Hi, all! I’ll try to keep it as short as possible but I am super new to this and not really sure how to proceed. In short, husband’s been wanting a train around the tree for the last couple years now. This year he mentions he wishes he had kept his from childhood - 1976 or '77 christmas present; ready-to-run Tyco trainset likely from Sears or J.C. Penney; locomotive was red & silver Santa Fe diesel. We had tried a couple relatively cheap Christmas themed trains and they went back to the store. He said he was putting it on the back burner until he could put time into finding the right thing. Well - I found something that is pretty close to his train and in good working order, however there are some things missing. In my research while trying to accomplish this (I’m starting to get hooked on model railroading, can you tell?) I’ve discovered that we may need the following:
Joiner clips - if so, what kind? how many? best place to get them?
Terminal track - anything I should know here?
HO Track - I have a picture in the album linked below of this 4’-ish square that we’d like around the tree (I know I know…the train is HO…but it won’t only be used under the tree and its the right train for this nostalgic project. Plus no kids or animals running around). So…
What radius curves should I get?
Should I just do away with the Life-Like tracks that are included in the eBay lot I purchased? Or can I use them in conjunction with other track?
Any other thoughts or advice or pitfalls to avoid?
What goes under the track?
Our Christmas Tree will have a tree skirt but that’s movable/changeable
The floor is tile, which is cheap, bigbox store, pretty level tile. However there is still the grout between the tile, so…??
Husband mentioned his childhood track “lined up together and there were these clips” but that it went straight on th
[#welcome]to the forum! Your first contributions will be moderated, so please be patient.
Ok, so I looked at the pictures. The clips you refer to are called joiners and you have some on the straight tracks you got in your package. They look fine. You will need some to do a full oval. Go for 18" radius track, code 100 track to be precise. Atlas track is probably the easiest to find. They usually come with joiners.
You have a powerpack, you just need some wire to connect the 12V DC (not the accessories) to the track. You can solder directly to the track, or find a track that is called a terminal track that has two screws to connect the wire to. The power pack might not work…
You can put the track straight on the floor if it’s flat. Better: cut a piece of plywood and place the track on it. But it’s not necessary. Just avoid putting it on carpet.
Finally: that locomotive is quite old… it might not work. If not, it might be up to the future owner to find a replacement. Tycos were designed to run for about one hour (OK, I’m exagerating a bit!), just enough to satisfy a kid before he turns to the next toy. Any DC locomotive in HO scale should work, but modern couplers won’t connect to that rolling stock. Another challenge for the future owner I would say.
Hi Miss A. Welcome to the group, and model railroading, should you stick with it.
The stuff you bought should work fine for a temporary around-the-tree project, but be aware that it is pretty much toy train set quality, not aimed at the more scale model railroad group. The locomotive may not survive much beyond it’s initial task!
If you have a hobby shop that sells model railroad equipment, that would be a good place to go to get some advice and equipment. Poor timing though, with the covid situation.
Your track pieces are yellow brass, long obsolete as they conduct electricity poorly. You would do better with Nickel silver track, Atlas code 100 is popular. It comes in 3 foot sections of “Flex track” easily formed to the desired curve. 18 inch radius is kind of the minimum redius you should try to go with on curves. You’ll have to trim the ends to make the joints meet. The connectors are called rail joiners, and come in a packet.
You may get a number of suggestions for what to apply it to as a base. One suggestion is a 4x4 foot piece of 3/4 plywood or wafer with a smooth surface.
As you project proceeds, you’ll get plenty of advice here, and if you do get into model railroading as a hobby, theres a lot to learn and share. Keep the questions coming. Dan
Edited in: I thought I was making the first reply, Simon beat mt to it,so excuse the repeats! I’ll add this: Don’t put the track on even short carpet or rug, it will create fuzz problems.
[#welcome] to the forum. There is another thread about someone who is having problems with his track coming apart under the force of the train. The foam I suggested might not be available in your part of the world.
My Tyco set dated from the 60’s. The detailing was poor by today’s standards. I still remember my Monon gondola, whose sides must have been a scale 8" thick. I wasn’t attached to that set at all, but did have locos from the 1980’s that I converted to DCC and are keepers.
I hope this starts your husband on a path to a life long hobby.
Flex track requires cutting the track either with a special tool or regular hand tools and then filing the cut area smooth. I love it and that’s all I use but I would not recommend it for this project.
How nostalgic is your husband? Does it have to be old Tyco stuff?
Are you on a tight budget for this project?
I ask because it would make so much more sense to buy newer equipment of higher quality and reliability. That would include a good DC power pack, some Atlas sectional track, and a good Santa Fe Warbonnet locomotive plus some freight cars.
That Life Like track looks exactly like modern Atlas Code 100 track. If so then if you need more joiners they are easy to come by. It’s at least possible that Atlas made the track for Life Like to repackage with their own brand. You can also easily acquire the Code 100 curves you will need
Those hook and horn couplers will work fine with each other but adding any newer cars will likely need at least an adapter car made with that type of coupler on one end and the more modern design on the other. That can wait until you do add rolling stock.
Bachmann still makes trainsets and trains of roughly that quality level as does Walthers if you want to keep adding to the more sentimental style less detailed models. You’ve acquired quite a nice trainset of the type.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned, in place of a terminal track, you can buy terminal joiners. They replace two rail joiners and have a section of wire to attach to your power pack. I think they come in pairs, for something this small one pair should do.
If your track is brass and you don’t want to purchase better until you know this is going to go over alright, get a track cleaning eraser to clean the track before you put it together and fairly often when set up.
There are a lot of knowledgable folks here giving you advice, I’ll leave the rest for you to mull over.
I think everyone has covered everything so far. One thing I would suggest, if this is to be a temporary under the tree layout, is to use roadbed track - track with plastic roadbed attached. It will stay together better for a temporary layout. Otherwise, I hope this is a wonderful present and you all have a great Christmas.
Yep, it seems clear that she has bought it already. That’s why I asked her if she was working on a limited budget. I also wonder if what she bought is enough to build a complete oval or whatever under the tree.
I am also assembling a Tyco train set from my youthful memories… here is what I am doing, and I know a lot of this might not work for you.
Track: I opted for Kato Unitrack and a Kato powerpack. Their HM-1 is the set with everything. This is a very high quality oval of track that will have none of the problems of old train set track or power packs.
This track has the rail joiners and the terminal track built in. The radius are a little larger than traditional train set track, but that is better.
For the locomotive, I bought the good old Tyco Santa Fe #4015 locomotive and the matching Santa Fe caboose.
The locomotive has been retrofitted with a chassis from a different manufacturer for smoother and more reliable operation. This might be beyond what you want to do.
For the freight cars, I have collected the examples that I remember. The Ralston Purina, Heinz 57, Western Maryland Tractor Flat, Santa Fe Piggyback, and Old Dutch Cleanser freight cars.
The train cars that bring back memories for your husband will be different from mine. These five are the only ones that I want. I know I had a lot more Tyco train cars than these, but they are the ones that are meaningful.
I have improved all of the freight cars with body mounted couplers and high quality wheelsets for excellent reliability. Again, this is probably more effort than you need to expend.
Thanks, everyone, for the advice! 1. He’s not too nostalgic- we don’t have to stick with Tyco at all, but what’s in the picture is what I already bought because it’s the core of the set he showed me was like his. So yeah - if I got the wrong thing oh well!! Got it on eBay and it has been tested and seller said runs well on a layout, so we’ll see. Package is not quite yet in hand.
If we’re talking model railroading budgeting, then yes I’m on a tight budget. Lol I’ve been blown away at the prices and the insane layouts people have. Amazing. But I’ve been fascinated by miniatures since a child. Honestly - I would love to not spend more than $50-60 more for this little project.
Thanks for the input and clarification on so many things, all. The good thing is I’m not waiting til Christmas morning to surprise him, hoping it will all magically come together. Heard of some horror stories there. So he’ll be getting it early which will give him more time to play. I just want to go ahead and order or pick up whatever I need to in order to finish it off now. You all have been a great help - I’m sure I’ll have more questions!
This thread makes me remember my original Tyco train set that got me started. Yeah, the old red and silver Santa Fe loco gave it up pretty quickly, and the rest of it’s long gone, but whenever I see a green Tyco Burlington Northern box car on Ebay or somewhere, it takes me right back!
There’s a place for this old nostalgic, not so accurate or detailed train set stuff. sometimes it just makes you smile.
Well, maybe not for me. I grew up with Athearn Blue Box equipment, and so all the old Tyco and LL stuff does not interest me. I do have one old Tyco set I got in a lot, the Johnson Wax promotional set. Freight cars are junked since I have no use for them, the caboose is kinda odd, and the locomotive is essentially the RF-16 Sharknose in ATSF paint…except you have Johnson Wax slapped across the side. The engine runs, but very poorly. Every time I run it it smells like it’s fried, but I kinda like the smell.
The red and silver Santa Fe Tyco loco was my Dad’s, that pulled the passenger train. Mine was the blue and yellow Santa Fe loco - the first train that was truly mine, given to me, not just stuff my parents had that I was allowed to run. The year I got it, I think it would have been 72 or 73, I set it up on the dining room table even though we had the usual train layout set up in the family room like always. I didn’t get to have it there for long - we needed the table for guests. But that was my first moment with a proper scale train set that was all mine.
As you move more into the 70’s, that’s when the Tyco stuff got cheaper and less reliable. Those early 70’s F units we had ran many many miles with no problem. First thing to fail actually were the rubber traction tires - mainly because most of the year they were stored in the attic which got very hot over the Summer. One of the last things we bought in the mid 70’s was the Life Like Teakettle 0-4-0 - that one didn’t last one season, truly one of those “life measured in hours” locos, the side rods fell off and the motor melted. It became a stationary prop.
While the nostalgia is good, I would heed some of the previous advice - the roadbed track (which is the track that comes mounted to palstic ‘roadbed’) will be much more reliable, not only are there the metal joiners ont he rails, but there are also clips ont he palstic part of most of it which holds it together so that just running the train around won’t make the track come part. And it keeps the train slightly up off the floor - even with a tile floor and not carpet, the loco will want to suck in every little spec of dust. Kato is the best, but expensive. Atlas and Bachmann both make the same sort of thing. With the basically 4x4 area, you will need to use 18" radius curves. You’ll be able to have one straight piece of track on each of the 4 sides, that’s about it. You’ll need 12 curved pieces for the full c
One feature of the Atlas True Track is the track is separate from the base ballast moulded part. This means you can use the track itself later for a more accurate style of model railroad if you wish to proceed. It can be a seductive process and the required budget can increase at an alarming rate.
If the vendor is correct, it sounds like you only need a bit of track to get going. A loop of 18" radius track, with a terminal track (or joiners with feeder wires), is the only thing missing. You budget should cover that no problem. If I were you, I would check the power pack and the loco. You don’t need a lot of track for that. It would be a disapointment if you found out that it did not work on the big day… I say aim for something that is functional, and let the hubby go from there in terms of buying locos and track. It’s all part of the fun, actually…
Keven showed KATO track which is a good idea for around a tree. Reason being it has a plastic base that elevates the track up off of any carpet etc. This is good if the track is on the floor, carpet or no, because it helps prevent fuzz or animal hair etc from getting into the wheels and especially the motor.
One thing about KATO Unitrack is it comes in a wide variety of curves, from sharp curves to broader or gentle curves. If you really want a circle and not a rectangle, you can get larger curves such as 24" radius, or 26 or even 28. Many hobby shops and online model train dealers carry it. It is a little more expensive that Tyco, but it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg for a circle of it.
