I must admit to being surprised at the turn the comments section took after my last post on the planned "SaltWorks" layout...until I actually reread the post and realised I had made the mistake of not actually making it clear that I HAD dropped the idea of modeling in HO and was reverting back to doing it as an Nz120 showpiece.
However, the comments made me pose the question...Why Not?
The first thing to investigate here (working on the fact that I have already got a baseboard dimensions in mind) is size. If I take an Nz120 DXB plan and scale it up by a factor of 1.379, I get this:
And thanks to Magikan (who once flirted with such things), a comparison shot between an HO RoadRailer and an Nz120 ZK which in real life are roughly the same size:
So immediately we are looking at locomotives and rolling stock that are roughly bigger by half again with all the size constraints that entails. For instance, if SaltWorks was going to be in HO I would have to make it longer and wider to fit in what I would like to see. For those interested, the scaling factor to get from HO to S is 1.359...so HO fits effectively between S and Nz120.
Okay, so if thats palatable (which I'm not sure about), then how would I go about addressing all the issues of modeling our local trains in HO?
Wheels: Sure, TT wheels (12mm gauge) are available from Europe, but personally I think any canny kiwi would simply be able to order some finescale NWSL 16.5mm gauge wheels, chop in half, remove a section of axle, then rejoin with a brass sleeve. Or even get some new axles turned up on a CNC lathe that would help set the essential back-to-back dimension into the bargain:
Instant 12mm wheel with a finescale profile, and in lots of different sizes to boot. Which lead us nicely into....
Bogies and underframes: Lets face it, if you model the 1950's and in need of some 4 wheel underframes in HO, your stuffed....you might be able to get away with some of the long wheelbase European stuff for a 13' underframe, but the springs and brakes will all be wrong blahblahblah....simpler just to model those new fangled roller bearing bogies and flog a half decent looking sideframe from the Yank market, set on a scale width bolster and cast (with the right wheels of course)....which is exactly what Magikan has done here:
Wagons: Once the bogies are done, the wagons are easy. Just take the IA drawing and expand, much like I did with this 1:32 one.
Locomotives: As Magikan pointed out, the Aussies sometimes come up with some usable stuff, like this QR1460 by K&M Engineering (which just shouts "DQ" at the top of its lungs)
Theoretically (and without any actual investigation in the real world), I would look at re-gauging existing N (spreading) or even HO locomotives (squeezing) with new wheelsets and axles to get the correct gauge....if a bogie with the correct wheelbase can be found. We've proven (through KiwiBonds DXB and Magikans DFT) that the tops are easy thanks to laser etching...
Track: Why do people always stress about hand laying track? If you take your time and are careful, its easy. If you arent, simply recycle and try again. If you follow the correct procedure, even points arent as hard as what some people try and convince you they are.
Buildings: In my opinion, sourcing from overseas is a waste of time...Saltworks requires buildings that will need to scratchbuilt anyway. For those wanting to try the scale, I cant quite see any of the HO manufacturers doing NZ "vernacular" buildings (NZ Railway Houses, Bay Villas, California Bungalows or State Houses) any time soon. Even the shop fronts dont look right to NZ eyes. Plus you'll have to build your railway buildings anyway for the same reason ("Dear Mr Walthers, Can I please have a 30' Goods Shed?"). Not all doom and gloom though; Doesnt the Car and Wagon depot at Napier look like a Pikestuff kit? And hasnt that just given me another idea for a shelf layout?
Vehicles: Okay, maybe....I think I need a bus and thats it...But even thats proving problematic, all american buses either seem to be those ugly yellow school buses that some firm has had a monopoly on building since the 1960's, or a 1950's "Greyhound"...the doors all open on the wrong side anyway.
People: Availability of figures is not a good argument, fellas, especially if those figures all look vaguely "foreign" (a man with a hat and a suitcase? A HAT?????) By the time I've handbuilt all my locomotives and wagons, laid the track, scratchbuilt the station infrastructure, and sceniced the thing, I'll be on my deathbed being given the last rites by a priest who looks suspiciously like Father Jack and wondering if English OO would have been so much easier. Honestly, when was the last time you visited an NZR layout that had people on it? In fact, when was the last time you visited an NZR layout that was finished??
Okay, so where does this leave us? In my opinion, modeling in HO is harder than Nz120 as the supposed "benefits" of buildings and figures are made null in void anyway by the uniqueness of the New Zealand environment. Having said that, IT IS POSSIBLE if you have access to the new technology (like I do) as that removes the argument of mechanisms and track....and quite tempting as the layout you build will be a one of a kind, not just a facsimile of any others.
SaltWorks will probably stay Nz120 (unless I can be convinced otherwise...and lets face it, I'm easily bribed, a fact which has kept me in chocolate biscuits at work for years)...but who knows what scale the next layout may be??
1 comment:
A couple of areas that have been missed in terms of accessories.
A massive range of HO detail parts, both loco and wagon available out of the states for those that don't have access to a laser.
As for your bus there is a lot of European prototype vehicles that are in a lot of ways more relevant to NZ than some of the American stuff, although most will still be LHD.
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