Alco Models brass

paigetrain posted:

for my first layout i hope to do a 5 by 9 ho scale layout 

i was wondering the average price of alco models locomotives and other vintage HO brass diesels 

as well as undecorated  plastic models

my HO layout takes place on fictional Shelbie Pass - a railroad plagued by whiteout snow storms and avalanches 

all locomotives are equipped with anti freeze tanks and winterization  hatches 

What are "anti freeze tanks"? Railroad locomotives did not use anti-freeze.

I sure do like those prices.  I wonder what year the ad is from?

5' x 9' doubt it will be sufficient space for O scale. HO, maybe, but tight.

Alco Models did a lot of both O scale and HO products including locomotives, passenger equipment, and freight equipment.

O scale 2 rail products are commonplace at 2 rail shows.

dgauss posted:

5' x 9' doubt it will be sufficient space for O scale. HO, maybe, but tight.

how about On30

Alco Models disappeared a long time ago. (The ad above was from the mid-1970s.) The company primarily imported models made by KTM (Katsumi) in Japan.

I have an HO scale Alco Century 430 that I bought  -- actually, it was a high school graduation present from my parents -- in 1980. It cost $110. The model sold for well under $100 in prior years.

It was a pretty sturdy model, built with thick brass stock, but it was poorly designed with a driveshaft that used rubber connectors which eventually shrunk and crumbled, leaving the model motionless. (NWSL made a replacement drive system at some point, but that also was so long ago.)

Bottom line: Don't base your O scale aspirations on Alco Models. Avoid brass in general unless you are ready to fashion your own replacement parts. Remember, brass locomotives are handcrafted from brass sheets and usually lost-wax brass castings, not from diecast or injection molds, so replacement parts are uncommon, and most repair techs (with some exceptions, of course) won't touch them.

Also, 5 x 9 is too tight for two-rail O. It's OK for three-rail O using 48-inch diameter curves or tighter.

paigetrain posted:

for my first layout i hope to do a 5 by 9 o scale 2 rail layout

Probably tight for anything beyond a B-B smaller diesel and 40' freight cars; could be a decent switching scenario.  If being done as an island, you better have really long arms,   Around the room, very tight for 2-rail other than smaller yet B-B smaller diesel and 40' freight cars, but doable with trolleys.

I started buying brass in the mid 60's. I do not recall that Alco Models ever produced any locomotives in O scale. They did produce just a few cars in O scale. I believe they were cabooses, and maybe a freight car or two.

jeff