From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia On2 scale
On2 scale
On2 seen today, they were more than acceptable for the time.
He was also the first modeler to produce a diorama in the
early 1960s built to exact HOn2 scale. This diorama later
went on to win an award at the annual NMRA show.
For most of its history, On2 scale modeling involved
mostly scratch-building of locomotive and rolling stock,
and hand-laying track. On2 scale locomotives were ob-
tained by either scratchbuilding, adapting chassis from
other scales, or buying ready to run On2 locomotives,
which were available in brass only.
In 2007, Bachmann gave a major "shot in the arm"
to Maine On2 scale modeling when they introduced their
On30 scale Forney locomotive, which is based on a Bald-
On2 scale model of a SR&RL Coach, kitbashed from two win catalog design very close to actual locomotives used
Bachmann On30 coaches. by Maine 2-foot gauge prototype railroads. These forney
locomotives, although available in On30 scale only, have
Scale per foot: 6.35 mm to 1 foot
created an increase in Maine 2-footer modeling, and an
Scale ratio:
ratio: 1:48 increase in On2 scale modeling. On30 locomotives and
rolling stock must be regauged to operate in On2 scale.
Gauge: 12.7 mm (0.5 in)
This is often a difficult proposition. Many modelers
Prototype Gauge: 2 ft (610 mm) gauge. choose to simply keep them in On30 scale for ease of use,
modeling 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railroads in On30 scale,
On2 scale is part of the hobby of rail transport modeling. but this results in the wrong gauge for correct 2-footer
The name is based on the common model railroad ’O’ modeling.
scale (’oh’ scale) and refers to the gauge between the rails
(2 ft /610 mm) and the fact that it is narrow gauge, thus
’On2’.
Controls
Control of On2 scale layouts is the same as other scales,
History including HO scale, N scale, etc. Electricity is through the
rails, using either standard DC control, or DCC.
Prototype 2-foot gauge railroads existed, and still exist,
all over the world. The prototype railroads being mod-
eled in On2 scale include:
Curved track
• The Maine 2-foot railroads. A series of 2 ft (610 mm) For industrial modeling or "critter" modeling, tight
gauge railroads that existed in the state of Maine, curves are possible. But for Maine 2-footer modeling,
USA from the 1870s to the 1940s. curves need to be quite generous. The minimum practical
• 2-foot gauge railways of Wales and England, radius is generally said to be 42 in (1,067 mm)
including the Ffestiniog Railway.
• 2-foot gauge railways of South Africa.
• 2-foot gauge Gilpin Tramway of Colorado, a
Availability of models and sup-
2 ft (610 mm) gauge mining railroad that used Shay plies
locomotives.
In the early years of On2, Bob Werner’s Portland Products
• 2-foot gauge industrial railroads found all over the
was the major supplier of castings and the various small
world.
parts needed to model the Maine two footers. Peter Bar-
(need early history of On2 scale modeling)
ney had his Sandy River Car Shops line of kits, which
A pioneer modeler in On2 was Allan Hanson. He was
were essentially boxes of stripwood with meager instruc-
one of the first (if not the first) modelers to have a fully
tions. The drawings were often not to scale, but there was
functioning On2 layout. He was a prolific builder, and
little else available at the time. Later, Grandt Line pro-
though his models were not built to the level of detail
duced some excellent styrene and brass parts that pro-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia On2 scale
vided useful to scratchbuilders. NJ International, Corona- tives. It also requires approx. the same amount of room
do Scale Models, Gary Kohler, and others all brought out as a standard gauge HO scale layout.
limited run kits or detail parts over the years of varied
quality, only to have them fade from existence due to
lack of sales. Portland Products exists in name only at this
Manufacturers
time, the victim of bad blood within the On2 fraternity. Currently-active significant manufacturers and mar-
Sandy River Car Shops kits are still available from Peter keters of On2 railroad equipment as of 2008, include:
Barney’s friends at Cranberry Junction hobbies, but they • Bachmann Trains
are very dated in their design and materials. • The Car Works
In the mid-1990s there was a major growth spurt • Banta Modelworks
brought on by the introduction of a line of kits by Chris • Grandt Lines
Cardinal. He was the first to apply the then-new tech- • Miniatures by Eric
nologies of laser cutting and resin casting exclusively to • Mount Blue Model Co.
twofoot prototypes. He raised the bar in regards to the • American Model Builders Inc.
level of detail to be expected in such an obscure scale. His • GC Design Group
models are still highly sought almost a decade after pro- • Sandy River Car Shops
duction stopped. The line of kits was eventually bought • Stevens Creek Models
out by Darryl Sleszinski after Chris’ interests shifted to • Train & Trooper
vintage auto racing, but it never enjoyed the same level • Train Troll
of success seen in the beginning. • Macleod Western
The year 2007 saw a major shift in On2 scale, espe- • Freshwater Models
cially Maine On2 modeling, with the release of the Bach- • Light Iron Turnout Company
mann forney. Before then, ready-to-run locomotives • Fast Tracks
were only available in brass, and rolling stock kits were • Railway Engineering
few. Since 2007, there has been an upswing in kits, struc-
tures, detail parts, and rolling stock, which will likely
continue. See the list of Manufacturers below.
See also
• Rail transport modelling scales
• Model railway scales
Advantages compared to other
scales External links
The main advantage of On2 scale compared to its main • On2-On30-On3 modelers resource page
alternative On30, is that On2 scale has the correct track • Maine 2-foot Quarterly magazine
gauge. The track and models "look right", because they • Light Iron Digest
are. • Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette
On2 has the advantage over its smaller brethren in • The Maine On2 FAQ
that it is large enough to operate well and it is easy to add
a significant level of detail to rolling stock and locomo-
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=On2_scale&oldid=455902777"
Categories:
• Model railroad scales
• Scale model scales
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