I recently came across my old HO model railroad equipment. I want to get back in to it but, found that a lot has changed. All of my locomotives and rolling stock have the old “horn” type couplers and everything that I have seen in the local hobby shops has the knuckle type couplers. I also wanted to build a new layout and go to DCC in the process. I have a 12’x12’ room to work with and I am wondering if I should just make the switch to N scale.
Mike, welcome. If you use the search feature at lower right of the page, under the last post you see, you can enter some words to help you to find threads that have dealt with these questions. In the meantime, if you were to stand in front of me and ask for my advice on your first question, I’d say…what do the old trains mean for you? Are they so valuable in some way that you can’t bear to part with them? If they are really just a concrete artefact of a new interest in model trains, I’d respectfully and gently urge you to begin wholely new. The quality, in terms of details and mechanisms, not to mention the wonderful new digital way of controlling individual engines (DCC), has really changed much of the way we do model railroading these days. Don’t, please, set yourself apart from all the benefits of the advances made over the past 12 years or so.
On the other hand, if your older stuff is only 15 years old or so, it may be quite salvageable with some work and time. The couplers are one thing, but another might be the deeper flanges on older equipment. That will constrain you to Code 100 track, which tends to look large after you compare it to what you see in the modelling magazines and here when those who use Code 83 or 70 show images of their work. Also, how much current do your motors draw? Do the motors still work well? Will you want to convert the engines to DCC? If so, that’s almost a hobby within the hobby. A lot of learning ahead of you. If you buy newer engines with DCC systems aboard, or that can easily be converted with just a plug-in decoder, you will be playing trains that much sooner. I guess it depends on what you want out of the hobby. How much tinkering and repair do you want up front? Maybe you can deal with the older engines later when you have the urge to get inside them.
N-Scale? By all means, and why not. I am nearing 60, so I wouldn
Welcome aboard!
You’re just where I was about 4 years ago. My HO trains had been in boxes for 40 years, carted around from one attic, closet and basement to another. Finally, I unpacked them and wondered if the old newspapers I’d wrapped them in might be worth more than the trains themselves.
Fortunately, I found I could salvage almost all of my rolling stock. Yes, they all had horn-hooks, just like yours, but with a box of Kadee couplers and a bit of time and ingenuity, I soon had brought enough of them up to modern standards that I ran out of track to put them on.
The track in those boxes was brass. I tried re-using some, both in a subway station that I planned to make “abandoned,” and in a yard where an old, expensive 3-way turnout looked like it might save substantial investment if I could make it work. Well, I guess it was a lesson that a Scotsman like me had to learn the hard way. Want a use for brass track? Rip it apart and use the old rails for scenery or gondola loads. When it comes to brass track, it’s No Train, No Pain.
Most of my old structures were cardboard, and not very good cardboard at that. I’ve saved a couple of the plastic ones, and one Suydam classic, the Swift plant, but most are in that never-never land of “I’m never going to put this on my layout, but I’m never going to just throw it away, either.”
I had about 10 locomotives. I managed to get one of them running well enough to put in a decoder and keep on my layout, although its an old Athearn and sounds like somebody threw granite into a blender. Two were “neutered” by removing the motors and drive mechanisms, bringing them back as dummies. The rest? Well, there’s that never-never land again. If everyone claps, Tinkerbell will be OK, but I’m not sure if we can save those engines. Hopefully, yours are in better shape than mine.
DCC is the right call.&n
[#welcome] Welcome to the forums, and to the world’s most all-inclusive hobby.
As I see it, you have an old collection that has never been upgraded. Do any of the locos or cars have special memories attached, or are they simply the toys of yesteryear? I maintain a ‘nostalgia fleet’ in a display case that will probably never turn a wheel on my layout - I don’t even know if any of those old locos still run. I do know that they have no place in my present operating scheme.
Before making a decision on scale, think about what you want your model railroad to do. Find a Spacemouse post and read his Beginner’s Guide. Some thinking and doodling now can save an expensive side journey into a dead end. Both HO and N scale have pros and cons. So, in your space, does On30, S or even On3.
The search function is your friend. To get LOTS of (frequently contradictory) opinions, just enter, “HO versus N,” “Brass Rail,” or, “Upgrading old locomotives.” Or any other subject that interests you. WARNING. Do NOT enter, “DCC.” You’d end up with the entire DCC forum and everything else that was posted before it was introduced!
A few of the things that might enter your thoughts as you navigate the Dream portion of, Dream, Plan, Build. What prototype railroad do you like? What part of the country would you like to model? When? Long trains or short, or maybe just terminal switching? Getting a clear picture of where you want to end up is essential to the first steps of the journey.
Once again, welcome. Above all, have fun.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with some equipment purchased before September, 1964)
[#welcome] back
Your space is big enough for any scale so I suggest you go to a train show that has layouts in the popular scales - Z, N, HO, S, O, G - and see which size you like.
In general larger scales allow more detail, have more presence on the rail as they go by, and have fewer operational problems. Smaller scales allow for more railroad for a given space and can have more of a scenic setting.
Enjoy
Paul
Here, I found it for you - just click on the link: http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html
Welcome back to the hobby!
I too was in the same situation, but just went right ahead and bought more new (decent quality) HO stuff to compliment the HO stuff (mostly old train set junk) I already had. I’d probably go N scale if I had it all to do over with the sapce I have (10’X16’), but the damage is done.
There are a lot of variables to consider when choosing whether to continue on your old HO path, or swithch to a completely foreign (to you) scale. Hands on experience if possible will let you decide if a smaller (or even larger) scale is right for you.
Don’t immediately dismiss anything just yet, a lot has changed in the last 10 years, and you’ll find much good advice from the established members here. Take it all in and make an informed choice.
Also, you don’t have to model any particular railroad. You can make one up if you want to. That’s called freelance. My RR is freelance so I can do anything I want with it and run anything I want. If you model a real RR, sometime, somewhere, someone is going to make a point of telling you it is not really so-and-so RR because you don’t have such-and-such on it, or so-and-so is not in the right place. You can also model a fictitious branch of a real RR.
So Dream away.
Welcome Mike.
My name is Mike, also. I am new to this forum, as this is my 3rd reply/post. I had been out of the hobby for 15 years or more and have a lot of HO rolling stock and locomotives in boxes from as far back as 24 years. I recently started building a layout again and decided to use what I have, including converting to DCC. I converted an old Rivarossi 4-4-0 and it runs like a champ. I selected the MRC Wireless Prodigy DCC system and I love it. Also, I have started my benchwork and roadbed. You can see what progress I have made since January and some of the history on the following web site. At today’s cost of Loco’s and rolling stock, I would salvage what you have, as a start. In addition, my layout room is about the same size as yours. Hope this helps and is encouraging to you.
http://home/mchsi.com/~mtuomala/index.html
Mike
Lots of advice on ridding yourself of the dreaded “BRASS TRACK” there are lots and lots of fans out there that still use it and it works just fine, I just saw a beautiful layout and he used brass track AND horn couplers, which worked just fine, I asked why he didn’t change to the infamous “kd” couplers, he responded the cost alone was prohibitive and he had no problems with his existing couplers. have fun,enjoy.
as you’re hearing from all the responses so far… the beautiful thing about this hobby is that there is no right way or wrong way. I have found that what always gums me up is when I start over-logic-ing things instead of just doing what feels fun. If it FEELS more fun to get your your old stuff running – nothing wrong with that. If it feels more fun to do a totally new everything including trying a new scale – good call too.
There is no wrong answer. Even if you buy stuff that turns out to be unsatisfying… ebay solves that. (As it did for me when I figured out N was just not my cup of tea – sold it all, took a little loss with a smile, and went HO).
Changing couplers is the easy part. Kadee makes conversion kits for many of the old horn-hook coupler equiped locomotives. The DCC part may be harder especially if your locomotives are over 20 years old. They may not be worth converting since the old motors may require lots of rewiring to function.
I recently got back into N-Scale after an absence of 21 years. Most of my old lcomotives didn’t run even with some cleaning the wheels, motors, contacts and lubrication. In fact of the 8 that I owned, only 3 could be saved and none were worth converting to DCC. So I got new ones to replace all of them.
I had tear down my old layout as it had been sitting under all kinds of junk for the last 21 years. I don’t have a layout now but I redoing my train room to accomodate a new layout. I’ve been working on it since June and fianlly got to the point of painting the walls. I’ve got one more to do. Then I’ll been painting clouds on a light blue wall.
The room measures 12’ 3" x 15’ 6". I can’t use all of it but the layout will be G shaped and include a provision for continuous running so I can show off for visitors or if my grandchildren just want to watch trains.
Your room is large enough to do almost anything you want in any scale but if your old HO stuff sn’t worth converting to DCC, you might want to consider N. You can get almost 4 times as much into the same space as you can in HO. And don’t let age be a deterent unless you have trouble wit