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free-rolling trucks and Kadee 714 couplers. Blackstone also make two locomotives, the D&RGW K-27 class of 2-8-2 engines, of which they have issued 11 different versions, and the C-19 2-8-0, again in many different versions and road numbers. Both are excellent runners, and were offered with and without DCC sound, though non-sound models don’t come up for sale very often. Currently not much of Blackstone’s output is currently available new, though it does appear fairly regularly on second hand tables and on places like eBay. See http://blackstonemodels.com/
There have been occasional other RTR offerings in HOn3 in the non-brass arena. Con-Cor offered models of the RGS 3-truck Galloping Geese a few years back, and while there is a serious error in the roofline of the box portion, these are excellent models which run very well, if you can find one. Mountain Models Imports also made a run of HOn3 K-27 locomotives which are good value for money. Unlike the Blackstone model, these were not offered with sound, and are a more generic K-27 model. I’d regard these really as ready-to-tinker with as opposed to ready to run, but once sorted, they’re great running locos.
Photo: Goose #7, a PSC Model, stops at a remote depot.(Mick Moignard)
Beyond that, it’s kits and brass for locomotives and rolling stock. Kit locos are few and far between in HOn3; a few Roundhouse offerings many years back which, as they were made using existing SG bodies are rather large pretty much sums it up, apart from a few unassembled brass locos offered as kits; these are not for the faint hearted.
Rolling stock is another matter though. There are masses available as kits, in all sorts of media, and this time, not wholly of Colorado prototypes. Some examples are:
• Labelle woodworking offer a huge range of matchstick and laser-cut models. These often require the purchaser to provide trucks and couplers;
• Rio Grande Models offer wood, whitemetal and laser cut kits of all sorts of prototypes;
• RailLine offer precisely made styrene kits of D&RGW boxcars and stock cars. MRGS also offer an excellent styrene D&RGW stock car, but Blackstone have made both of these in RTR form, equally as good as these kits;
• PSC used to offer very detailed and easy to build plastic kits of Colorado cars, with examples in their range that Blackstone don’t have, such as the 6500 flatcar, short caboose – in 4 versions, no less - and the long reefer. It is to be hoped that PSC’s new owner revives the production of these excellent kits;
• Durango Press (now park of JL Innovative) offer plastic and whitemetal kits of D&RGW and Westside Lumber Company stock, plus a range or track maintenance vehicles;
• Funaro and Camerlengo have a range of HOn3 resin kits of mostly EBT prototypes;
• Grandt Line have, in the past, made a small number of D&RGW, RGS and Colorado & Southern prototype kits. These are starting to become available from Grandt Line’s new owner San Juan Models, who also plan to make an RTR Conoco tank car in HOn3; and
• NarrowGaugeColorado have a range of mostly D&RGW and RGS items in mainly laser-cut kits. These kits take some work, and some extra parts, as well as familiarity with the proto- type to get a good result, but a good result can be got from them with care and perseverance.
Googling “HOn3 Rolling Stock” will find lots more, as well as plenty of other suppliers and retailers.
Photo: Kit built high-side gons await loading at a coal mine. (Mick Moignard)
Photo: Excellence in modelling the narrow gauge in HO scale - the late Neil Lancaster’s HOn3 layout (Mike Arnold)
Next time in Section II: We will look at HOn3 in brass, parts and details, structures and more reference sources.
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ROUNDHOUSE - January/February 2020
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