MODELING THE MAINE
TWO-FOOTERS IN HOn30
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Thinking about building a Maine Two-Footer model railroad in HOn30? Well, let me give you some valuable insight!
First thing you need to know, ALMOST nothing is "ready to run". The photo to the right is typical of almost every piece of rolling stock you're going to have. This is a vintage wood kit. The new stuff looks the same, but the major parts are cast in resin instead of being made of wood. 3-D printing is starting to make a small impact, but that's mainly if you own a 3-D printer and have the skills, or know someone who does. There are some suppliers who currently offer some kits, such as Mount Blue Models and Funaro & Camerlengo, but otherwise most of your rolling stock will be ebay finds. |
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Locomotives are another story. The only ready-to-run locmotives for the Maine Two-Footers in HOn30 are vintage models, made mostly in Japan and Korea, and can only be found on Ebay or sometimes from people selling their collections on Facebook. These locomotives will run you anywhere from $300 to $700 or more, depending on how rare the loco is and how many other bidders are willing to sell their kidneys to get them when they show up. Some of them have factory paint jobs, others are bare brass, but even the unpainted ones will go for a minimum of $300+. Many of these locomotives were also offered in kit form, and these also go for $300+.
There are some cheaper options for locos that are "Maine Two-Footer-ish". One is the classic "Dachsund" or "Dachs" brass 2-6-0 mogul locomotive that was imported a few decades ago. It came both in kit and assembled form, unpainted, and sometimes these will sell for less than $300. There are forney locos that resemble the earliest Maine two-foot locos available from Minitrains, there are several 3-D printed kits available from Shapeways for converting N-scale locomotives to HOn30, and Toma occasionally makes suitable loco kits as well.
A thing about these brass import locos that you need to know; they usually need some surgery to get them to run well. The detail on them is beautiful. They're works of art. But the designers and producers of these things were more concerned with how they looked than how they ran. If you take the dive down the rabbit hole of HOn30 modeling Maine Two-Footers, you need to be prepared to bid on an expensive brass loco that is going to need some surgery, or work on your soldering and painting skills if you are willing to build kits. Yes, you can use CAA on brass kits, but the very thought of a glued loco falling apart in the middle of operations shivers my spine.
Luckily for us, there are several structures available from the various Maine Two-Footer railroads. Some are out of production and show up on Ebay from time to time, but several are currently in production. Such structures as the Marbles, Phillips and Strong depots from the SR&RL are currently in production, as well as several other structures from the SR&RL, Kennebec Central, Monson, and Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington railroads. These are all craftsman kits, so these will take some time and skill to build, just like the vast majority of rolling stock and most of the locos.
So if you're the kind of guy or gal that wants to build a layout that uses ready to run locos, ready to run rolling stock, and quick-to-assemble structures, the rabbit hole of Maine Two-Footers in HOn30 might not be what you're looking for. But for those of us who like partying with the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat, it's a most satisfying adventure.
There are some cheaper options for locos that are "Maine Two-Footer-ish". One is the classic "Dachsund" or "Dachs" brass 2-6-0 mogul locomotive that was imported a few decades ago. It came both in kit and assembled form, unpainted, and sometimes these will sell for less than $300. There are forney locos that resemble the earliest Maine two-foot locos available from Minitrains, there are several 3-D printed kits available from Shapeways for converting N-scale locomotives to HOn30, and Toma occasionally makes suitable loco kits as well.
A thing about these brass import locos that you need to know; they usually need some surgery to get them to run well. The detail on them is beautiful. They're works of art. But the designers and producers of these things were more concerned with how they looked than how they ran. If you take the dive down the rabbit hole of HOn30 modeling Maine Two-Footers, you need to be prepared to bid on an expensive brass loco that is going to need some surgery, or work on your soldering and painting skills if you are willing to build kits. Yes, you can use CAA on brass kits, but the very thought of a glued loco falling apart in the middle of operations shivers my spine.
Luckily for us, there are several structures available from the various Maine Two-Footer railroads. Some are out of production and show up on Ebay from time to time, but several are currently in production. Such structures as the Marbles, Phillips and Strong depots from the SR&RL are currently in production, as well as several other structures from the SR&RL, Kennebec Central, Monson, and Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington railroads. These are all craftsman kits, so these will take some time and skill to build, just like the vast majority of rolling stock and most of the locos.
So if you're the kind of guy or gal that wants to build a layout that uses ready to run locos, ready to run rolling stock, and quick-to-assemble structures, the rabbit hole of Maine Two-Footers in HOn30 might not be what you're looking for. But for those of us who like partying with the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat, it's a most satisfying adventure.
