Hi All I was presented with a blast from the past today.
While searching through the Model train listings on E-bay I came across a listing for a Micro Machines Train set. I used to have one when they first came out. I think their approxamate Scale was close to Z and their detail was OK.
I was wondering how many of you had them and could they be used effectivly in Model Railroading some how, (Maybe in modeling the city have the enterchange road duck behind the hill and then show a micro machines trains yard over the hill to force perspective perhpas??)
Also do you think it would just be fun to do a MM Trains Layout. Has anyone done so??
What are your thoughts.
Yes, I have them. They weren’t around long enough to really collect enough to do a good layout with (maybe on the market for 9 months?). Actually the detail is pretty bad, and as I recall they all run on two axles reguardless of what the molded on outside truck was. I had a California Zephyr, a couple freight trains, and a steam loco switcher.
On the other hand go back another 3-5 years and “Hot Wheels” Railroads were really cool. I do have enough of them to make a layout with. Turntable and all.
They are both entirely too crude to be used for anything on an normal layout other than maybe an amusement park ride, or children’s park static display.
Thanks for your input I decidd that if I went that rout I would have to redetail them anyway. The coupler spacing on them is larger than it is for HO.
Would you say that the Micro Machines Trains are about Z scale ish?
James
I used to have the Micro Machine Trains, as well as the older Hot Wheels trains that were based off of a specific prototype, unlike the more recently released Hot Wheels Train. I wouldn’t really reccomend the use of these on a layout, except for maybe a city park display train or something.
They were fun toys though.[8D]
I remember those… I had an Rio Grande passenger set. Once in a while I find some of the passenger cars or the F7 locomotive and some pieces of grey tracks. They get lost as things are moved around in my house. As Texas Zepher said, all the cars and the loco have only two axles and the truck were all the same for the set. The paint scheme was not that bad if I remember correctly.
Thanks, I figured I would rebuild them to fit conventional looking track.
What I would do beyonjd that I havn’t figured out yet. New paint jobs would be in order though.
James
I had one of those - mine was the set with a blue F-unit, baggage, two Superliner-esque cars and an observation car. My brother had the TGV and the deluxe set with the “steam sound” boxcar. I’d say they were smaller than Z personally - they went walkabout years ago but I’m pretty sure the F unit was smaller than my Marklin Z scale 0-6-0 switcher!
I still have the four sets I owned: two steam freights and two diesel passenger trains. The big problem you will have, as I did (and still do) is that any train over a couple of cars long will pull off the track on curves. Maybe I shouldn’t have run “mixed trains” of freight cars and the California Zephyr tacked on the back, but it worked well until it hit the curves. Then, everything stopped. They were fun then, and still now. I keep some toys on my desk so that if I get bored from studying in law school I can pu***hem around for a minute and take a break!
I remember the Micro machines trains but never owned any. Although my micromachines motorcycles and figures are dead on for HO and I have some of them.
Years ago Hotwheels introduced some trains too as a complement to their HotWheels City playsets. They too were unpowered and looked to be roughly twice the size of N Scale. I had some of thsoe with my Hotwheels city stuff and really liked them.
Im thinking I might pick some up still. What I will do with them I havn’t figured out yet.
James