I need your advice. I will also post this question on the Classic Toy Trains Forum. I am soon moving out of my parents house and into my own place. As part of that process I recently gave away some old HO trains to a thrift shop. I gave away some of them but not all of them. I kept a couple of newer (early 1990’s) train sets. Most of what was given away was broken and everything had the old style couplers on it. I also own some O Gauge Lionel and K-Line trains (Pre-war, Post war and MPC). Those are not going anywhere anytime soon. My question is this. What do you all see as the advantages to modeling HO versus O Gauge? Keep in mind that I have no preference for how realistic the trains look and I am fully aware of the cost of O Gauge over HO. I would like to here people thoughts on why they model HO instead of O Gauge. Thank you for your input.
I like the size of HO trains. For my aging eyes and fingers, N is getting to be too small, although it’s still a terrific option and getting better all the time. HO also has the largest variety of locomotives, rolling stock and buildings, and will generally be cheaper than any of the others due to volume production.
You can also put more railroad into less space with the smaller gauges. Even if are willing to live with the very tight curves of old Lionel track, everything else takes up so much space that you are left with very little room for scenery.
O-gauge does have a big “smile-factor” for me, though. I had a large set when I was younger, and I still really appreciate seeing the O-gauge stuff at train shows. And just in case you’re really looking for a middle ground here, there are some very nice things available now in S-gauge.
Hahahaha. I forgot about S Gauge. I love the photos of old American Flyer train sets being pulled by Alco PA’s. The problem is I just don’t own any S Gauge trains. I don’t really want to start from scratch with a new scale.
If I owned a warehouse and space was not an issue, I’d go with the O-scale, or O27, which Lionel is. If I wanted more realism and options, I’d go with the HO. There are many more products available for HO than O. Also, with a large room, you can model more prototypical long trains with HO. If arthritis or eyesight are issues, I might go with O. Those are the reasons I went with HO over N scale.
O scale limits what you can do scenically. Even if one has a large space to build in, the depth of your benchwork is still limited by your reach so O scale is going to have relatively shallow scenes. The advantage to O scale is that you can not only add so much more detail, that detail is going to be easier to see and appreciate. HO obviously allows for more generous scenery and still is large enough to work with for someone not having a jeweler’s touch. Adding the really fine detail is another matter. To me, the ideal size is S scale. It is the best compromise but unfortunately it seems to be the red headed stepchild of scales so what is offered in it is very limited.
Personally I prefer HO. It’s a good balance between size and cost, and there is an absolute ton of equipment out there, for a good majority of everything you could want. I know O gauge has quite a bit avalible too, but there is definately more in HO.
The other thing I’ve found about O gauge is that it’s large size can sometimes be a disadvantage in the details. With a HO set up, it’s easilly possible to simply “suggest” tiny details, so that the scene can be complete without having to actually put in every little facet. From what I’ve seen at least that can be harder to do in O scale, as everything is so large the little details are usually fairly noticable. Of course, if you really want to model every little detail, then O certainly has it’s advantages. To me O scale often looks kind of toyish and HO seems a little more realistic too, although I have seen some very realistic O scale layouts as well so it’s not impossible to make an O scale layout look great.
Another thing I’d mention to you specifically given your screen name would be the same thing Andrew said. There is quite a bit of AC equipment out there in HO scale, and if you really did want to model that road it would probably be easier in HO scale, especially if you don’t want to have to do much custom painting.
In my opinion, the difference between modeling O or HO gauge is all about space and money. I like O gauge but do not have the space for it if I want a huge model railroad layout. O gauge equipment also costs more. chuck
The choice really depends on what you enjoy more. Also consider that Lionel and other O toy trains are not the same as O scale.
Strengths of Lionel and 3 rail O (compared to HO)
lots of animated accessories available (my favorite part of Lionel)
will go around curves as sharp as HO
stuff stays on the track well out of the box
good for watching multiple trains run continuously
and the weaknesses (can be overcome with additional effort)
significantly less realistic than scale equipment
buildings and scenery tend to be huge unless compressed to caricatures
no kits, nearly everything is RTR or you build from scratch
switching operations are difficult due to coupler manipulation and slow speed running issues
Of course, if you really can’t make up your mind…you can combine the two on the same layout. Since the 3 rail O is fairly whimsical anyway, there’s nothing wrong with adding an HO scale line on the same layout (a solution I’ve used). And if you plan the HO trackage correctly, you can use it to run either HO or On30, depending on your mood.
It really all boils down to your druthers, and what makes the hobby fun for you.
It really depends on what you like better as there is both 3 and 2 rail O gauge of coarse 3 is more common if you look at some of the other track being offered now days in O (3 rail) atlas and gargraves both have 3 rail that has ties like the old HO and as real looking as it is except of coarse you have that 3rd rail but they even make that darken out aso its harder to see. personally I’m a 3 rail O gauge my self with a little 3 rail Standard gauge. I collect all periods of O gauge my self I don’t have any really new but do go up to late 90’s and as far back as 1931 in O and 1927 in Standard gauge well lets take that a little further I do have a cgondola from 1911.
I had HO when I was younger but always liked the O gauge better.
Like Fred W said its really up to you as you can do just as tight curves if not tighter in O as you can HO so space can be the same.
Actually, you can build an On30 “layout” the size of a large place mat - or HOn30 in the space required for a report folder. (Proof? See Tetsudo Mokei Shumi, the Japanese language model rail mag. They have photos and construction articles of microlayouts every month.) How satisfying these would be for a serious operator is ??? Most of them are superdetailed little gems, real craftsmanship showcases.
Lionel O gauge scores big on nostalgia - even I had them once upon a time (and teethed on a box car.) It also scores for being big - as in bulky. It loses out on realism, compatability with O scale and ability to mix and match products from a variety of manufacturers.
Scale HO scores big on availability of product and multiplicity of manufacturers. It is also easier to operate in a truly prototypical manner, and has far more realistic looking track and rolling stock. One place where HO loses points is in space required - very little HO equipment can take a 13.5 inch radius (O27) curve, or even a 15.5 inch (Lionel 0) radius.
Both approaches can be satisfying - but probably not to the same person.
As for me, I choose to model HOj (1:80 scale, about 9% larger than HO) using some toy train cars but op
If I was to start over I would go with on30, Spectrum stuff runs well and if you ever deside to go scale there are conversion kits. Also the space required is less than O and alot of HO can be converted with alittle work to ON30. Alot out there and a whole lot on the way.
Man, this type question has about as many answers as there are poeple to answer it!! In my opinion there is no set answer to this eccept to compare the differences in the scales which seems to be done here. Ones wants from their railroad and what they like is the biggest factor here. I for one, would like to have the space for 3 rail Lionel but I’m going with N scale because I can get more into the space I have. I do model in HO at my club and have rolling stock I run there. Ken
Whoa guys … O guage has some very highly detailed units and addons . What it really boils down to is most O guage guys end up being craftsmen at building their own buildings and items on those long winter nights. The sound equip. sounds 10 times better … I just liqidated all but 2 HO units and am going the big O here. Most O 's have real metal/brass engines and cars with real wood and can be detailed to heck and back . I’m cutting yards of scale lumber in O scale on my bandsaw and can’t wait to get fabricating . It’s not how big a layout is … it’s how well it’s done with real wood not plastic and metal engines and cars like the real deal . Shop for deals and realism … they’re out there .
Even though I am strictly HO, I think the smaller the scale, the greater the several tests of skill for the modeler. N scale will definitely present more challenges to the practitioner than will HO, all things being equal. Yet, the visual appeal, in my opinion, gets better the larger the scale. As one ages, the collective wisdom seems to be that one’s eyes will appreciate the larger details and the greater ease of handling. Even if the were not the case from person-to-person, the added heft seems to favour the larger scales.
I have not seen S scale materials, but the idea appeals to me. Then, again, it means buying into HO to start with, say, and then switching to S scale and its associated expenses, and finally moving on to O scale with the essential losses of much of the previous two investments. What investments, you ask? Well, it had better be countenanced as one from the point of view of one’s partner who could not lay claim to it for their own use. To jump from one scale to another over three decades is a substantial “investment” in real capital if it includes as many as 10 decent locos, rolling stock, all the running materials, and the layout costs.
I hope my eyes will let me keep on using my HO stuff. I like the scale for its relative economy due to the variety of materials that are currently available.
I used to model HO but switched to O scale around 15 years ago. I started in On3 but switched to On30 when Bachmann came out with their excellent line of affordable equipment and haven’t looked back since. You can build an On30 layout in the same space required for HO as the minimum radius of most equipment is 18", however, the broader the radius the better. As far as structures are concerned, you can model smaller prototypes. O scale, due to the size, is easier to work with and the detail is great.
Actually, you can build an On30 “layout” the size of a large place mat - or HOn30 in the space required for a report folder. (Proof? See Tetsudo Mokei Shumi, the Japanese language model rail mag. They have photos and construction articles of microlayouts every month.) How satisfying these would be for a serious operator is ??? Most of them are superdetailed little gems, real craftsmanship showcases.
Lionel O gauge scores big on nostalgia - even I had them once upon a time (and teethed on a box car.) It also scores for being big - as in bulky. It loses out on realism, compatability with O scale and ability to mix and match products from a variety of manufacturers.
Scale HO scores big on availability of product and multiplicity of manufacturers. It is also easier to operate in a truly prototypical manner, and has far more realistic looking track and rolling stock. One place where HO loses points is in space required - very little HO equipment can take a 13.5 inch radius (O27) curve, or even a 15.5 inch (Lionel 0) radius.
Both approaches can be satisfying - but probably not to the same person.
As for me, I choose to model HOj (1:80 scale, about 9% larger than HO) using s
I did watch a lot of Godzilla movies - mostly in the original Japanese - but not until years later. I got that first Lionel 027 set for Christmas at the ripe old age of five months and four days!
Wow, Chuck, I never cease to be amazed at the things I learn on this forum. Never knew until now that you model HOj!!
Anyway, my story is similar to most everyone else’s. My dad had a fairly large O27 set when I was growing up, but lack of realism(though I am certainly not going to be a “rivet counter”) is an issue. Also, as I will be modeling an old fallen flag(Frisco) availability in RTR locos/rolling stock makes HO more attractive. Since I’m 53, I have fixed presbyopia(i.e. have to wear reading glasses all the time or its equivalent: monovision contact lenses)–but the majority of the members of my club are as old or older, so this is nothing that reading glasses, or Optivisors can’t correct when doing detail work; most of the guys in the club model HO.
After having said all of that, I’d model what you want–O guage is fine if you have the space and the money; I don’t have of enough of either to do O, but for the reasons listed above, prefer HO anyway.