HOe? Is that British Narrow Gauge?

[Chops]

Figuring out my solution to the Henley L addition. I've long admired British modelers point-to-point layouts, and I might have
a little room to add a little point-to-point on the addition, if it can cross, as in a diamond crossing, whatever you chaps call it. Is
there a manufacturer that makes such a crossing- of narrow gauge crossing standard, OO, track?

Frankly, what I know about British narrow gauge wouldn't fill a post card. Unlike Mountain, who makes his own track, that would
be about the same as me flying to the moon.

I tried doing an internet search, and I end up with pages and pages of retailers, most, if not all, Continental narrow gauge. Then, there
seems to be M, e, and 7 mm. Any helpful links I might find?

[hunslet]

H0e is H0 scale ( 3.5mm/foot) on 9mm track gauge (N) . The British equivalent is 009 which is 00 scale ( 4mm/foot) on 9mm track.
The early models from Eggerbahn and Minitrains only used in catalogues that I have the description " H0 scale narrow gauge" so the description H0e came in much later.
H0m is H0 scale on 12mm track gauge ( TT ) and mostly represents the Swiss Metre gauge as made by Bemo.
Here are some images of H0e (left) and 009 ( right) similar ex-First world war locos to compare scales.








You may have seen my mini H0e and trolleybus layout fromsome time back.
I still have it but my youngest son has surrounded it with Chevy Blazer parts which he is restoring !

Hope this helps. Colin.

[Chops]

Thank you, Hunslet. Internet searches have been only murky, at best. Do you suggest any links where I might educate myself? So, HOe operates on N scale track? Sorry to be dense, but the USA is still mired in feet and inches.

[Mike Parkes]

HOe and OO9 use 9mm gauge track the same as N gauge but to be accurate correct HOe/OO9 track should be used to portray the sleeper spacing correctly. such as that sold by Peco
https://peco-uk.com/collections/4mm-oo/ ... streamline
https://peco-uk.com/collections/4mm-oo/oo-9-9mm+setrack
and Tillig
https://www.tillig.com/eng/Nenngroesse_ ... steme.html
who offer both HOe and HO/HOe mixed gauge track

[hunslet]

Hi Glad you found it useful.
Manufacturers such as Minitrains, Roco and Bemo may provide info on current H0e items.
Bachmann make 009 models and there may be others but I only model H0e so do not know of any. -The 009 loco in the comparison photos was an impulse buy !
There is a link to an Eggerbahn site here.
https://www.egger-bahn.de/english/
And to a Jouef site here.
http://www.joueftrains.com/NG_index.htm
Both are older models.
As Mike Parkes says the track is different to N gauge with sleepers ( Ties) closer to H0 scale but with different spacing.
I think Tillig also make 16.5mm to 9mm crossings and double tracks.
Hope this helps Colin

[Chops]

Well, this will keep me busy for a while. I take it the sleepers on the HOe are more widely spaced?

[Mountain Goat]

Hello...

H0e is the narrow gauge version of European H0. (3.5mm scale).
009 is the narrow gauge version of 00. (4mm scale).
I don't remember what the narrow gauge version of American H0 is called as it has slipped my mind).
They both (009 and H0e) run on 9mm track gauge (Same as N gauge uses), and though 009 will be slightly larger in scale than H0e is, as H0e prototypes are usually slightly larger, mixing H0e and 009 is not a problem. They use the same couplings and it is less noticeable then if one tries mixing 00 and H0 together.

Both 009 and H0e have ready to run commercial interest, though 009 commercial interest is recent. H0e commercial interest in RTR form has been now available for 40+ years somis well supported.
---------------------------------------------------------

I model in 7mm scale narrow gauge (0-16.5) which is the narrow gauge of 0 gauge which runs on 00 and H0 gauge track.
The British version of 7mm narrow gauge is 0-16.5.
The European version is 0e.
The American version is 0n30.
Though 0n30 uses buckeyes, there is no standard shared coupling standard with 0e and 0-16.5 as each modeller decides what coupling is appropiate to their own little model railway system needs.
While 0n30 has been well supported in RTR form by Bachmann, 0e has has only been available for a few years in RTR form by Fleishmann with their Magic Train (Sadly no longer in production), and 0-16.5 has never had the luxury of commercial support in RTR form, but one should not be put off by this as it is not as hard as one may think to make a start and go modelling in 0-16.5 or 0e if one is interested; because there are not only kits which are designed to be easily made to mount onto 00 gauge chassis, as the track gauge width is 16.5mm which is the same that 00 and H0 uses, one can pretty much choose a suitable 00 gauge model and start rebuilding to scale up. A new taller chimney... A larger cab... A few extra small details and removing the odd 00 or H0 scale feature, and one should (In theory) end up with something that looks half decent in 7mm narrow gauge as a loco.
A H0 or 00 wagon chassis, or even an old bogie rebuilt into a 7mm NG waggon should not be too hard to do.

Track. Well. What is wrong with using 00 or H0 track? Some real lightweight narrow gauge railways had small thin ties (Sleepers) which needed to be spaced closer together to take the weight which were often made from tree branches and the rails pinned on with spikes, so it is not that dis-similar to 00/H0 track. Of course Peco do their own 7mm NG track if one wants to buy some. Or use 00/H0 and hide the smaller scale sleepers under ballast. One does not need to make ones own track like I have done. I just did it as an experiment to see if I could do it.
I hope this helps.

Just to add. If one keeps to 0-4-0's and short wheelbase 0-6-0's for locos, and is careful in keeping to shorter waggons or coaches, then trains can be made to turn on a 2ft wide layout.
Train lengths need not be long to give a narrow gauge feel. One of my locos with five 4 wheel coaches takes up less length then your 3 car Lima DMU, so 7mm narrow gauge can be very space saving despite its larger scale.
Freelancing suits narrow gauge and I reccomend this approach as it is liberating. One is not fixed to follow any prototype as one can be free to design and build ones own railway with ones own set of rules and loading gauge etc.

[Chops]

Finally had a chance to research those links. Gads, one of those crossings I had in mind had an MRSP of about 50 EU, Beyond that,
it was a rather bewildering array of HOe, HOm, and several references to various gauges by millimeters. All of the equipment
was Continental. Whilst I enjoy sneeking in some foreign stuff, the prices were through the roof and would not effectively blend
into a British theme, Perhaps this cobbler should stick to his last.

[Mountain Goat]

H0e and H0m are the same scale but H0e runs on a 9mm gauge which is the same as 009 and N gauge, while H0m runs on the wider gauge of 12mm to represent metre gauge, which I believe is the same gauge width used for TT.

H0e and H0m will not run on the same track together unless one has been clever and made some dual gauge track.

European narrow gauge prices and most European models have silly price tags to them. They are usually finely detailed models. I am trying to recall, but there is a H0e loco I would avoid adit is a model of a little American 0-4-0 saddle tank loco which I am trying to remeber the make. I seem to recall Minitrix or a make like that. I bought one secondhand and the last owner did say it never ran right from new. I took it apart but no matter what, its mechanism would jam up. I have had similar experiences with some other H0 mechanisms built to that design, so whenever I see a model made to a similar design I don't even bother trying to make them work. I have tried everything from spacing the drive shafts to limiting the drive shaft movement... Even tried converting the things to two wheel drive by removing the cogs on the other set of wheels and nothing stopped them from jamming up. The design is a motor with a standard cog driving a standard cog on a long shaft, and the long shaft has a worm at either end to drive cogs on the wheels. The shaft movement would jam up the cog where the worms are, and even trying to limit the free play of this design did not prevent it jamming.

Most models are fine. Roco and Liliput made in the last 25 years (Which I bought) ran nicely. The only downside was to clean their tiny wheels and the track which I found the same situation with N gauge. They seemed to need more wheel and track cleaning then 00 and H0 or larger scales need.
G scale locos seem to run on track I would never be able to run a smaller scale loco on! Their heavier weight and larger wheel surface area to collect the current made quite a difference, though for G scale I would still convert to battery power radio control if I could as it makes far more sense when running out in the garden.

[Chops]

Most useful and detailed information, thank you for taking the time to educate this dolt. I've long admired the numerous British point-to-point creations I have seen. This concept is very, very rare in North America. It exists, but no where near the level of British model rail. Owing to a relative abundance of land, most folks can accommodate an 8x4, which generally runs the risk of being boring.

At any rate, I have a beautiful Dapol double ended Diesel Rail Coach and I shall fit in an automatic reversing unit to propel it backwards and forwards so as to cross the main line whilst the passing trains will be obliged to negotiate their speed to avoid bonking into it at the diamond crossing. Now all
I need is some spare time.

As I prefer simple things, being a simpleton, a Bachmann automatic reversing controller will be employed. I used this on my Subway Layout and it worked perfectly straight out of the box with no more wiring than plugging it in. I will be forced, however, to do some custom wiring to carry the current properly across the proposed diamond intersection.

I believe you gentlemen call them "halts?" There shall be a halt at either end of this little point-to-point branch line to provide a raison d'etre.