Not sure if this is the best place to post this, but here it goes, I've been without a layout for over a year, and cant make up my mind, to build an HO or O. I have small amount of HO rolling stock, and 1 steam and 1 F3 blue box that kind of run. No other gear I have some rolling stock in O, and a few postwar steam engines, but limited track accessories (switches) I like the toy train look and feel of the O gauge, and larger to see and repair and the old reliable of the non digital stuff....I like the old Marx's and Lionel animated stuff....but hate the "chasing the tail" on smaller layouts.... I like the sound of the new digital dcc command stuff, and how some of the dcc works (multi unit, wireless cab control. I'm looking at building an around the room layout, in a 11x12 room with a flip up gate to enter the room.... Not sure if I have a question here.....I just need some help
Wow. Good question! Space available works for either size. Really, you could end up engine to caboose with either scale. HO perhaps think a branch or industrial line? A time frame with forty foot box cars, etc? But, leaving that tinplate in a box, when you have so little HO on hand at present. So hard to do. I'm not being much help here!
How about a HI-rail layout? That is where you run O gauge (3-rail) trains but you use scale buildings and scenery. You don't neccessarily use "toy like" buildings. In my opinion you would get the best of both worlds. The newer O guage engines have great sound and control systems. Conversly with HO DCC you can do the same things and have sound. An HO DCC sound equipped engine might cost about 150-250 dollars whereas an O scale engine with TMCC costs about 300-500 dollars. Hope this helps.
I've been thinking about hi-rail myself, but when I start thinking about what I already have. In the past few shows I've been to its all HO or N, verify little O. From what I've been reading to get the new sound system on Lionel your looking at near 1k for the rail-sound 5. Then you also read about how these new $$$ engine won't run a month later and waiting at the repair shop.....as all my old Marx and Lionel still run like new even though there over 50 years old. As they say the only rare Marx's is a non running Marx. Again and the shows you see the new HO engine with the super cool sounds that I can get for around 200 to 400 bucks...... I'm into the smaller size cars, 34ft to 40ft from the 20's and 30's, and the smaller steam. I love the Large steam (big boy, challenger) but i dont think I have enough layout to make them look cool. My fav steam are the narrow gauge mikes the D&RGW ran.....and are still leaving Durango in steam, but i'm not ready to get into narrow gauge stuff.....yet......
There is quite a bit of tinplate out there, but well prior to TMCC/DCC days. Which for hi-rail purposes, I'd be happy enough without. You could contact TCA, LCCA and TTOS for information on more local clubs, groups and learn sources from there.
You can actually run many of those larger O scale engines on tighter curves since the three rail stuff is designed to operate on O-27, 0-31, and 0-42 and so on. I had a 4 foot by 18 foot hi rail layout for a number of years. I had 0-42 curves and could run my American Freedom Train GS-4 and the scale display cars without any problems. I went to MTH DCS Proto 2.0 about seven years ago and love it. I could switch and run my O scale like N or HO and the sound is great. I get most of my O on-line or at shows.
I would choose HO over O scale for the size. Best of all worlds to me; the size of the trains and scenery along with pack the most railroading into the space. Plus the available variety of things to offer in HO scale. O is kind of limited in comparison.
I would do a double scale layout and run both scales, or build two layouts on shelves one above the other. I do think O scale is considerably more expensive which is what kept me from going 2 rail O scale a while back. i have a 1956 lionel hudson that I sometimes break out and run on the floor. I just love that hefty thing. Ho scale has nothing on O scale when it comes to sheer mass. I'm the oddball here when it comes to where you should put your layout. i'd build O scale as an outdoor layout. he he he
Maybe you should split the difference and check out On30. The track is the same gauge as HO, but your trains are all still 1:48 scale. Generally, you can run tighter curves with On30 than with O-standard gauge, although a lot of that 3-rail stuff can run really tight curves. A narrow gauge pike could be run with even a small number of cars and trains, and if you are thinking about DCC/sound the Bachmann On30 options with Tsunami sound are sure head-turners. There are On30 modular groups cropping up here and there, and I am pretty sure there is at least one in Texas. I am building some On30 modules that I will be connecting up with the Pacific Northwest group and we've been having a lot of fun discussing plans and helping each other out with our progress. Adam
When I was preparing to jump back into the hobby a few years ago, that was my question too - HO or O? That is, until I saw the price of O scale and then really looked at the size requirements. As I have progressed I have not regretted my decision to go with HO, but that's just me. I love the detail of the engines/rolling stock, the endless variety and the huge amount of HO stuff available at train shows. But if O turns your crank, I wouldn't dream of trying to convince you otherwise.
Unless I have misread his original post, what he has is Hi-Rail. Which is much different frrom O "Scale". There is still a fair amount of post-War Lionel out there. And even the MPC stuff. Both are a lot cheaper than Scale items. Except current Lionel items are getting rather pricey,( new), and a big turn off to anyone who simply wishes to operate. This is why I'd previously posted the names of those train societies, for exploration and more information.
the cost of 3 rail isn't that bad when you look at older locos and cars, IF you know what you're looking for....track on the other hand....
I used to attend a lot of small local meets, which often had for sale items or auctions. A person could pick up boxes of used track at the end of a day, for almost nothing. Weed out the worst, clean up some. For under five bucks, could do OK. The current Fas-Tracks stuff= OUCH.
Well There is a train show this weakend in the houston area I'm going to check out for Inspirational ideas. I have a fair amount of 031 and some 042 tube rail track, but only one set of working 022 switches. If I stay with O gauge its going to be mostly non command control postwar stuff - For some reason I've noticed MTH and Lionel likes to make Huge engines that need wide curve track to run.... I have no HO track, Although I have an Bachmann DCC pos controler.....I use to have 2 N gauge DCC engines but one gave up its smoke, and the other one needs a new board. I have a little N gauge rolling stock - buts its to small to see, and very limited on dcc sound steam engines. I have a couple of HO engines and small amount of rolling stock I use to run years ago under the x-mass tree.....enought to start with. If I go with HO, I'm going to upgrade the DCC to a Zepher system most likely
I'll admit upfront to being biased toward HO scale. But, from your postings it doesn't appear that you've considered making your first and basic choice - which is not between O and HO, but between the two major grouping in model railroading, scale and tinplate. While they're related, they're not the same. This is not to find fault with either. Both have their virtues and their shortcomings. However, when you make that choice then you can pick gauges (at least in scale), tinplate - i's going to be either S, O, or some combo of these two.
How's your eyesight? If you're older and it's not getting better, O-scale lets you see things better. If you're concerned about space, Carl Arendt's micro-layouts page has some O-scale example layouts under four square feet. He also has them in many scales. Warning: you'll probably spend hours just looking at all the thousands of layouts. Here are a couple of O-scale switching layouts at the bottom of the page: http://carendt.us/scrapbook/page32/index.html
