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PART 18 – Narrow Gauge Modelling in HO Scale
Section II – The Details
By Mick Moignard
Last time we gave an introduction to modelling narrow gauge railroads in HO scale and looked at HOn3, the most popular gauge modelled. This time we look at the HOn3 scene in more detail.
HOn3 in Brass
Now, we need to look at Brass. They heyday of HOn3 brass production was between 1970 and 2000, with little made since then. As with all brass models, the motto has to be buyer beware, because they will range from excellent to truly awful, and with everything in between. All I can do here is offer a few general guidelines, and then call out some models that, from personal experience, I can recommend.
Photo: #473 is a PSC brass K-28 model in the short-lived 1950 Bumblebee livery.(Mick Moignard)
You’ll find HOn3 brass on bring and buy tables occasionally, and more often at Slim Gauge Circle meets. You’ll also see them on Brasstrains, sometimes at inflated prices but sometimes not, but do be careful here as Brasstrains aren’t always 100% accurate with their descriptions. eBay is another source, and here of course the buyer very much needs to beware.
Unless you are skilled at soldering, re-motoring and at tinkering with mechanisms in general, don’t buy brass unseen. Few early brass locos – before around 1980 or so – came factory painted, so beware such labels on older models. Beware, too, models that have clearly seen layout use and which have tired and tatty paint jobs because under that paint may well be other gremlins. Common issues are bits that have fallen off and been superglued, badly, back on
as well as poor solder repairs and misaligned pieces. No reputable seller of brass will ever object to you track-testing a locomotive, so always be prepared to do that. If it doesn’t run, or if it sounds like a coffee grinder when it does, either dicker the price down by quite a lot, or walk away.
But pessimism apart, there are some great models out there. Almost everything imported by Westside Model Company can be regarded in that light, but avoid the K-27 Compound and those Shays that have a skew-gear drive on the rear locomotive truck. The Westside C-16, K27 piston valve, K28 and K-36 are all well regarded, though the latter two were under-motored from new. Re-motoring these locos is, however, very simple and quick to do.
Sunset have imported a number of budget-end HOn3 locos; some of the C-16 models do have issues, but there are good ones too. The 2-8-2s are all decent layout models, but are less well detailed than other makes. Balboa were early on the scene, as were Custom Brass. These models tended to be well assembled but to have limited detail. In some cases (Custom Brass C-21s in particular) they can be poor runners which are hard to fix. Both have offered Colorado-prototype rolling stock. Basic but solid; with some tinkering, painting and re-trucking these can be made into useful additions to a layout. PFM’s early HOn3 models are also ones to avoid, but the later Hi-Grade K-27 is a good model, as are the K-36 and K-37 that they imported from Fujiyama, unless you’re a dedicated rivet-counter, in which case you’ll be a bit disappointed. Key Imports made a large number of the D&RGW, RGS and Colorado & Southern locos in small runs in the 70s and 80s. Some of these are great runners (second run C-18s for example); some are less good, though all are well detailed.
Overland used to make a bit of narrow gauge in HOn3. Their best models are the K-36s that they did in 1990, and two D&RGW rotary snowplows. They also did a few C&S 2-8-0 models.
More recently PSC offered some great models. Between 1990 and 2002 they offered just about every D&RGW locomotive class. These are all fine models, beautifully and completely detailed. In each case, they made several different models in each class (and in the case of the K-28, K36 and K-36 class, all 10 of each). They also made two runs of RGS 4-6-0s; the second run here are the ones to go for. The only ones here to be a little wary of are the C-16 which was under-motored, and the C-21 which may need some tinkering to get to run well. The C-16 was even issued in kit form.
ROUNDHOUSE - March/April 2020
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