My Father recently passed away, just before he passed away he gave me his model trains I got 200 plus cars & Locomotives, Power packs, sound system, and DCC unit but no track. I am in the process of drawing a layout and pricing what I will need to do a layout similar to what he had (20 X 30). When I started looking at track (HO scale) it has different codes 83, 100 not sure what the difference is or what I need. Any help on the different codes mean would be greatly appreciated!!! Also any tips for a new railroader. I am trying to get my 2 sons in on it also ages 13 & 10.
It means the height of the rail. Code 100 is a100th of and inch which is the tallest rail. Then their is code 83, 70, 55 and so forth. If you are starting your first layout you might want to use the code 100 or code 83 or a combination of the 2. (Most mainline rail is heavy rail like code 100 and the sidings are code 83 for rail not used as much as mainline rail. If you use code 70 or 55 you will have to check the flanges of your wheels and replace them if they are too tall. Some manufacturers make wheel flanges that are oversize and if you use a small rail height then derailments become pretty common place if the larger wheel flanges are on any of the rolling stock.
Tips? I would also like to suggest that before you start, check out and read some books before beginning your layout. www.kalmbach.com has a lot of how to books that aren’t too terribly expensive. If i were you, i’d get books on 1. BENCHWORK, 2. TRACKWORK, 3. BASIC WIRING and DCC WIRING, and then finally SCENERY. you’ll have to build the layout in that order.
I’ve been in the hobby since 1977 and had to learn the tricks of the trade the hard way because i didn’t start out reading the “how to” books. A lot of people get frustrated with their first layout because they didn’t read up on some of the techniques of this hobby and the next thing they know their selling everything on Ebay. You’re working with small parts and doing it right the first time especially the trackwork and wiring is essential to a great running model railroad…chuck
Well almost, I presume that is a typo. A code is a 1000th of an inch, so code 100 rail is going to be 100/1000ths, or 1/10th, of an inch tall. Code 50 would be 50/1000ths or 1/20th of an inch.
In HO Code 100 would represent really heavy rail in real life, Code 83 is closer to modern heavy rail, Code 75 would be heavy rail and code 70 would represent normal rail for most of the rest of the 20th century. Code 55 would be light rail for industrial track.
Well don’t over plan. Some people get so worried about making “mistakes” they never get to do the fun stuff. I think making mistakes and trying again is part of the fun. On the other hand don’t just jump in with zero planning. Go to the library and just look for some books on trains/railroads in general (not model trains) compare them to the trains you have inherited and see if they seem to match a time period or part of the country. Build off of that foundation. Look around for exhibits or clubs to go and visit to get ideas from.
I personally like to just tack/tape track down on a board to try out different arrangements by actually running trains on them before I commit them to a permanent situation. It is amazing how something that looks good on paper can be a total dog in real life.
“Code” is the height of the rail, from flange to web, in 1/1000ths of an inch. Code 100 rail is 100/1000’s or 1/10th inch high. Code 83 is 83/1000 inch high and so on.
Code 100 used to be standard for HO, and is still very popular. It is a little over scale. You can paint the bright shiny rail rust colored it looks a good deal smaller and closer to scale. To my eye code 100 track painted looks better than shiny code 83 right out of the box. Code 83 is closer to the right size and has also become very popular. Right now the track companies charge a little bit more money for code 83 track than they do for code 100 track. You can join code 83 and code 100 with a shim in the rail joiner and perhaps a bit of solder, so you can mix both track sizes pretty freely.
Your sons will be more interested in running trains than watching/helping Dad build the layout. I’d recommend building in stages, plan the first stage small and quickly built so as to move onto operations as soon as possible. 20 by 30 feet is a huge layout and may well require more time to get running than you can give it. I’d plan starting something smaller that can be expanded in the future as your time permits. 10 and 13 are the prime ages for model trains. Five years from now things like cars and girls and computer games will compete for their attention, so you really want to get something running in the very near future.
If i had to recommend a track, i would use code 83 and 100 Atlas all the way. It looks pretty good out of the box, and the turnouts will almost never fail you.
[#welcome] To the hobby! Sounds like some of the most expensive things are already in your hands. Good deal. Next big expense will be structures. Luckily the track is not that expensive per se but it will add up.
I agree with what everyone has said at least to a certain degree. Don’t rush too fast into building the RR. Spend some time figuring out what you want. It will save you from changing things later because you want something you didn’t plan for. Here’s a website to check out http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html Read and heed. Yes get the books that CW suggested. I didn’t and it was not a nightmare, and it worked out fine, but it would have been easier.
Figure out if you want to model a real railroad or make your own up, or a combination of both. All are fine, but you should go into it knowing somewhat where you are going. It would be easier to start modeling a real road and if you change your mind, you could head in your own direction than it would be the other way around.
Spend the money on turnouts. Atlas are fine. Very reliable and function very well for years. But try, if you can to stay away from the smaller switches. Not because they don’t work but because they may, I say may because some don’t have problems, cause you problems with the larger cars and locos when you get to running them. Don’t scrimp there and don’t scrimp on trackwork, don’t rush it and definately don’t “good enough it” That will cause you the most headache later on.
Most cars, I should say wheels, don’t have trouble with code 83. The oldr ones may have a slight lifting problem as they go though trunouts and crossovers and the like but you will probably end up changing wheels to newer ones if they are that old sometime anyway. Many people do. All in all they are not that expensi
Another big [#welcome] to another newcomer. You cannot go wrong following the suggestions listed above. A great place for locating information is the “Search Community” located on the upper right side of each page. Just type in a few key words relative to what you are looking for and enter. If that fails, there is ALWAYS someone here that can help you out.
Just a couple of further hints.
1) Don’t rush.
2) When you lay your cork roadbed, there are a number of ways to secure it. Just make sure to weight it down until dry, (24 to 48 Hrs.) and then sand it to smooth out any dips, humps and bumps BEFORE you lay down the track and when you lay the track, weight it down to secure it as well.
3) When you are ready to paint your track, be sure to wipe the paint off the top of the track right away and also along the inside edge of the rail where the wheel flanges run and make contact.
4) Definitely pick up an NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) gauge from your local Hobby Shop or Online.
Remember, it’s your Railroad, so have fun with your kids building and running it.
Please accept my condolences for the loss of your father.
One thing you will learn as you go is that there are many ways to skin the cat. This forum has more expertize and unique ideas than you will find in any library. There are new talented people with a unique way of looking at the world and there are people who have been model railroading since World War Two. Then, of course, there are people who work for, or are retired from, the REAL railroads.
My miniature world is about 16x16 around the room. I started by building a code 83 3 times around 4x8 with switches that led to the edges. That got the layout up and running. The switched were there for the planned future expansion. I put my granddaughter’s Thomas the Tank Engine on it, and Annie and Clarabelle had the flanges hitting the ties, so the rest of the layout is built with code 100. I then expanded it. The rest of the layout is 24 inches deep and runs around the walls. It has a swing gate because I’m too old for a duck under.
When it was 4x8 it was powered by a Bachmann EZCommand DCC system. I didn’t like it much and it is now powered by a Digitrax Super Chief. You didn’t mention which system your father left you. Whichever one it is, there is someone in here who can help you learn to use it.
Thanks to everyone for the help. If anyone is interested in seeing photos I have photos of my trains and the layout my Dad had on my Facebook page search for Tony Peek, mine will have a photo of the Salt Lake Temple.
Code 100 is larger, and 83 is smaller. For you, I think 83 would be best. Join a local club and get to know people, then ask your questions face to face.
I’d recommend looking at Kato Unitrack. Their HO line uses code 83 track that has a narrow profile and is very close (IMHO) to real track. Unitrack is what’s sometimes now called “click track”, the track and roadbed are one piece and the track sections snap together ensuring a snug connection and electrical conductivity. This saves you the trouble of laying cork roadbed and ballasting track, and allows you to change or add track as time goes on. You can operate the track quite well without permanently fastening it down. My current layout has grown from a powered 6’ straight track to an approx 16x22 L-shaped switching layout over the last two years, but I haven’t yet permanently fastened the track down because I’m still testing out ideas.