2026 On30 ANNUAL: Do you enjoy model railroading and On30 or narrow gauge? Then we invite you to immerse yourself in the captivating world of narrow gauge railroading with the all-new 2026 On30 Annual. This year marks the 21st issue of providing you modeling fun and accessible narrow gauge in O scale, featuring amazing models, layouts, and building projects. Order your copy today!
A Look Back… And a Look Ahead
A look back at 20 years of the On30 Annual, led by editor and narrow gauge modeler Chris Lane, and published by White River Productions.
Easy Lionel Depot Kitbash
Lionel makes a perfectly good station kit. It has a timeless “railroady” look to it that could be appropriate for any period for the last century. So why kitbash it? Well there are several good reasons. My reasons were to make it smaller and a little less imposing and a little less likely to overwhelm my Bachmann On30 narrow gauge trains.
Ditching the Dummy
The dummy coupler at the front of my Broadway Limited On30 C-16 steam locomotive drove me to distraction. It made impossible any realistic narrow gauge operations, where front couplers were used nearly as much as those on the tender. I wanted a functioning coupler up there.
History of the Bellevue & Cascade
The Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade & Western Railway Company was organized in 1877 and its 36 miles of 30 lb. iron arrived in Cascade Iowa, a town of 900 souls, on the evening of December 31, 1879. The CBC&W’s eastern terminus was at Bellevue, Iowa, on the Mississippi River.
Creative Laser Design’s Schulz & Sons Kit
Creative Laser Design’s latest O scale kit is based on an actual light manufacturing facility located in northern Vermont. The Frank J. Schulz & Sons Precision Manufacturing Company has manufactured carved wood deep sea fishing lures for decades in Sutton, Vt., at their gambrel-roofed plant.
AMS D&RGW 6000-Series Flat Car
AMS has made the rounds at the shows for the last few years showing narrow gauge sample cars for the On30/On3 modeler. These cars are now hitting the market and that is good news for modelers looking to expand their rosters with sturdy, good-preforming cars of familiar prototypes.
RS Laser add-on deck for Bachmann freight cars
Both kits from RS Laser include two custom fitted plywood decks with double sided tape applied to attach the deck to the host car as well as Grandt Line O scale brake wheels and ratchet and pawl castings for two cars to replace those removed when new decks are installed. The kit for the tank cars also includes Standard Oil Company decal sets to add to the tank of each car.
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