is the sizing of the radii of curves given my preference toward smaller items which HOn3 tends to have less of from given what I've seen
4. Variety, Beyond not just being solely 3 foot I often enjoy overseas modeling, and with HOe and OO9 this works out well to broaden what I may model as it (the general 2ftish gauge) is far more popular across the pond
5. Availability, this one pertains more toward the 3d printing side, but the previously commenting and wonderful modeler Chris333 has made many highly detailed models that are easy to print and paint. Beyond that, I tend to nip off every other tie at the moment to represent Narrow Gauge track as a stopgap till I get around to sourcing Peco's HOn30/HOe/OO9 track. And as well, while I don't personally own any, companies like Minitrains or even Bachmann and their 009 range of which some is available here with a more Sudrian flair (The Narrow gauge Thomas stuff)
6. Cross compatibility with N, this may seem a tad obvious but as someone who most entirely works with N with decent dabblings in HO/OO, The ability to simply pop out wheelsets from my box of bits and reuse chassis and trucks is invaluable and allows me to flex my modeling brain to get ideas to work in the way that I wish with a tad less effort even if in the trucks case being under-scale.
7. Creativity, as with honestly a majority seemingly of HOn30 users I freelance many items and create them based on other pieces of stock that may exist in a wide variety of other gauges then suit them toward HOn30, or more broadly fictional lines and industries. While there is still freelancing in HOn3 there seems to be a greater amount in HOn30.
I apologize if this is a tad rambly but I hope this may help anyone else out, and as well I apologize if there are any errors in grammar, spelling, and the such.

[signalmaintainer]

My heart is with HOn30 (think Elk River Line and Carabassett & Dead River). But my head is with HOn3. When N scale becomes too small for me, I have HOn3 in the wings.