oscaletrains has it right! The B&O was the best RR in the WHOLE WORLD![swg]
Carl T.
To solve the problem with Thomas, Percy or James not reversing with a CW-80, use a lighted track terminal. The Thomas RTR set comes with a fastrack lighted terminal section so the CW-80 will go to zero voltage when switching directions.
I agree about James but the one I got has the same whistle as Thomas. The tether from the engine to the tender will not be kid friendly.
Thomas is very easy for a 5 year old. I would only suggest floor play as the couplers are fragile and break easily when dropped. My son and I like to put Thomas and Percy on the same track and chase each other. They are pretty close in speed. Percy is a little bit faster.
If you can find a stocking hat, you can also do this during Christmas.
Another reason US outline 3 rail O is an attractive proposition on this side of the pond.[;)]
Doug, I remember seeing some plastic O gauge British outline bulding kits from a advertiser in the UK Continental Modeler mag. Here’s a link http://www.kittlehobby.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?Search=Yes
The prices are not too bad. And would add that British branch line feel to your UK section.
Nick
That is sure fine stuff, Nick. Thanks for the link. Too bad this is so expensive.
We have the lighted terminal track. It really wasn’t all that effective. Our RMT Beep had the same issues as Thomas.
Not only is the British stuff expensive, it needs to be modified to couple on to the Lionel couplers.
Love Percy’s hat…
Bought a Pensy Flyer engine on an auction site. Got the little thing and laughed. Put it on the tracks and it ran good. Did not smoke. Took shell off and found wire not soldered to the smoke unit [actually had come unsoldered]. Soldered it back one good. Smokes up a storm. Surprisingly, it will also pull like crazy. The more I run it, the better it runs [getting broken in]. Run it just for fun. Grandson will get a Thomas befoe Christmas.
Picture him spitting the words out like Elmer Fudd. Funnier that way. [8D]
There is a website out there that sells British railroad equipment in most gauges, O included. I think that I heard about it here as a responce to one of my posts. The site is http://www.modelfair.com/acatalog/index.html. They have some good products both new and used from Ace, Bassett Lowke, Skytrex, and more. The prices are varied but in the high end area as far as engines and coaches are conserned. All in all though very nice selection. And as far as what I think about the products (Lionel versions): I have the Thomas that came out back in 1997. No whistle, smoke, or moving eyes but he runs well, but doesn’t pull with a lot of strength (pulls a few modern frieght cars well). I think that it’s a good engine though.
Thanks for the link. I also found Britannia Models in Canada - http://www.britanniamodels.com/index.php - they give a pretty good overview of what’s out there.
That ScaleDale stuff at Doug’s link is really nice! I’m revamping the layout soon and that stuff might just end up on the Jumijo!
Jim, what does it mean when the descriptions note Thomas or Percy has ‘moving eyes’ - is there some sort of cam connected to the wheels? - I can just imagine 'ol Thom looking like he has the shakes when run at high speed.
I always thought your current layout had a bit of Thomas’ sort of scenery.
OK I’ll bite.
I don’t know who’s more persuasive…Doug with the Thomas stuff or Brutus with the Holloween stuff.
I am looking for a kiddie kiddie ride for the Lionel Christmas layout, and Thomas is definately a contender. Any suggestions on a manufacturer of N-scale Thomas? Probably Thomas, 2-troublesome trucks, and a caboose.
Thanks,
Kurt
I know back a few years ago, Tomix had the license to produce Thomas and his coaches, Henry, Gordon, James, troublesome trucks, express coaches, and a few accessories: windmill and station in N scale.
The character’s eyes look side to side as it runs. They are attached to the wheels with a series of gears. The eyes don’t move too fast. The characters also come with extra faces with several different expressions.
Tomix was the only one I found. So it’s a good train?
Kurt
The Tomix ‘Thomas’ line is very good, Kurt. Solid runners. Nice quality. I even was able to add DCC to Thom and James.
I have the Thomas set as well as many other sets. I think the Thomas set is a great value. Hey, it will never replace a $700 engine, but for the price it is a great value starter set. Once in a while I remove all my DCS/TMCC stuff and give my Thomas track time. I love to hit the whistle.
So do not worry about Thomas becoming “obsolete”. It is a great first train for the youngsters and a hoot to run even if they loose interest. Anyone who buys a train will have one of two experiances. They will probably get hooked and buy more and probably buy smarter the second time around or they will get tired of trains and decide to switch hobbies (not us of course!). Therefor I have no problem recomending Thomas as it is less money than other trains that might also get left behind in the excitement of future purchases. Meanwhile, it is a great value and if you later move on to more expensive gear it will always warrant occaisional trips to the mainline.
Jim H
Thanks, Jim. I hope to go to the Midwest Train Show at the DuPage Cty. Fairgrounds in a few weeks to see if he shows up on any tables. Bar that, I’ll troll the advertisers in CTT. The set isn’t in any of our LHS.