Last year, I attended the National Train Show and NMRA National Convention in St. Louis with a mission to inquire with some of the major model manufacturers about whether or not they would ever produce plastic narrow gauge models in HOn3 (which stands for “HO scale, narrow gauge, three-foot”). With a few exceptions, I was saddened to learn that most were not interested in entering that market. By and large, the manufacturers I talked to said it was “too niche” for them to be successful.
Over the years, some fine plastic models of Colorado prototypes — most notably from Blackstone Models — have been produced in HOn3. But beyond models for the Denver & Rio Grande Western, there is little on the market. However, I would argue that there is a greater demand for ready-to-run plastic narrow gauge models beyond the Rocky Mountains.
Considering narrow gauge prototypes beyond Colorado, two operations with a large following come to mind: the White Pass & Yukon in Alaska and the East Broad Top in Pennsylvania. Even though Blackstone did manufacture an EBT hopper, and numerous examples of White Pass and EBT engines and rolling stock exist in brass, they are prototypes largely untapped by manufacturers in plastic. While these two railroads are thousands of miles apart and were built to serve very different purposes, there are several commonalities with their equipment. For example, consider the 2-8-2 Mikado. Aside from one railroad burning coal and the other burning oil, the White Pass and EBT Mikes share many of the same characteristics. Namely, these include the headlight mounted on top of the smokebox, an inside-frame wheel arrangement, and a high-mounted boiler. The only notable difference between the two prototypes is that EBT’s locomotives had three domes while White Pass’s had two. It’s clear to me that it wouldn’t be impossible for an ambitious manufacturer to produce these locomotives, and they wouldn’t just have to offer them painted for the EBT or WP&Y. Railroads such as the Sumpter Valley, the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, and the sugar cane railroads of Hawaii and Cuba employed these engines well into the 20th century.
ABOVE: White Pass & Yukon Route. —Mike May photo
While it is true that the majority of narrow gauge railroads in North America did not survive long enough to dieselize, there are notable exceptions. The two that continue to operate to this day are the White Pass, and U.S. Gypsum’s operation in Plaster City, Calif. (the last narrow gauge common carrier in the United States). The White Pass in particular has used locomotives from General Electric, American Locomotive (Alco), Montreal Locomotive Works, and, most recently, National Railway Equipment. Of course, there are also the small center-cab switchers built for industrial railroads still being used by railroads like the Durango & Silverton, Cumbres & Toltec, Georgetown Loop, and East Broad Top in both tourist train and non-revenue service.
Looking outside the United States, the potential for narrow gauge diesel models is even greater. For example, Canadian National’s extensive narrow gauge network in Newfoundland lasted until 1988, and some of those diesels have found second lives in South America. Mexico also had narrow gauge lines, including the Ferrocarril Unidos Sureste on the Yucatán Peninsula, which operated until 1999.
Narrow gauge railroads are unique, interesting and diverse. While operations like the White Pass, Rio Grande, and East Broad Top featured long, heavy freights, many featured short mixed trains and passenger trains. Some trains were made up of a single locomotive and a handful of cars; a great subject for anyone who doesn’t have space for a basement empire. There are also features like transload facilities, where freight was moved from narrow gauge cars to standard gauge cars, which would be fascinating to model.
In recent years, manufacturers like Bachmann have produced fantastic On3 models — inspiring a new flock of O scale narrow gauge modelers — which I believe could be repeated in HOn3. Like the line in the movie Field of Dreams, I believe “if you build it, they will come.” In this case, if manufacturers start offering quality plastic models of narrow gauge prototypes, customers will flock to them.
Just recently, new manufacturer Northbound Model Works, based in Durango, Colo., announced it was releasing an HOn3 injected-molded styrene kit with operating chassis of the White Pass & Yukon’s iconic MLW DL535 diesel (with some now used by Durango & Silverton). While it isn’t ready-to-run, perhaps this will demonstrate to the major manufacturers that the market for new narrow gauge models isn’t that narrow after all.
—Adam Palmer
