Hello,
I am new to this forum and a possible convert from O gauge model railroading.
I will only buy trains with the new electronics systems. Who has the best system in command control in HO?
I will be building with nickel-silver track. Should I buy track with or without roadbed and who do you suggest for the manufactuer?
Finaly, who makes the most reliable, detailed engines and cars? I like scale model railroading.
Thanks for the help!
Welcome to the forum.You ask commonly asked questions so besides what you get in response here I’ll also encourage searching the forum via Search the Community on the right or (often more on target) google search starting with “site: cs.trains”…(subject).
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/p/242450/2699475.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/185877/2057962.aspx
or this current one:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/220143.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/240282/2680086.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/216084.aspx
l’ll encourage seeking out related threads as there is a wealth of info there. You can mark them as forum “Favorites” by clicking the bubble near the title of the thread, then find them as your forum favorites on the right (by your name).
For me, in HO, I chose an NCE DCC system, Atlas code 83 flex track and Walthers-Shinohara (wide variety) turnouts (on cork roadbed, cookie-cutter plywood sub-roadbed). Plus locos of Athearn Genesis, Broadway Limited, prior Kato and LifeLike Proto 2000, and some Bachmann. Atlas gets good marks but I have none (yet). On rolling stock, pre-built Walthers streamline and MOW passenger cars and old Athearn heavyweights (which I’ve re-done). For freight cars, my preference is kits, such as Accurail, Bowser, Tichy, old Athearn blue box, etc.
Good luck, enjoy (and read lots of threads to get a broad perspective).
And try the Local Hobby Shops, train shows and club visits to get more insight.
The “Best” of anything is a pretty subjective subject. I know that NCE has a big following and seems to be popular. I have a Digitrax Zephyr system and have been very happy with it. I used Atlas Code 100 flex track and mostly Atlas switches. I will say that there are better Switch Machines than Atlas. I have locos from Atlas, Stewart, Bachmann, Life Like Proto 2000, MDC Roundhouse, Rivarossi, older Athearn Blue Box and Broadway Limited Imports. I like all of them and all can have their problems.
People do have their chosen facorites and you will hear from them. If someone bad mouths one manufacturer their opinion is likely based on a bad experience. With locomotives, it’s mostly about finding what it is you want. I like to build kits so my choice in rolling stock reflects this preference.
There aren’t many truly bad products out there for a couple very good reasons. For one thing, most of us believe in the old saw: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me”. Manufacturers know we talk with one another, and they know it’s not a good idea to sell us something that reflects poorly on them. For another thing, a lot of manufacturers are modelers themselves, and they know what qualities a good model needs to have. There are many good manufacturers out there, so it would be misleading to name just one.
For control systems, most modelers tend to go with whatever system is most popular in their own home area. That way, they can help each other handle the occasional problem or question.
For a start, I would avoid railroad cars and locomotives that have talgo couplers (i.e., mounted so that they swivel with the trucks). Avoid equipment that has excessively deep flanges. These are hallmarks of very inexpensive “train set” items that are of poor quality. Stick with Kadee couplers, or at least couplers that are Kadee compatible.
I hope there is a local hobby shop (LHS) nearby, where you can get good guidance and advice in response to your specific questions. If not, you’ll find a lot of folks on the forum who will be glad to lend an ear. The LHS is also a good place to meet other modelers and develop new friendships.
Welcome.
Tom
TrainHead,
First, let me say [#welcome].
Second, command control, system itself, you will want one of the top two brands, NCE or Digitrax. Both have very good starter sets that are expandable as your layout progresses. Motor control decoders, with sound most like TCS and ESU. Basic motor only add in NCE, and Digitrax. Tsunami’s (Soundtraxx) have very good steam sound, but lack some of the finer motor control. QSI also is pretty decent for sound decoders, but falls behind the TCS and ESU in motor control.
One caution- unless you will only buy MTH products, only run MTH locomotives, and never buy anything made by any other brand for locomotives, do not buy MTH’s DCS system. More on that below…
Track brands, ME (Micro Engineering), Peco, Atlas and Walthers/Shinohara. Most prefer flex track, where the roadbed is seperate, as it allows more flexability in track plan. You are not restricted to only what sectional pieces are made by a certain manufacturer. ME flex is more detailed, but is stiffer than Atlas flex. The others fall in between.
Highest detailed motive power, falls to Atlas Master series, Kato, Intermountain, Bowser Executive line, Athearn Genisis line, BroadwayLimitedImports (BLI), and possibly a few others are the favorites. Bachmann Spectrum, and Walthers Proto are also quite detailed. Bachmann Standard line is less detailed, as is Atlas Trainman line, Walthers Trainline, Athearn RTR (ReadyToRun). But, they are a little cheaper in cost.
With you being former O gauge, I will caution, though MTH maybe a known brand for you, they leave something to be desired in HO Scale. Their locomotives do have good detailing, but their DCS system, and locomotives, are designed to run at a higher voltage than any other brand in HO scale. This means you can not get full control capability unless you buy their DCS system, as MTH has not become fully NMRA
So much on my mind now that I have a few years and have built three layouts.
First, unless you have deep pockets, learn to use the flextrack type of track, with the ties in place. One or both rails slides in the tiny spikehead details so that you can craft nice artful curves with any radius you need or want. The sectional track with the fake grey plastic ballast is costly, and you’re stuck with the few different curvature radii that they offer.
Secondly, try hard in your planning to find a way to have curve radii no less than about 24" if you can. If you will be operating steam with longer 85’ passenger cars, 24" won’t be enough; you’ll need about 26-28" carefully laid to get reliable running.
This brings to mind an important consideration: what era will you be running? All modern diesel, some earlier diesel, some steam…some brass steam with four or more driver axles? If so, consider the future. Laying nice 24" curves now won’t help you a bit when you get a Northern type steamer, or a string of lovely 85’ smooth side passenger cars with diaphragms between them headed by an early diesel set.
I would start small with a shifting/switching layout that has a mix of track and turnouts to learn how to play with flex track and how to figure out which turnouts work best for what you want to do on your layout.
Turnouts: Walthers/Shinohara, Peco Code 83, Atlas Customline, and Micro Engineering all make decent turnouts. Some are designed to work ‘better’ with DCC operations. The frogs are isolated and dead. Look for “power routing”, which I know the Pecos are.
Or, as soon as you can stomach it, make your own. Many videos on line showing how to craft excellent turnouts. Sounds complicated, but if I can do it, so can you. I had to learn everything electrical, soldering, even how to use needle files. It’s not pretty, but I still use
[#welcome]
My first comment may sound a bit snarky, but it is not intended that way. Are you building this new RR for you or for me?
In answer to each of your questions, every person in here has a favorite and an opinion about which is best. NO ONE in here knows what YOU would think is the best, or your favorite.
MY railroad is made mostly, but not entirely, of Atlas Code 100 Flex track and Tortoise swtch machines. It is controlled by Digitrax Super Chief and JMRI.
That said, your questions are like asking who makes the best pickup truck, Ford or Chevrolet?
Trainhead … Welcome to the forum!
Some suggestions.
Read Model Railroader’s project layout series and see how a whole layout is built. Every winter, MR, publishes another project layout. Note: The project layouts are never huge empires. Instead they are a managable size.
Don’t try to do too much at a time.
Buy quality. Not quantity.
Track must be installed properly to prevent derailments. Read articles about how to do it right.
… Layout design. If you want a big layout, you will need a lot of time for a lot of years. It is good to build one section of a layout at a time so you can operate trains on completed sections while you build new sections.
… Track plans … There are numeorus publications of track plans, and it would be good to look at them.
… Minimum radius… Small radius curves limit the trains you can operate. Long cars and long locomotives don’t look right on tight radius curves and they will easily derail.
… Use flex track, and make sure it makes a transition between straight track and curved track… Again, do some research about how this is done.
Dodge, clearly.
I have to jump onboard with Phoebe Vet. Your layout has to please you, and no one else. “Best” is a qualitative term of superiority which doesn’t apply to a hobby in which individual taste, skill, and preference play such a huge role.
You will be best served by doing some research and understanding a few relationships. For locomotives and rolling stock, generally, the more younpay, the more detail and performance you get. Some companies make cars and locos with different paint schemes, but which are generic models that really represent no one prototype well. Others make exacting, prototype specific models, but they’re generally much more expensive. Do you even care? I’m not very picky, but you might be. I also run some real garbage just to flesh out my roster. Will I replace these someday? Probably, if I get around to it.
Track is all about tradeoffs. Cost vs. Convenience. Roadbed track is expensive and limited in geometry, but is virtually fool proof. Flex track is somewhat fiddly to lay, but unlimited in potential. Sectional track without the roadbed is in the middle, and probably the cheapest option, all things considered. Hand-laying looks amazing, and is even less limited than flextrack, but it’s way too fiddly for my taste. I use Walthers Shinohara Code 83 turnouts with Microengineering Code 83 flextrack.
Trainhead
First let me say welcome to the hobby and to invite you to Jeffries track side diner, you will see the post listed here every day. Come on in and have a cup of joe in your favorite RR mug. I would encourage you to do some research and learn more about your likes and dislikes first. Everyone has an opinion based on their skill levels, expierence, likes and dislikes. The opinions listed to the post will be all over the place.
Second I would strongly encourage you to join NMRA - National model railroad association. There you can get plugged into a group and visit other layouts, learn by working with others and you will learn more about your self and what you like and dislike with out spending the money in doing so.
Good luck and welcome to MRR.
YGW
Who has the best DCC system? That’s like asking which is the best flavor of ice cream. Everyone will have their own preferences. Each system has its own pluses and minuses. All the systems use the same standards. The biggest questions you need to answer first are
How big a layout do you plan.
How many locos will it need to accomodate.
Do you want wireless control.
Most of the major systems offer some sort of wireless option. The number of locos is important because even when idling they draw some current and if you get a large fleet, you might need add-on boosters as I discovered. If you have a large layout, you might want to create seperate zones as well.
I didn’t so much choose as I migrated to the system I use now which is a Lenz. I began with a very basic Atlas system and since the Atlas system was made by Lenz, I just stayed with them when I upgraded. I use CVP wireless throttles and auto-reverser because they have a line compatable with Lenz. I’ve been happy with the combination. I really can’t compare it to some of the other popular lines such as NCE, Digitrax, MRC, etc. They are all popular so I am guessing they are good products and will have options to suit your needs.