Yes, but there were many miles of 30 inch guage and other narrow gauge railroads outside of North America. A fine point that just about all the North American manufactures noted and made good use of. There is another thread going on World War I and II equipment and where it ended up (some of which is still running). Many of us old time modellers like to enjoy narrow guage railroading without being tied down to what some road might have done lo those many years ago. Model Railroading is FUN. Let us keep it that way.

The real question is : Does anyone care? This scale/guage argument has/can go on for ever. We narrow guage fans at last have a great, affordable supplier in Bachmann who supply most of what we need in a manner well suited to the prototype. There were 30 inch guage railroads, some very successful and almost all the narrow guage lines depended on second hand equipment which quite likely had to be modified to suit the new line - even to the extent, often, of re-guaging. So variations in dimensions is quite prototypical. It is fine to keep things alive by suggesting new scales to use with existing model guages but lets not get too serious about changing Bachmann ON30 as it exists today.

The GE 44t switcher has been well established as a good workhorse for many years. I am now wondering how the GE 45t switcher compares and if it has performance advantages to warrant spending the extra $50? Anyone had experience with these models, also how well do they hold up to heavy use? Any known operational problems?

Don't know why they let the problem persist since it is frequently encountered - but I would note that the solution I suggested does hold up well and the problem has not recurred on my engines after the fix.

Check the drive coupling going onto the rear truck. This will often split and thus be unable to power the truck. Both trucks are driven but with so much weight on the rear truck this is the main source of power to the engine. A very small amount of epoxy (in the US I use JB Weld) cured the problem for me. Just be very, extremely, careful to ensure that you apply just enough and do not get it anywhere that it could cause the whole drive shalt to freeze solid. This also works well for the split Shay gears. Provided that you use just enough epoxy to do the job, too much and you will need to buy a replacement engine.

Yes, I would recommend it - although it may be a little short for the new 4-6-0. The 2-8-0 is a just fit. The kit goes together easily. I recommend that you put the bridge together first, then slowly glue the three parts of the pit together. I dry fitted everything and then used Tenax to secure the three arts of the pit together - there was a slight distortion during drying so that the table developed a slight rocking. Adding weight to the table cured the problem and I have happily used the table for about 9 months now. There is a simple built in polarity changer which works flawlessly. I found that the rails lock into the molded ties when I weather the rail/deck. I have not motorised but they show you how in the instructions. This is a reliable, cheap turntable that performs as advertised. It is especially reasonable if you order directly from the UK - about $50 at current exchange rates including postage. Delivery in about a week.

In the meantime  check out Mount Blue's Kit 11 ($22.50) which will convert a Bachmann coach chassis into a similar excursion coach for you.

May I also suggest that you reverse the engine and try running it through the turnout that way. The rear truck is a powerful pickup on the Forney and is also very flexible. Running at slow speed and close observation should lead to clarifying many of the points raised in earlier posts. My bet would two miniscule deviations in tolerance coming together briefly - these can be very difficult to spot. The suggestion to insulate possible contact spots near the frog and closure rails is a good, quick and reliable solution to many intractable problems. Good luck! The Forney is a great engine, for my money the 0-4-0 Porter had short wheelbase pickup problems that are not found on the 0-4-2 Porter; if you have the oportunity try running this pair of engines through this point setup, the trailing wheels on the 0-4-2 are sprung in such a way as to almost guarantee continuous contact.

Great article! They look big in photos but it is surprising how small they look when standing next to them on the platform. If you are interested in Garratts there is a great 2000 book published in the UK : The origins of the Garratt locomotive by Dr. Richard L Hills, published by Plateway press(ISBN 187198043-7). I got mine from Motorbooks in the UK, they have a website (www.motorbooks.co.uk) and may have copies still available it was 8.95 UK pounds when I bought my copy. Page 33 has a great picture of the earlier 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 NCG11 engines which has a simpler line. Page 31 has a photo of a nice genuine 30 inch 0-6-0 + 0-6-0 built in 1913 for use in Burma; and on page 30 a photo of a 750mm (29.8 inches) 0-6-0 + 0-6-0 one of many built for use in the Congo. A k-1 would be very nice for those of us who prefer small prototypes.
Thanks for bring the article to everyones attention, your note arrived before my copy of the Gazette and increased my usual anxiety about getting the latest goody from Uncle Bob. Always a truly great magazine.

Judging from the Brewster drawing the 2-6-6-2 is very similar to a stretched version of the current OF 4-4-0. The cab is the same size as is the boiler diameter but the boiler is approximately 3/4 inch longer. The Ingenio Angelino prototype is quoted as having 33" drivers on 36" centers the total wheelbase (lead truck to trailing truck c/l) is 27' 0". The 1983 MR article has both a prototype photo, 1/4" drawing and suggestions on making a similar engine from parts that were conventionally available at that time.

Hamish has identified the prototype correctly in addition to the link provided those with a library may wish to refer back to Allen Brewster's article in the November 1983 issue of MR (pages 126 and 127, photo and drawings). Bachmann have really outdone themselves with these new releases. There goes my resolve to accept that I already have too much motive power.

It is very unusual for a model to be made to run smoothly and slowly right out of the box but that is the way Bachmann made the On30 Climax. Sounds to be running normally. Us old-timers consider it a rare treat, normally we have to spend hours trying to get that sort of performance.

I experimented and found that you can cause the front truck to derail more easily if the spring tension is too high. Either flatten the spring to reduce the tension or leave it off altogether. I could not make my front truck derail when the spring was removed.

An Australian company (Steam in the Bush) have an outside frame version listed with a Russian iron boiler in their eBay store catalogue.

Right on the money Hamish! A truly international array of same scale/gauge/quality narrow gauge equipment from one source (irrespective of which Bachmann subsidiary was responsible for the production/marketting) would help overcome the shrinking market for railroad models and help secure an economically viable future for the producer.