Start a module now

Assuming you have the space, you could start a On30 module now without tearing down anything.  That way you can explore On30 before committing fully.  One thing I find with O scale is that the structures are really big.  The 2x4 ft Toma module may not be long enough and/or deep enough for On30.

Paul

On30 Thoughts

Daboosailing,

On30 stuff is fascinating.  I follow several "Groups io" sites like Texas Outlaws and California Southern Coast and several others. You can join the group's to learn. They are modular, informal clubs. Their sites are packed with info and photos. Also, there are lots of YouTube videos full of neat stuff by these clubs. 

My HO stuff is old but I've upgraded it. I'm 79 and "fell" into On30 about a year and a half ago. Paul's recommendation above is perfect. Don't worry about 2x4 though as your On30 consists will be much shorter than in HO. Good Luck with your adventure.

Considering Same

With one big difference in situation. My layout is already torn down and we are waiting for our house to sell. Turns out a skinny backyard is not a good thing

There was a On30 layout on a door in the July/Aug issue of the Gazette that seemed real promising for a starter section. The author built his in 3' x 6' I think it was and made the comment that stretching it out to 8' would have been much better. Put it on wheels and both sides can be reached pretty easily.

If we still don't have a buyer by Thanksgiving I am going to be pulling out my very buried RR boxes and seeing what I can come up with. Bench work is stacked up in the train room.

A very round about way of saying I agree with Paul. If you have the room Get a used door or______ and build something as test.

Jack

Size

This is part of the considerations that have to be made with a sectional/modular/domino/TOMA layout.

3x6 ft is about as big as will fit through a door, down hallways and up stairs.  Its also about the largest size that one person can handle by themselves.  If you go to an 8 ft length, then its better to go to 2 sections, splitting it however you feel works for the design and your situation.

In most cases the advantage of 8 ft over 6 ft is that the tail room ends up on the ends.  It would be possible to push the "working" part of the track plan to the ends of a 6 ft trackplan and then add a foot on either end as tail room on runarounds or auxillary tracks.

Some comments:

Ironrooster, I really do not have room to start building a module, with the HO layout still in existence and I guess that I would not strictly adhere to TOMA, if it dictates module size.  Also, I don't really recall in Joe's discussions on TOMA that module size or shape is clearly defined. 

txlarr: Thanks for the On30 groups I can get in touch with!

New thoughts not previously stated.

This will be a Bugaboo for some of you; but, my mind is made up on this.  I will be reusing my Code 100 rail for my On30 layout.  I know that narrow gauge would look better with probably Code 83/Code 70 as rail, however, it is more important to me to re-cycle the rail from my HO Layout, than using a smaller rail size..  Also, I will be hand laying and using Fast Tracks Track Assembly Fixtures to build my turnouts and lay track.  Hand laying my track is an important aspect of the build process for this new layout for me.  I have hand-laid track on a couple Trestles and my Turntable Track, so I am familiar with the process.  I'm one of those people who gets great enjoyment from processes that other people might become frustrated with. 

I guess if you are upset that I'm going to re-use my Code 100 rail, the fact that I will be using On30 to model Colorado's Narrow Gauge, might also bother you.  However, I am of the opinion that I don't really care about my modeling what ever I model exactly and accurately.  I'm more about modeling that which I like and not paying particular attention to what others might think I should pay attention too.  Besides I've had enough  modeling reality with my current Northern Pacific Layout in HO, even though I used Code 100 for that layout as that was what was reasonably priced and readily available, when I started. 

Awesome Decision

Daboosailing,

Great to hear of your awesome decision. Go For It.  My On30 runs on old code 100 too. That's the thing for On30 folks - it's a wide open choice to do your own thing.. My loco and some of my rolling stock are former Hawthorne Village stuff made by Bachmann. I took everything apart and repainted that stuff. My loco now has LEDs, a WifiTrax controller, and onboard  Bluetooth sound. I'm now studying batteries for Dead Rail. My On30 stuff is not normal!  Have fun and good luck.

I added On30 to HO

I recently decided on adding a small On30 layout in the middle of the room where the along-the-walls HO layout it. So given what i wanted to accomplish I managed to have both. I agree with you that the concept of scratchbuilding and kitbashing in On30 is very inviting!

For sure the TOMA approach is a great way to do things, especially when planning for the future. The approach has helped me plan a future large layout in HO and then keep key modules for the smaller current house. It has done the same for the On30 layout as well!

On30 doesn't have to be the narrow gauge version of 3-rail...

I'm going to say it; On30 is NOT for everyone, nor is any narrow gauge.

You can’t have interchange and most narrow gauge railroads ran on the edge of bankruptcy (most were gone by the 1950s). The main reason many train fans ONLY think of the Rio Grande are for narrow gauge is that it was still running, with steam, way past when almost all other narrow gauge lines were ripped up.

In other words, if you wanna model in On30, you should already be thinking in a narrow gauge mindset and you want an era during or well before the 1950s (I model 1943 and that’s really quite later than many other On30 layouts I know of).

As for On30 in general, well, it’s the red-headed stepchild of the hobby. Many within the hobby don’t take it seriously, and Model Railroader only just started to using the term On30 and was using “On 2 ½” as late as last year in print.

Many in the hobby think On30 is all about:

• Cars as short as they can get
• Curves as tight as they can get
• Layouts as whimsical as they can get (like a cartoon)

I know in my own case as well as a recently-sold On30 basement filler layout nearby, visitors often are surprised upon seeing attempts to model in On30 that aren’t whimsical with shorty cars. The On30 Annual has done an amazing job of promoting the more ‘serious hobbyist’ nature of On30, but I think it’s fair to say that in many cases, people get into On30 to escape the bounds of reality and want to do whatever they want.

Bachmann is clearly the primary vendor for the hobby. They’ve come out with new stuff every now and then (their latest was the Army Baldwin class ten 2-6-2 from WW1) but I think the market has sort of peaked for them. Some of their previous best sellers, they don’t even currently make. I’ve asked Bachmann reps at shows, but they are evasive on the actual answers as to why.

With On30 or anything NG, you need to be able to make your own stuff to a degree. Yeah, you have structures and landscaping stuff suitable for O scale for those who make 2-rail standard gauge, 3-rail and the like, but a great deal of On30 stuff is scratch-built or made from laser kits. Lots of On30 structures, I’ve seen, are made of real wood. As On30 really started out as a ‘do it yourself’ portion t the hobby, you’ll find the older guys into On30 resent the RTR ‘out of the box’ nature that Bachmann brought to the table.

Some people get into On30 thinking it’s just Ho scale with different sized figures. Not so. You have to consider the orders of magnitude for structures and any detail components, as it’s twice the size of HO. Those spaces get filled FAST. I’ve noticed that generally, structures in any scale take up the same room. In other words, if you model N scale, you’re apt to make a station a certain size in real life. If you go to HO, it’s the same overall real world size but in scale, the depot is now smaller. In On30, it takes up the same room your N scale depot did, but for your O scale figures, it’s now really small.