The On30 Guy

I received an interesting question via the site today from Tom Rose:

I am learning about the differences in coupler height on the different Bachmann issue freight trucks.  It seems like I can easily buy the center height shank coupler, but how about the shank even with the top of the coupler?  Does Bachmann sell these too?  What is the number of this coupler?  Are the EZ-Mate HO Couplers really the same size as the On30 couplers?  Thanks much!

The short answer to your first question is that Kadee, Bachmann and McHenry all make “drop-in” couplers with center-shank, over-shank (shank even with the top) and under-shank (shank even with the bottom).

For your second question, Bachmann uses the same couplers for On30 as they do for HO. So, the Kadee, Bachmann and McHenry HO couplers will work fine.

Now, it gets knotty. Bachmann has made On30 trucks and underframes in two heights — the original “high” riding cars, and the newer “low” riding cars. Bachmann supplies the appropriate couplers with the cars so that the height will be consistent across their product line. This coupler height coincides with the  NMRA-standard HO standard gauge coupler height. This, traditionally, has been the height that most On30 modelers have used, even before the Bachmann products came on the market.

Some modelers feel that this coupler height is too low, especially if they’re trying to represent 3-foot prototypes using On30. Other modelers feel that they would prefer to use On3 couplers, as they are supposedly more appropriately sized, and mount them at the correct On3 coupler height.

So, Tom, I hope that I’ve answered your questions!

This picture at railpictures.net shows the prototype Lake Placid yard. This shot was taken from what would be the station on my version of the yard, looking from the stub-end back towards the yard throat.

Obviously, I’ve taken a few liberties with the layout — moving the station and relocating the tracks slightly. I do, however, think that I will have done a pretty good job of retaining the flavor of the operation of the yard.

I thought that I had, at one point or another, outlined the operations and basic movements that occurred at the yard, but, I can’t find the posting anywhere. I’ll try to dig up the text, and post it in the next few days.

I’m in a little bit of a quandary regarding the construction of the platforms at the station — should the planks run parallel to, or perpendicular to the tracks?

These two views of this station show all kinds of interesting things. Notice the grade crossing in the picture at left – very similar to mine, and notice that it’s not there in the, apparently, earlier photograph at the right. Interesting. The pictures also show two different platform types in the same complex. That’s not helping me any!

The “Background” page of this site has an off-site link to a map of the Eastern Shore. However, it only shows the central part of the shore, cutting off both northern Maryland and Delaware to the north, and Virginia to the south.

This is a very, very large image. However, it’s also very detailed. It shows, primarily, the Baltimore, Chesapeake & Atlantic Railway and the Maryland, Delaware & Virginia Railway. It also shows many of the other, smaller railroads and ferry lines.

WARNING: This file is huge! It will take almost a minute to download using a broadband connection. Also, you will have to scroll around to see it all. The “close viewer” X will be way down and to the right, at the very bottom of the map. For those who would prefer, here is a download link. Right-click on this link to download the image.