Model Railroading > N scale and HOn2 1/2 flange depths

OK, a geeky thread title, but it's the best I could come up with. 

A few years back, one of the major manufacturers released some very nice, almost scale N scale flex track. I don't model in N scale, but I do make dioramas in N, and this stuff looked great. I bought a dozen or so pieces. 

I never did see if any turnouts were made to match the flex track, and I assume that sales were not good, since I haven't seen the stuff for sale in a while. 

This week, though, I made a cool discovery. Turn this track upside down, and take out every other tie with a sharp exacto blade, and you have very realistic looking narrow gauge industrial track. It is really gorgeous. If you've ever been around mine trackage, or similar industrial operations, you'll know that the tie spacing is different, industrial track isn't simply scaled down mainline track. 

So now I have some lengths of the best industrial narrow gauge  track I've ever seen. But can I get anything to run on it?  The HOn21/2 equipment that used to be marketed by AHM had grossly oversized flanges that would never work on this thin, thin rail. Maybe I could use a more modern N scale mechanism and mount a shell on it?

any suggestions?  I'd love to make a simple loop for a clay pit or dimension stone quarry. 

Bemo and Roco make "HOe" trackwork, including switches. This is essentially N gauge track but with HO ties and tie spacing. I believe Reynauld's carries both in the US, but I believe their current business model is to special order everything ordered, so it's going to take a while for it to be shipped from the EU to them, and then from them to you. Might be easier to find an EU seller and order direct.

Good luck!

Arved Grass
Fleming Island, FL

Peco makes a line of OO9 track that is the same gauge as N scale or HOn2 1/2.   They have both flex track with both "irregular" and "mainline" tie spacing.   They also have turnouts with both 12 radius and 18 inch radius.    Walthers does generally stock the PECO track.

I've always found it bothersome that the flanges are often larger for these narrow gauge models than for regular HO.    There is quite a bit of equipment available in either HOe or OO9.   Like OO scale models the OO9 is to 1:76 scale rather than 1:87, but they use HO track.    
Ready to run equipment can be found from Roco, Liliput, BEMO, Tillig.   There are lots of kits that will use an N scale mechanism.   Dundas Models in England is a big supplier or narrow gauge items like this.   On their web page they have several small suppliers of kits.   

 

I actually bought some Dundas side-tip wagons on a recent trip to the UK.  That, and the discovery that chopped up N scale track looks great in HO, is what got me thinking about a small mine RR operation for my layout.  The Dundas wheel flanges are too deep for the track I'm using. So I have to find something else. 

> that chopped up N scale track looks great in HO,
> is what got me thinking about a small mine RR
> operation for my layout.  The Dundas wheel
> flanges are too deep for the track I'm using.

I haven't looked, but aren't wheelsets available gauged to N scale?