Looking For Help

[philman]

Hi All

I'm thinking of starting my first railroad, but before i start looking anymore I would like to know what the difference between HO,N,O & ON30 scale? which would be the best one to start with and build onto later on?

thanks
philman

[CNE Runner]

Welcome aboard Philman! Rather than take up a lot of posting space I ask you to visit the National Model Railroad Association's website at http://www.nmra.org/ which is a great place to start the [life-long] process of educating yourself about our hobby. You have already taken a good first step by getting involved in the Bachmann forum. I would also urge you to register for the Model Railroader forum on www.modelrailroader.com (great resource for anyone). Before I forget: it would be extremely helpful to subscribe to Model Railroader magazine as they span the entire subject of model railroading (as your skills improve, you might want to add a subscription to Railroad Model Craftsman magazine). There are related publications for O-scale, N-scale and narrow gauge (On3 to name one).

I chose to model HO after many years in the O-gauge Lionel/MTH/K-Line world. Why? One reason was space. After retirement (and a move to Alabama), we no longer had the space to house an O-gauge layout. After a careful look at N-scale (and the subsequent review of my diminishing eyesight due to the aging process), I reached a "happy medium" and launched into HO. With the exception of the larger scales (O, G), you can construct a train layout just about anywhere (to be fair, I have seen an outstanding G-scale shelf layout). One of my model railroad pen pals has a small switching layout on top of some low bookcases...the possibilties are endless!

Attend some local train shows and LOOK at equipment in the various scales. Ask lots of questions; but remember to consider the source of the information. Probably the first thing is to consider your financial resources: model railroading is a "want" and not a "need"...how much can you realistically afford to divert to your obsession? Model railroad equipment can be found in all price ranges. A general statement would be that the larger the scale - the greater the price. A complete train set is a good starter and can be incorporated into a larger layout in the future.

Philman: I gave you the short answer to your very encompassing question. Have no fear as there will be numerous posters following who will add to my response (Do I hear keyboard noises in Craig, CO?). By the tone of your question you are embarking upon the research part of the process...take your time and be thorough as it will pay dividends down the track.

All the best,
Ray

[Yampa Bob]

Hey Philman,

It's ok for these younguns to say "Model Railroading is a want, not a need". I'm an old coot, and I NEED MY TRAINS!

Actually you start out wanting them, then it gets in your blood. They should probably classify model trains as a "controlled substance". If they were advertised on TV, they would have to say "Warning, may be habit forming".   

I chose HO scale for the size and great selections available. The possibilities are limited only by your available space, with 4 X 8 considered minimum for continuous running, or various shelf layouts for switching operations.

ON30 is basically O scale narrow gauge that runs on HO track. My wife bought our first train set, a Bachmann ON30 Roaring Ridge in Rio Grande yellow. I can blame her, she's the one that started this madness.

Here's a link to a site explaining the most popular scales:
http://www.spec2000.net/rr_site_pages/rr_scale_dfn.htm

Bachmann just released their 2009 catalog, suggest you grab a copy and start drooling.  Stay tuned, lots of suggestions to follow.  Ray and I have only skimmed the surface.

Regards.

[Santa Fe buff]

Hello,
Bob and Ray basically shot down all the major items to be said, so I'll throw in a couple things to add...

Here's a comparison between all the scales:


Here's a size (ratio) comparison:


Okay, time for my 2 cents:
I would recommend HO (1:87.1) scale for it is more widely produced as well as more products for the HO scale. If you want a small train layout, N (1:160) scale is okay, it is produced almost as widely as HO scale, but there aren't as many products. O (1:48) scale is pretty good too. There are many variations of O scale produced. (On30, On27, On2.5, and O)The "n" stands for "narrow", as in narrow gauged. Thus, it is true that On30 equals 3-foot track in real life and so on. S (1:67) scale isn't mentioned on the black & white graph because there aren't a lot of products made for the scale. For a good comparison, S scale is exactly the scale of a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car. So that's why Hot Wheels cars look a little big on HO layouts.

All in all,
I don't give a care whatever scale you choice, I only care if you like it.

Josh

[philman]

thanks bob, ray & Josh

After doing a lot of reading today, I'm going to go with a Bachmann HO.

Next step to pick the right start-up set.

When i'm looking at the different sets, some say DCC-Equipped,dcc ready does the mean, the others can't be upgraded later down the road? I was looking at the 36505 E-Z COMMAND® DYNAMIS® WIRELESS INFRARED DCC SYSTEM.

[Yampa Bob]

It's your money, but suggest getting your feet wet before you jump into deep waters.  Here are a couple of suggestions:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJWL6&P=0

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXRMN8&P=0

The sets have everything you need to start with DCC. Set up the road bed track on the floor, you can be up and running in one evening.

Regards

[Santa Fe buff]

I agree, I'm personally going for one of those sets...

DCC-Ready means it's ready to accept a DCC decoder in order to be recognized by the system.
DCC-Equipped means it already has a DCC decoder, and is able to be read by a system.

Josh

[philman]

I was looking for info on the Digital Commander Dlx HO #00501, Bachmann Model Train Set BMN00501

some are not happy with the manual left turn out, me being new not sure what that means.

[Santa Fe buff]

It's a switch that curves out to the left. It's switched manually via a movable switch.

Josh

[philman]

shouldn't the dcc do that for you?

[Yampa Bob]

Only if you buy DCC equipped turnouts, which can be added on later.  They are rather expensive, some modelers like them.  Personally I like the old reliable remote turnouts with selector switches or manual throws.

It just depends on how much you want to automate your railroad, and the size of your wallet.

Regards

[philman]

I know this is a bachmann site, but after having a look at my local hobby stores web site, looks like they ony have Walthers line. I did email them today to see if the do have bachmann.

any thoughts (pro & Cons) If it is a bad product I will have to buy all my needs and wants online.

Thanks
Phil

[Yampa Bob]

I live up in the mountains in Northwest Colorado, closest hobby store is 200 miles away in Denver.  Caboose Hobbies has been in business for 70 years, probably the largest exclusively train store in the nation. 

The staff at Caboose Hobbies are friendly, helpful and really know about trains. Other sites may beat their prices, but not their service and guarantee. I won't buy any product from any source where I have to deal with the factory directly for warranty issues.

http://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/index_home.php

I use the Tower Hobbies site mostly for research, they have all of Bachmann products, and the site loads faster on my slow dialup.  After I find something there, I then call Caboose and they usually have it in stock.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/listings/cat-u.html

I highly recommend Bachmann locomotives, I have 18 of them so far and very pleased with the quality.

Regards

[CNE Runner]

Like Yampa Bob, I like to subscribe to the KISS principle. My layout is 30"x 12' and is placed in the month of October 1889. All my turnouts (the correct model railroad term for switches...which can be confused with electrical switches, hence the different term) are manually controlled (the famous "Finger of God" technique). This is not to say that remotely operated turnouts (there's that word again) are not good...they are just more complication than I need with my sized layout.

I use all Peco Code 75 track and turnouts; but many others on this site can attest to the reliability of EZ-track. I have seen some Bachmann EZ-track that had been weathered and ballasted that would rival my track work (OK...that may not be saying much). Bob has 18 Bachmann engines and I only have 3 (plus one Atlas MP15DC - which in no way fits the 1880s). My first DCC-equipped locomotive was a Bachmann GP35 which has proven itself to be a good runner (albeit silent). My other two Bachmann engines are American 4-4-0s and there isn't enough bandwidth for me to extol their virtues. I LOVE THESE LOCOMOTIVES! My point is that Bachmann used to make (almost exclusively) train set quality items. Trust us...that is far from the truth now. When Bach Man has the company finally produce a late 19th century Mogul - I will be first in line to purchase one! [Mr. B: DCC and sound with a wooden cab please.]

Josh, that was an excellent post...your graphics were dead on. I guess what we are all saying is that the hobby is easy to get into and can take several lifetimes to learn. Yampa Bob is right. Why not buy a Bachmann DCC train set and "start pushing iron"? I just checked the Micro Mark catalog (www.micromark.com) and they have a complete Bachmann set that includes: Bachmann's E-Z Command DCC control pack, a nice set of E-Z track, a GP40 DCC-equipped engine, a set of 3 freight cars, and an instructional DVD...all for $257.50! That is a heck of a deal. Check out the Micro Mark website and search for item # 40194.

Regards from our ranch high in the mountains of Alabama,
Ray

[thirdrail]

If you want to build railroad models, choose HO or the larger scales. If you want to build a model railroad, then choose N or Z. Only in the two smallest scales can you build realistic scenery, unless you have a blimp hangar for your layout!