Okay, I've been thinking and researching this subject since we discussed it on the [thread=128985]"Narrow Gauge Modeling in the "Abs-track"[/thread]. Originally, I had asked about anyone modeling 2' gauge in HO scale using 6.5mm (Z gauge) track. (6.5mm gauge track scales out to almost 23" in HO scale which is much closer to 2' than 9mm gauge track which scales out at almost 31" in HO scale.) Triplex mentioned European modeler using HOi which made me think of the 60cm gauge trench railways used during WW1 in France. This is what I've learned/thought of since then. 1. The Red Caboose N scale 42' flat car almost perfectly matches the dimentions of American 60cm gauge flat cars used in France. The prototype was sized 23' long by 5.5' wide and the Red Caboose flat car is 22.8' by 5.18'. 2. They found that boxcars and tank cars didn't work that well in France with that little gauge so most rolling stock used in France was flat cars or low gondolas. 3. I found a Marklin 2-6-0 in Z scale that might be a donor for a mechanism for the ubiquitous 2-6-2Ts used by the Americans. This is kind of where it breaks down because I have no idea about what to use for a boiler if I did a locomotive in HOi and my modeling skills are so NOT that good. 4. This would be WAY easier in HOn30 as I would just use an HOn30 2-6-2 in brass from a certain store specializing in Maine 2' Gauge. There is also a 7ton gas locomotive in N based on a Japanese prototype which isn't a bad match for the little gas locomotives used by the AEF. I know I've got to get some resources to learn the size of the 2-6-2Ts used in France. It's nice to know I have the rolling stock licked but the locomotives are going to be a dog. Opinions, input or information would be appreciated. Andy Tetsu Uma
Hi Andy. I want to keep up wit this thread as I have dabbled in HO Narrow guage, WW1 Europe. I have a lot of European HO Era 1 stuff, and I was doing the HOe (9 mm,N)for my Feld Bahn, which as you know is not correct. It is closer to HOf( Z) . There is a nice narrow guage museum in Frankfurt and they have a Brigadelok, a standard German army engine. They ran on 600 mm track. They also have an American WW1 gas powered engine. I have talked with some folks who were thinking of making the Brigadelok in both HOe and HOf. A lot of stuff passed hands back and forth and was used by all sides. 2014 is coming up soon and I do not know how the Europeans will deal with the Great War. I have made suggestions to Preiser, as they made a lot of WW2 stuff lately,and a lot of it could be used for WW1. Nobody else wants to talk about it. There are several books about narrow guage trench railways. I have a few. If you have any general questions i can look into them for you. Kelley Wright Giessen Germany
I think it is interesting that both sides had decided on 600mm gauge before hostilities erupted. I think I want to concentrate on American prototype but as you said, at least early on, a lot of equipment changed hands. Good thinking about going to the European manufacturers. American particpation in "The Great War" is so limited and trench railways are such a tiny subset of that, I would be sure this would not even be a blip on the radar screens of the American manufacturers. I plan on getting some resource material but in the mean time, do you have or know where I could get some data and dimentions on the Baldwin 15ton 2-6-2t locomotive? Thanks, Andy Tetsu Uma
Have you given any thought as to what N or Z mechanisms would be appropriate for the 0-8-0T Brigadeloks or the American-built 4-6-0Ts? Or are there any models available? I'm surprised there's no Brigadelok. They were used quite widely for a long time after WW1...
I was going to go for the U.S.A. 2-6-2T. I found a Marklin Z scale 2-6-0 (88030) that might be a potential donor. If I go with HOn30, I'd work with one of the brass 2-6-2s from a certain store in Maine. Andy Tetsu Uma
Status Report In order to get my hands around this project, I picked up a copy of Richard Dunn's Narrow Gauge to No Man's Land and found it to be a great resource. It has scale drawings, pictures, layout of tracks at the juctions with standard gauge lines, and details in the text that would not be know just from the pictures themselves. I did not realize the scope of the trench railways or the volume they carried. At its peak, the Americans operated 1392 miles of 600mm gauge track 1081 miles of which were captured German lines. Between March 1918 and February 1919, the Americans carried over 860,000 tons on 2 foot gauge trains. The British, with a more extensive system, carried over 200,000 tons in their peak month of February 1918. As for scale, for sheer simplicity at least at the onset, I am now seriously considering OO9. The reason for this is simply that I found some kits already available for the Baldwin 50hp gas mechanical and for a ALCo-Cooke 2-6-2t (which was a copy of the original Baldwin 2-6-2t purchased by the British, from Meridian Models. OO9 is 1:76 on 9mm gauge (N) track which works out to about 27" gauge and that's close enough for me. It's pretty popular in the UK for modeling 2' gauge lines and it would allow me to use standard N scale mechanisms. I'd still like to try this in HOi (1:87 on Z scale track) but OO9 allows me to get a quicker start. Andy Tetsu Uma
