Hello. My name is Ken and I live in Southern Oregon. I am 31 and have always been into trains. I did my senior research paper on trains back in high school. blah blah blah. I have always wanted to give the hobby of model trains a try. When I was a kid I had the run-of-the-mill ho setup. It was fun for a while but really did not have the room to expand past a 6 foot figure 8.
I was talking to a friend of mine and he was telling me about his train collection. That got me thinking that now is the time for me to give it a shot. I am currently getting out of the saltwater fish hobby so I will have have some extra dough.
I am still not sure what size I want to run. I know that I don’t want to run the small HO stuff. What is a common size to run? it looks like O scale. does that sound right. I like the little larger stuff, but not the size you can ride on. ALA Ricky from Silver Soons. I will try to keep all my questions on this page to not bog down the site will tons of little questions threads.
I look forward to chatting with ya’ll. Also can anybody recomend a good magazine that deals with this hobby. Oh, also what is a garden train. I have seen this term used. thanks
Firstly, welcome to the hobby and to the site. To answer a few of your questions:
O-Gauge is usually referred to 3-rail O. O-Scale is usually referred to 2-rail. I only mention this as sometimes, you can have issues with what you run and when you are talking to others, that they know too (ie: if you wanted to buy engines, rolling stock, you don’t want to get the wrong one).
As to magazines, there are a few. Classic Toy Trains, the owners of this site, deals mostly with O gauge and S gauge trains. O-Gauge Railroading, another magazine who has a web site they host. And several “Scale” magazines. For the time, I would suggest getting current issues of each and read them, gather information and see what you like best. I personally subscribe to CTT, OGR, Model Railroader- A magazine also from Kalmback (owners of CTT and others). While MR does cater to HO and N more than O, they have some great tips on scenery and operations.
Garden Railroading is usually referred to G-gauge trains ( one size larger than O). They are Direct Current which is good for outdoor use. They also have their own magazine and web forum. Many folks here have both O and G at their houses.
With regard to your questions, feel free to ask. For expediency, I would suggest doing a search of this forum using the search tool as you would get most questions answered within minutes verses having to wait on a reply. You will also get a feel for those who know what they are talking about and those who like to blow smoke. Fortunately, we have few of the latter here.
The track space needed for H.O. and O gauge is very close to the same due to curve sizes, however cost of new trains and locomotives is usually less in H.O. Also H.O. has more companies that make products, IHC H.O. has some issues with wheel sets and derailments.
One of the better companies in O gauge is Williams Trains, don’t have all the electronics like command control. Command control (TMCC or DCS/PS2)can be added later. Another company if you like more toy looking trains ir Ready Made Toys, less expensive than other companies but no whistles or bells.
Then there is the track to be considered, what brand to use? I can think of at least five differant brands or types of track in O gauge and most are not the same as far as connectors go. Lionel; Fastrac, tubular O gauge track. Atlas O gauge, solid tubular style track. MTH; Realtrax, tubular O gauge track. Gargraves tubular track, differant than other track except for Ross switches. Williams trains, tubular O gauge track. I named one track style tubular O gauge so that you know it will go together with other companies track. Will not comment on what track is best as you need to decide what track is best for you.
thanks for the replies. as I can see I have tons of reading before I break out the check book. The one thing I can see that I am going to have probles with is the size. Is there any real difference between O-Scale and O-gage besides one is a 2 track and the other is a 3 track. Is one more popular than the other?
Personaly I prefer O gauge ( 3rail).From what I know 2 rail requires larger radius turns. From my experience I would say almost every hobby shop that caries trains has some 3 rail(Lionel,MTH, Atlas,Williams) . There seems to be a larger supply of used trains ( hobby shops that cater more to trains and train shows)and spare parts. I also beleive there is more play value in 3 rail. I would also say they are more kid friendly. Do your research and ask plenty of questions, I know there are a lot of people on this forum that would be more than glad to help.
Mike’s Train House is a manufacturer of Lionel-style toy trains. Standard gauge is 2 1/8 inches, called “wide gauge” by manufacturers other than Lionel. Oxx is a measure of track curvature, being approximately the diameter in inches of a complete circle of track, measured to the outside ends of the ties, or, in some newer types, to the center rail. O27 and O31 also refer, confusingly, to the styles of tubular track which originally used those curvatures.
gopens, welcome to the forum! Dont worry asking all the questions you want. Ive been doing that for over a year and they havent kicked me off yet [(-D] I think O gauge is the best of them all. I also started in Ho and N sclaes. They were nice but I always wanted a Lionel. Hope to see you posting often!
Buckeye, I cant believe with a name like that you forgot: TBDBITL
Don’t forget there is always American Flyer S gauge!!! Sorry, I am a diehard! Easier to handle than HO, and more compact than O. Not too big not too small, just right[swg]
thanks for the replies. I am only gone for a few hours and there is enough replies to make me feel famous. OK here is another silly question. what years are post war because i would think that even something made in 2008 would be post war. And I assume post war is WW2 correct. i can’t believe i have been struck with this bug so bad. I don’t have a single thing in trains at all and I already bid 600.00 bucks on an engine (i lost it of course). well I am sure I will have tons more questions. Oh and I decided to go with O-Gauge. i have seen tons of used track on eBay. Is there any brands I need to stay away from or are they all about the same. thanks again.
Don’t listen to Chief re Yankees (post below). Some of the Yankees are very fine baseball players and are a credit to their profession. Chief is a closet Boston Red Sox fan, hence the Red Sox shirt in his signature.
I wouldn’t worry quite yet about bidding on an engine. Here are a few suggesstions that are pretty much a good way to get started, depending on where you are located.
Any local hobby shops. Browse, look, ask questions. If they are a good shop they shouldn’t mind taking some time to work with a potentially new customer.
Any clubs, etc. in the vicinity. Good place to learn about the hobby.
More than likely at some time or another you will run into a brand loyalist. They tend to make life difficult for those who could care less who makes the toys we just like to buy and run what strikes our fancy. All makers will have some klinkers no matter what.
Read as much as you can, decide on what you want ( steam, diesel, freight, passenger), and go for it.
The only stupid question is the one you never ask.
And the most important thing is to enjoy and have fun.
Take a trip to your local library - they should have some toy train books there. Just grab what they have and start reading. It will be a good intro to the basics - engines, rolling stock, types of track, track plans, accessories, benchwork, scenery, etc. I found a few that I particulary liked and kept renewing them. Also check out http://www.thortrains.net/ - a lot of good info there.
To learn about what years items were manufactured, different variations, etc, I bought the Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains 1945-1969 (postwar era) by David Doyle - I got mine on clearance from B&N for $8. There are books that cover other eras also (as well as books by other authors).
Regarding bidding on Ebay, it’s easy to get excited about items when you’re starting out, but start by just watching them. Then you can look in your watched items to see what they are selling for. Common items come up all the time. Also before you bid buy Greenberg’s 2008 pocket price guide to get an idea of what the price ranges should be. Don’t forget to factor in shipping charges in the total amount you are willing to spend. A lot of stuff on Ebay sells for way too much money. Be patient and eventually you’ll get the item you want for a fair price.
I have used O-27 tubular, FasTrack, and now Atlas 21st Century track. I love the look of the Atlas, and conductivity is awesome. The fact that the three rails are isolated (the two outer rails are not connected electricly), makes it very easy to create isolated blocks for accessory activation and signalling. I don’t know if I did something wrong, or if it is a defect, but one of my O-45 switches just broke (one of the outer rails inside the Y snapped off the ties). I haven’t had time to test it to see if the continuity is there, so I don’t know if I have to order a new one. Just caused me to pause and wonder about how fragile the switches are… no problems with the O-54 switches I have.