Quote from: Maarkus on September 05, 2013, 05:58:43 PM
Thank you for all of the input.. You've all given me something to think about and to decide upon before proceeding.
For the record, it was always my intention to use a US PSU. I've been here long enough to know the pitfalls of trying to use UK electrical equipment here so for me it was a no brainer. I'm just looking for any input on using a US PSU with UK OO guage track and furthermore, locos. Both of which devoured a considerable amount of pocket money :-).
My immediate thought, having also done a lot of Internet research over the past days, is to develop a layout, using the existing track I have and supplementing new track, that would incorporate completely separate DC for nostalgic reasons for old locos and a larger proportion of DCC fed track for new locos

I have a long but hopefully enjoyable road ahead and any and all recommendations or suggestions would be appreciated

M..

Conceptually, that's rather interesting. You often see modern era layouts incorporating a preserved steam/museum line and what you're doing is similar, except that the museum line isn't displaying older prototypes but older model engines and rolling stock. It's better than my idea because at least the old models aren't stuck in a box where you can't appreciate them but are on display and see occasional use.

Quote from: Doneldon on September 04, 2013, 07:05:36 AM
Skar-

I think it may actually be cheaper to build the English models. In looking at the web page you cited, I notice that most of the locos are fairly small, many without tenders. Their sheathing conceals more of the plumbing and appliances than is the case in the US which simplifies tooling, assembly and painting.
                                                                                                                                                       -- D

True, UK locos are in the main smaller than US locos, hence why I said 'size for size.' That there is more detail work on US locos with al the exposed pipework is a good point but perhaps offset, at least in part, by the fact that many UK locos have more complicated liveries than most US steam locos.

I think GG1onFordsDTandI may have the answer that interest in RRs is much the same in the UK and the US but we differ in our preference for era and prototype. It's noticeable among Bachmann UK's new and proposed releases in OO that a number of them date from pre-1920, albeit they all had operating lives of thirty plus years, which is reflected in the liveries they are offered in. The same is true of the other big manufacturer in British OO gauge.

I would consider keeping the older items (even the 1980s is old compared to what's being produced in OO and HO today) as heirloom items and building and operating your layout with what's available now. Depending on what you choose to model it doesn't have to be hugely expensive and I think the great improvement in performance and appearance in the models of today will give you greater pleasure than trying to get reliability from what are now very old models.

In British outline, it produces OO and N gauge. Narrow gauge modelling in the UK is something of a minority pursuit and usually follows British outline using kits based on mechanisms 'borrowed' from N or OO/HO. That said, Bachmann's On30 and largescale range is readily available in the UK through a number of retailers.

I am not trying to have a go at Bachmann over this. I assume Bachmann is aware what the demand is, therefore my question is why does there appear to be less demand for steam locos in US HO than there appears to be in British OO.

Given the number of new releases by Bachmann UK I am still a little bit puzzled. Presumably, the tooling costs, etcetera, to produce a UK loco are, size for size, about the same as that to produce a US loco, yet Bachmann is giving the UK market 4 new steam locos, plus two diesels and an inspection car and has just announced a fifth engine.

Whether railroad modelling is less popular in the US per capita than in the UK or the US is more interested in modern era modelling than the UK (which is mainly still modelling the steam era), or whether there is some other factor or factors at play, I don't know. 
http://www.bachmann.co.uk/prod1.php?prod_selected=branchline&prod=3 shows what Bachmann currently or is soon to offer in British OO gauge.

Thank you
Minasstrains looks a great site. Wonderful little Baldwins on one of its pages, including the prototype 4-4-0s Bachmann modelled.

Hi Nevin, Took at look at your HO T&T online. Looks very nice and clearly follows the prototype. Slightly puzzled by what 'convert' means as I'd have thought an awful lot would need changing on the layout to accomplish moving up to O scale (never mind the gauge) to the point where you're stripping back almost to bare boards.

Given that you do appear to be a modeller who prefers to follow a prototype, my thought would be to find your NG prototype, as you did with the T&T in standard gauge, and then follow it as closely as you can rather than try to turn your standard gauge model into a model of a NG railroad and ending up with something that could be a compromise.

Really enjoyed your video of the Baie de Somme.

 

Could have sworn I posted a link to various manufacturers of ON30 track on this thread. Peco do a range with ON30 flexi-track and R, L and Y switches.

What the track looks like will depend on what sort of RR you want. A mainline common carrier will have much better trackwork than a run-down industrial line.

Just to come back. I wasn't remotely suggesting that Dave is ridiculous, merely pointing out that his statement that Bachmann could run out of NG prototypes to model is a little improbable, given the vast numbers of NG locomotives built in the US alone.

I also wasn't suggesting that Bachmann ought or could make models of all of them! Obviously they have to produce models that will sell and I suspect the large scale market is trickier than the smaller scales where most modellers tend to follow a particular type of NG  railroad, be it, logging, mining/industrial, common-carrier, etcetera, and a company can reasonably assume that if it's sold lots of shays and climaxes there'd be a demand for another logging loco like a Heisler. Large scalers seem much more capricious in their wants and often will run anything with any other thing without worrying about what the prototype did.

Personally, if Bachmann took to working its way through Baldwins 1885 Illustrated Catalogue of Narrow-Gauge Locomotives http://archive.org/stream/illustratednarro00baldrich#page/n73/mode/2up I'd be very happy indeed.

Quote from: Dave on August 19, 2013, 04:29:59 PM
You have raised a good point there Bob. I guess Bachmann will eventually run out of Narrow Gauge prototypes to model, after all, there was only a certain amount built.

Err, unless you're thinking that there is one shay and one climax and one consolidation and one Forney, this is utterly ridiculous. Sure, they could run out eventually but it would be somewhere between 2 and 5 thousand models of locomotives alone.

Nice idea. You might find this useful http://archive.org/stream/posteradvertisin00hawk#page/n23/mode/2up and http://archive.org/stream/indianapolisindi1923polk#page/662/mode/2up they come from this site http://archive.org/details/texts

Searching for 'city directory' seems to bring up some useful texts from a variety of eras.

Quote from: jward on August 11, 2013, 11:01:14 AM
while I will admit turn of the century railroading has a certain charm, for me the era to model is the 1970s. the equipment is something I am familiar with in real life., and the operating practices based on my own experiences. there really isn't a lot of historical research I need to do, because I was there. can't say that about the 1890s.

Isn't the research all part of the fun?

Yep, all of that. Plus you can model a mainline rr with scale length trains consisting of a loco and eight freight cars and hold it in a 10' long siding while the express passes with 3 or 4 passenger cars and all for the price that a transition era modeller would pay for one train.

Given the paucity of pre 1910 locomotives in model form I'd say we entertain any excuse to get them produced, including associations with famous people. The advantages of modelling early railroads are so many - smaller locos and rolling stock and shorter trains, being just two - that I find it strange more modellers don't take advantage of it.