On30 Extra Board
Welcome to On30 Annual Extra Board! Here you’ll find sample content from each jam-packed issue, plus some occasional extras we didn’t have room for. We also welcome your contributions for exclusive features related to O scale narrow gauge model railroading.
March 19, 2025
Al Judy: A Legacy of Inspiration
Al Judy was not only a master craftsman of O scale narrow gauge models, but an enthusiastic ambassador for the hobby.
August 3, 2022
Quincy Mining Co. Assay Office
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was home to the Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad, and the inspiration for this scratchbuilt O scale model of the mining company’s assay office.
August 2, 2022
Using 1:48 Scale Model Kits on On30 Layouts
With scrutiny and forethought, a number of 1:48 military kits currently on the market can be adapted for model railroad use.
August 1, 2022
The J.B. Logging & Mining Railroad
Using some modules built in California to create a permanent On30 model railroad in a new home in Georgia.
May 8, 2017
Rolling Your Own Colorful Freight Car Sides
Use the popular Bachmann Trains refrigerator car model as a core to make your own colorful freight cars using pre-printed cardstock sides. Download our free color artwork to “roll your own” cars!
August 31, 2016
Re-gearing the Bachmann On30 Shay
We sometimes forget our model locomotives are as much machinery as they are scale representations of the prototype; perhaps more so. You can replace the gears in your Bachmann On30 Shay for more reliable and precise operation.
March 1, 2016
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.
March 1, 2016
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.
January 1, 2015
How I Made On30 More Funner*
The occasional use of questionable grammar aside, what a pleasure it has been to be part of the founding and producing of the On30 Annual. My railroad, the Cheyenne Mountain Southern has appeared in many issues in some way, but now I would like to share with you my experiences in actually building an On30 model railroad.
November 1, 2014
Speeder Shed Plans
Now that I’m concentrating mostly on On30, I thought it would be neat to duplicate the speeder shed in O scale and see what photos I could take of its interior using my current digital SLR camera. I drew full-sized O scale plans with a small CAD program on my computer and printed them off to use as templates for the model.
