That you are reading this article indicates you are more than casually interested in Railroading. . . Specifically, Model Railroading. . . And for good reason too! Why, at one time, Railroads crossed and crisscrossed this land not unlike giant steel spiderwebs! They were everywhere!

As a boy (or girl), probably one of the first mechanical things ever to impress you was the sight and sounds of a locomotive at work.. They were so BIG! Added to that, they were always GOING SOME-PLACE! So it's no wonder that many of us were left with lasting impressions of these behemoths of the rails, and the magical lands they traversed ( either real or imagined. . .). So much so that we often wanted to "ride the rails" to those places with 'em ourselves! ( But probably never could, or did. . .)

Yet, modeling one of the many Standard Gauge Railroads that abound in this land can present real problems for the average railroad hobbyist. How so?

Well, just glancing through one of the many model railroad journals, like Model Railroader or RMC one can find convincing proof that most modelers love the sight of mountains, trees, sparkling streams and spectacular scenery. Yet the “Standard Gauge” railroads they model rarely traversed that sort of country at all. In fact, with few exceptions, they went to great lengths ( and distances ) to avoid it ! And even amongst those few that were forced to run over mountain passes, their trains most usually consisted of 80-120 car freights trailing behind multiple diesel lashups, ( Or Double / Triple Headed Steam Engines. ) rather than the 10-12 car trains the average model railroad layout can handle comfortably. So try as one might, it is most difficult to achieve the illusion of realism if ones "Mainline Trains" are limited to "Branch Line" lengths!

Interestingly, Narrow Gauge Railroading presents a viable alternative to the mass concept of the "Broad Gauge.” How so? Well consider the main reason why the prototype Narrow Gauge was built in the first place: ECONOMICS: There's nothing like the reality of economics to throw cold water on hot ideas, eh?

Like all railroads, the Narrow Gauge was constructed to move commodities from point "A" to point "B" as economically as possible. Because of the terrain it plied, (mountains, trees, rivers, etc.) and the sparsely settled regions it served, the countless miles of manicured roadbed required by its standard gauge cousins weren't deemed economically feasible; however, light rail, light motive power, and equipment of similar proportions were. And so the Narrow Gauge was constructed "on the cheap", as it were. For starters its rails were most often placed 3'-0" apart. Its equipment was designed to operate on less than perfect roadbed, and up grades and around curves considered unacceptable to its "Broad Gauge" cousins. All in an effort to turn a profit for its stockholders.

Economy is also a consideration for many modelers as they endeavor to create the pike of their dreams. For some, that amounts to being able to afford only a single piece of motive power. For most, it amounts to being forced to live with a minimum radius "much too tight to be realistic.". Yet, those are the same concerns the builders of the Narrow Gauge faced when they began, and they were “modeling” in 1:1 scale! But they didn’t let that stop them! And it shouldn't stop you either!

You Win Modeling in Narrow Gauge! How So?

• 1. Well, for starters, the prototype ran in mountainous country, where forests, clear mountain streams, precipitous bluffs, steep grades and tight, winding curves were what it was all about, remember?
• 2. The prototype also ran 5-10 car trains as a matter of routine.
• 3. And perhaps most importantly, the prototype still exists, under steam in the Mountains of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, where names like "Durango", "Silverton", "Chama", and "Rio Grande" conjure up mental images of bygone times when the hustle and bustle of daily living centered much around the arrival of a Steam Train into town.

  So, at your earliest convenience, why not pay a visit to the "High Country" and see what the 3 foot gauge has to offer! The sight and sounds of Steam still weave the same old magic they did a hundred years ago! And yes, the hustle and bustle of daily living still centers very much around the arrival of a Steam train into town!

Unbelievable as it may seem, you can model A Prototypical Steam Railroad that's very much alive, even now, in 2004!

Just as you can visit the "High Country" and touch, smell, and feel the prototype in action in places like Chama, Silverton and Durango, you can also enjoy the advantages of modeling in a scale you can "See", one larger than HO, without having a room the size of a dormitory to do it! How? Well consider these facts:

• 1. The NMRA recommends that "proper" HO minimum radii needs to be 24". But quite frankly, even a 28" radius looks too tight for anything but the tiniest of standard gauge HO models to be running on.

  On the other hand, we recommend a 28" minimum radius for "Sn3", 30" or greater being ideal. But the difference between the two is readily discernible: Whereas the Standard Gauge HO models look more than a bit incongruous when operated within the confines of a 28" radius circle, the somewhat incongruous appearing "Sn3" models actually capture the "Look" and "Feel" of the prototype because their prototype really did run around tight radius curves!

• 2. Many "HO Detail Parts" are oversized.. Yet they scale out surprisingly close to actual "S" size... ( Again, it appears that the majority of the guys modeling in HO don't much seem to care about this disparity... Maybe they don’t know about it? Maybe it doesn’t matter to ‘em... Whatever, it’s their loss, our gain. )

• 3. "SIZE" translates into "MASS".. And MASS translates into Reliable Operation.. And size is what "Sn3" is all about.. A "typical" HO Standard Gauge "Consolidation" type locomotive will measure around 10" - 11" over the coupler knuckles, tender included, and weigh in at around a pound.. ( Consolidation type = 2-8-0 wheel arrangement. About the largest size locomotive that HO scale 28" radii can handle without looking toy-like. . . )

  A typical "Sn3" Consolidation, like a "C-16", “C-18” or “C-19” measures around 9.75" over the beams. And it too weighs in at right about a pound. Both models can offer good, reliable operation on a 28" radius curve.

  OK you say, so what’s the big deal? Well sir, a typical HOn3 Consolidation type loco and tender ( Hon3 translates to: HO Scale, Narrow Gauge, 3’-0' between the rails..) measures 7" over the beams.. But only weighs in at .44 of a pound! ( The HOn3 Loco alone weighs only .29 of a pound! ) the HOn3 model gets "spotted", weight-wise, by both the HO Standard Consol and the "Sn3" Consol by over half a pound! Smooth, slow speeds and reliable operation in HO narrow gauge are the possession of very few modelers; Those willing (and able) to re-motor and re-gear their steeds, and who have impeccable trackwork to boot. . .

We call our model kits "Craftsman Kits", although, with the exception of our Kit PBL-R1, the Westside Log Car, they're all comprised of incredibly detailed, injection molded styrene or engineering plastic.

So why the "Craftsman" moniker? Simply because it takes a bit of time and manual dexterity to construct one properly, that's why! With a slogan like "Big enough to see, but small enough to operate," it should be apparent that we are real detail nuts. So we've engineered our model kits to include all of the detailing of the prototype, even scale sized full underbody detailing! Plus, they're produced right here on site, for modelers BY MODELERS to boot !

Y'see, it's really important to us that our own personal models be able to stand up to the brutally critical eye of the camera, regardless of how powerful a lens the thing has on it. So if the appearance of superbly detailed, accurately scaled models turns you on, you win big time with P-B-L model kits because they've got all the luscious detailing of the prototype included in them by design! And yet, they're totally operational at the same time!

Consensus? You CAN have the best of both worlds! It’s really possible! Try an "Sn3" model kit from PBL today, and see for yourself!

And a hearty WELCOME to the World of "Sn3" Modeling from the Guys & Gals at P-B-L!