I may go to ho (Help!!)

Hey guys Do any HO models generate smoke or sound? Im may switch overe to HO Is it worth It?? I mean, I am getting the lionel acela so should i stick to lionel? I also have other great trains though what do you guys think??

you bet ya all these days have sound, and soem steam locos have smoke, Ho in my opion is the best scale, not to large not too small.

do the diesels smoke?? How much is a great locomotive?

i do not think anybody makes any diesels that smoke

I dunnnnoooo, I thought I heard about one that smokes. It was a Bachmann or something. Don’t take what I said to heart, because I am unsure.

uspscsx

Smoke in HO is a useless gimmick, the best you’l get is a weak puff of smoke, the smoke dirties up the track and makes your locomotives run spotty. If your into gimmicks and roundie round running I recommend sticking with 3-rail O.

[:0] You mean Horribly Oversized [;)] Yuk, yuk, yuk [(-D][(-D]

I would base my reason for a scale change on more then if they smoke, I know one of my N scale engines smoked once.

[(-D]

uspscsx

doesnt even matter Im 11 soshould i go to ho even turning behind of what i have?

If an HO diesel ever “smokes”, it’s usually a bad thing…

Tom

You can add a smoke unit to some HO scale locomotives, but everyone who has used them advises against it. The smoke fluid is oily and leaves a dirty film on everything, including track and wheels, which causes all kinds of problems. Don’t do it. Stick with Lionel if you only want smoke.

Monto3, I was about your age when I switched from Lionel O-guage to HO’s. I’ve enjoyed my HO’s a lot more. It is, as you may have gathered from reading some of the earlier posts, a more “serious” guage. I personally think you can get a lot more railroad into the same space, and the prices are better (although no model railroad prices would be considered “good” anymore.) HO has the most equipment available for sale. On the other hand, you should at least take a serious look at N-guage. That scale is growing rapidly, because you can get even more railroad into that space.

Before you decide, look around and find a train show to go to. If you google for Train Show Massachusetts, you will get a lot of information. Most shows have a variety of guages and a number of operating layouts, so you can compare a number of options all under 1 roof.

One thing though: Do not, under any circumstances, sell those Lionels. Wrap them up carefully and put them in boxes. Store them somewhere safe. They are durable, and 47 years from now, when you’re my age, you will still have them. I sure wish I had mine. Even if I only put them up around the tree at Christmas, they would be worth it.

I really love Lionel O gauge 3-rail. That is what I had when I was young… I loved it then and I love it now. If I had the space (and the money) that is what I would model right now. It may not be as good for “serious modelers” (though Big_Boy_4005 might give you an argument there), but I love the size of the equipment and the range of operating accessories available.

As you can probably guess, my favorite part of model railroading is PLAYING with my trains. If you are happy with your Lionel trains, I don’t see any reason to switch. I will admit that HO equipment is more realistic, much less expensive, and you can get a lot more in a small space. But I’d switch to O in a minute if I had the space and money.

[:)]

how much does it cost for a great locomotive and frieght and passenger. I really wanna know the price. I already have one ho set with a good amount of track. I think i may switch but every once in awile I’ll go back to lionel

Great locomotive?
well, if you want a high grade loco, you are looking at $100+
Great loco means a lot of things
A reasonable loco is in the $100 range, but if you are not to big on details etc, you could always go for cheaper brands like Athearn. I personally like to stay in the $50 to $100 range, but i have splurged once.
Good frieght cars are in the 10 to 20 range, passenger usually a bit higher than freight.

What has to be understood is there is a difference of emphasis between HO and Lionel. Lionel is more for play, which is great, and HO is more about mimicking the practices of real railroads etc., which is also great.

If you start using your smoke units you will loose the value of the engines if you go and sell them in the future for some reason. But H.O. is the scale to go. You can have a lot of track and detail in the area. Also alot of items in the scale also. Kevin

Tom
YAHHHH you got that right,meaning smoked engine[:p][:D][:D][:0]
JIM

What company do you suggest in buying from.

Given the “fascia” pronunciation thread is that a wise topic title?

H0… not HO is “half naught” gauge… following from “0/naught Gauge”… which as 1/4" = 1’ was (theoretically)the step dwn from Gauge 1 - 3/8" = 1’ (1/32)… but the English model trade went to the German model makers somewhere around 1900 and said “7mm is close to 1/4”… so we got 1;43… which wandered off from your (correct) (well, more correct until you put it on 32mm gauge track…) 0 Scale - 1/48. Someone then rounded H0 up to 4mm = 1’ to give us 00…still on 16.5 track… so somone else went to 18 (18.5?)mm EM - "Eighteen Millimetre)… next step was P4 18.85 (HOW do you measure 0.03mm in your toy train shed?)… which they tried to copyright so someone else did the same thing as S4… and all along the 3/16 guys stayed as 1/64 S Gauge. 2mm started as half of 00… they’ve even gone “finescale” in that. Oh, yeah… and there was TT…3mm=1’… “Table Top”…
above Gauge 1… which got adjusted to 10mm= 1’… there WAS Gauge 2…

Now there’s a load of information for you…

I just want to know company you suggest