Has anyone thought of getting out of O scale because of..?

Think about it all the time but never will. I'm a detail guy. I'm building a large layout. I would have to do twice the detail if I were in HO. O gauge is in my blood. How many years? Got my first Lionel in 48. My first Gargraves Track in 53. Never looked back and I'm only 39. How does that work out? Just call me Jack. Don

Me .... but only at home. I'm tired of trying to do things in my limited space at home. I've been selling off all my transition era things I ran at home, and just doing modern railroading at my friends house, where we have an entire large basement.

 

Its been many years since I did HO. And, yes .... its come a long way. DCC has really changed things .... like my Lionel Legacy has.

 

Steam engines do smoke .... synchronized with the pistion sounds. A top of the line Pacific, for example, is ~$340 at our favorite dealers. But, I'm probably doing diesels, which don't smoke. A top of the line AC6000, for example, can be had for ~$230 at our dealers.

 

I'm just going to use Kato Unitrack .... which is like Lionel Fastrack .... keeping that simple. MTH makes electrocoupler-type engines, but I don't use MTH products. Kadee delayed magnetic couplers, and decoder controlled turnouts (like Lionel Command Switches).

 

My first love is O, but I was pulling my hair out at home trying to make it work .... not satisfying. I'll be happier having layouts in both scales.

 

Its all good.

NO

To the person who said "HO is a toy, O is a model"... You're kidding, right?  I realize that there ARE a lot of true "O scale models" available, but I certainly wouldn't call the majority of O gauge "models", just as I wouldn't call the majority of HO "toys".  There are FAR more scale models in HO scale than O...

I really don't need to think about a change because I still have a good number of trains in Z, N, HO, and Large Scale, in addition to my O and On30.  

 

I obviously have a special fondness for O--darn well better in light of what I do for a living--but if I had a large home with a large yard I can well imagine that I would be spending a lot of time with my Large Scale stuff on a garden railroad.

 

Never met a train in any scale that I didn't like!  

I keep telling myself if they ever come out with an Amtrak Superliner in G scale I would sell off all my O scale stuff in a heartbeat.  I already have the Genesis engines in G just need the cars.  Doubt that will ever happen but you never know.  At one of the York TCA shows someone had 2 Superliner cars in G but up close you could see that they were home made.  Don't get me wrong he/she did a good job on the cars but I won't change over just for 2 cars.  And they have to be 1/29 scale not 1/32.

 

Rick

Not a chance.

Yes, I have thought about it every month I flip through an HO magazine or visit my LHS. HO far out paces O in finding hobby shops stocked with detailing parts, inexpensive command control components, and a greater variety of rolling stock. Things that O used to have an upper hand on have fallen by the wayside, such as being able to run on a reverse loop without having to reverse the polarity of the tracks manually, engine specific sound files and manufacturer added detailing.

Never gave it much thought, too many thoughts of on O.....

 

Why would I go backwards? I was in HO for DECADES, I still have a lot of my equippment, and am a not very active member in a large HO club, but definitely NOT giving up O for HO. O just has a presence to it, that is simply missing in HO.

 

 Selection? O already has more that I want, than I am likely to ever be able to afford, and I already have more than any layout I am ever likely to have could handle.

 

Price? HO is CHEAPER than O? that all depends on how you approach the hobby.

On a piece for piece basis, HO usuallis cheaper than O. If you had the SPACE, to build the layout you wanted in either scale, the SAME layout in O would be more expensive than it would be in HO.

 

BUT, very few of us have the space to build the layout that we would like to have, rather we are normally building a layout TO FIT A SPACE, rather than having the space to fit a layout. Building any given size of layout is often more expensive in HO than building the same size layout in O. to do a X by Z layout in HO is likely going to need more switches, Buildings and other structures, never mind Locomotives and rolling stock, to make it "Look Right" and not empty, than would an X by Z layout in O. Granted, the two layouts will likely have very different personalities, but X number of square feet of layout in O will often be less expensive than the same square feet of layout in HO. For the vast majority of modelers, the available space is the PRIMARY design criteria, when designing a layout.

 

Even a semi-scale "O" Challenger compared to an HO Challenger, which do think is going to get noticed by more people?

 

Both Lionel.

 

Doug

Nah, I have too much of everything invested in O to switch now.

 

Been doing it for 48 years, with only a slight distraction from HO and N back in my teens and early 20's. I woke up one day and decided to focus, and my multi-scale days were over. As I've gotten older, my interests have become more narrow and defined.

Sure there are days when I wish I could get some of the products available in other scales, and it is fun to dream of an even larger railroad empire. However, that is tempered by the fact that I have a difficult enough time getting my trains on the track.

 

For those who think O gauge is expensive, ponder this: to fill the same space that you are currently using, it would take 4 times as much HO.

No

Nope.  

1. Anything smaller than O or S Scale is hard to work on.   
2. O Scale is great for kids to get their hands on.
3. Operating accessories are fun.
4. The WOW factor when people see O Scale.
5. The smoke and sounds.
6. Traditional feel of O Scale can't be beat.

No...
My son said it best, when he was 7 years old. My friend Jerry did HO, we did 3 rail O. Every other Friday we would work on his layout and the next week he would help us with ours. One day my little 7 year old (at the time) asked, "Jerry, why do you like that dinky HO?"
We still laugh about it, he is an adult, and we are still doing our O gauge. But along the way we added 1 1/2 inch scale live steam, he bought a full size steam loco, and is now Chief Mechanical Officer at a railroad and builds and repairs full size steam locomotives.
John

No.

 

No. These thoughts belong to those who are nattering nabobs of negativity.

 

We live in the golden age of O gauge. Of course there are glitches in life. Deal with them.

 

Gerry

Nope...and Gerry stated it exactly!!

 

Alan

No.  I have never thought of getting out of O-scale trains.  Prices, and the overall cost, don't really seem prohibitive compared to other hobbies, it is particularly flexible as to time (no tee-times, no hunting season, not having to get up at 4AM to fish), and what you do (run trains, build scenery).  And with O - you can actually work on and fix locos and stuff - try that with your Z or N gauge without watchmaker training!  

 

Your original question asked about all those things but alot of this discussion has converged to a discussin of other scales.  They all have their charm - but again, no.

I did others in the past.  Toyed with moving to HO when I left N but I viewed it, really, as just a half-step toward where I'd end up anyway.  

 

I am much more pleased with O than any other scale I have ever had.  

Never went out of "O", but added a small layout of AF early postwar "S", as well as a 2x4 "N" layout. I like each for their own reasons, and each has its positive and negative points.

A better question might be if you would add another gauge.  I now have both O and N. O is more fun and nostalgic. With N you can create full size trains which would be hard with O. But N is so small. My N is still beside my O, but I focus far more time and money on O.

I grew up near the Missouri Pacific tracks and received my first Lionel train at Christmas, 1959. I don't see as much MoPac equipment in O gauge as I would like so I have been tempted to go over to the "dark side" - HO. I am not sure that I could bear the expense of having layouts in both gauges so, for now, I run my Lionel trains around the Christmas tree each year and that's about it.

I like both! I have HO in one room & O in the other. Since I grew up with each, it seems normal to me. I tried N because you could have a huge layout in a small space, but I didn't like working on such tiny parts to repair those trains. Having both HO & O is a little limiting I guess since you can't make one huge layout, you need enough space for 2 separate ones, so I grew both layouts until they filled out the areas I had available & I just accept that as my limits. The collection leveled out a few years ago & I only add something new if it REALLY catchtes my interest. If I want to run larger trains than I can at home I don't mind taking them to some one else's layout & running them there. I guess I just accept where I'm at & I try to be happy with that even though I'd love to have more on bigger layouts, this is where I'm at now & space & money have dictated to me how much more I can or can't expand on the hobby. I like building model kits too so that also takes away a little more time, money, & space from the trains , but for me it's a nice ballance.

It's a lot more accepted to just set up trains and run them in O with as little as a green layout base.  In the smaller gauges like HO and N everyone seems to aspire to full scenery layouts.  This can lead to issues like that one train that won't clear a tunnel portal in spite of careful planning and ballast in switch mechanisms. Many modelers hate ballasting. I won't miss it.  

I am shocked, shocked I tell l you!  I can't believe the overwhelming number of favorable to O responses in this, an O gauge forum.

I wonder what the replies might have been if the question was asked about HO trains in an HO train forum - NOT!

I'm with Allan M., the scale doesn't matter.  I like all model trains.

Pete

 

 

I'm really surprised by the responses here. Especially given the amount of consistent grumbling and complaining about what hasn't been made yet in 3-rail (instead of thankfulness for what HAS been made).

 

HO trains do not dwarf 3-rail in size, but the HO market dwarfs the O gauge market. There are far more HO modelers and therefore, far more variety of HO products available because (something some 3-rail guys can't seem to grasp) there is far more financial incentive to tool up and manufacture the products. I would dare say, the HO operators and market is far more uniform than the O gauge market.

 

I like 3-rail trains because they are TOYS. Always have been, always will be. It is only in recent years where there has become a real scale proportioned market in 0 gauge. And I think was only because of the intense competition between Lionel, MTH and K-Line, where each of the respective company's was trying to one-up the others with products that had never been offered before in 3-rail. The consumers didn't create the 3-rail scale market... the companies did. And no doubt, that fact has attracted people back to 3-rail.

 

Given the production numbers I am privy to, the scale 3-rail market is still a very small part of the 3-rail market, though a determined and enthusiastic part of the market.

 

In my mind, no matter how detailed or accurate the locomotive, that Crew Talk or Crew Chatter is no more prototypical than an operating aquarium car or animated Bugs Bunny car. Which to me, makes it an overly expensive TOY. But to each their own. The 3-rail market is small and NEEDS every single modeler participating.

 

So next time anyone wonders and the questions why Lionel makes the products they make, it is because the 3-rail market is a diverse one. Some of us do not want command control of ANY kind and still enjoy (and purchase) non-scale, non-command, conventional tradtional trains.

 

I like these trains because they are toys. If I was determined for scale proportion and accuracy and variety of equipment and rolling stock, I would unquestionably be in HO. Because those things already exist in HO.

 

Nope.  Love the "wow!" factor of 1:48 modern stuff.

 

I am starting to branch out into S scale lateley, but I wont give up on o.

Has I gone HO my layout would have been completed years ago.

Lower prices, more selection, the list goes on.

Bad eye sight kept me in O Gauge.

I think nearly all of us here like all model trains regardless of scale - certainly I do.  But at the moment O is by far the most compatible with my needs: bigger, easier to see into with old eyes, and work on with hands just a little less steady than, say, thrity years ago, etc., and in this big empty nest we have now, I certainly have the room that O requires.    There was a time when N was most compatible - the layout had to slide under a dorm room bed, etc.  

 

I suspect I am not alone in this.  I think many folks pick the scale for reasons that have everything to do with practical/constraint issues they have to accomodate.  It really does not matter: an N gauge Big Boy is still a Big Boy and in its own way every bit as romantic, fun to  play with, and exciting to own way as in HO or O: I know - been there, done that.   

 Nope .

My activities are not scale specific so I work in several different scales as do many of my friends. I fall into the "I never met a train I didn't like" category. Heck, if I had the space and money I'd have 1:1 scale! That said, some of the previous posts in this thread justifying O over other scales are quite amusing. The post referring to O as models and HO as toys is worthy of mention all by itself. Thanks for the entertainment.

 

Now please excuse me as I've gotten a call from The Model Railroad Shop telling me my pre-ordered Athearn Genesis HO Chessie GM50 has arrived and I have to go pick it up.

 

Bob  

Space, followed by space, then probably space 

 

- Don't care about accuracy/detail.  I'm not a rivet counter;  it just has to look cool

- Diversity - yeah, I'd like to see some of the HO stuff in O, but there's enough in O to keep me overwhelmed.

 

But space.....

 

I was a big N scale guy but am in the process of selling off most of my N scale collection.  It was cool, and you could do neat things in a very small space.  Problem was, everything was so tiny I had a hard time working on things let alone seeing them from any distance.  If you do DCC (which I did not) you don't save much money - a lot of the rolling stock is in the $20+ range now, and if you want to run long trains - which is kind of the point - you end up buying 3-4 cars to every one O gauge car.  Same with engines - you end up wanted to double/triple head everything for realism and the money winds up being a wash.

 

I am tempted by HO these days.  I've designed a nice layout on paper that will actually fit in my space.  Wide curves with lots of functionality.   I may actually buy a small HO unitrack setup to do some experimenting using MTH DCS HO engines.  I have two TIU's (long story) so theres no additional investment on the command side.   I'm curious to see how well the MTH HO gear performs.   Price wise, a premier grade HO engine is about the same money as a RailKing Imperial model, which is what I buy, so again, the money winds up being a wash.   It will be interesting as I started out in HO but I went really cheap and got frustrated fast (no command, low end engines and track, etc.).  With better quality gear, I'm wondering what things will be like.   

 

In the end it's space that kills me - I love everything else about O.  Unfortunately, I can get a much more interesting HO layout into the space that contains my paltry O layout. That being said, most the O gauge stuff will stay regardless - it has a sentimental value that the N stuff just couldn't match.

K line guy makes a point I agree with. I think 90% of the Ogauge out there does look very toy like, once you go 3 rail, that's it, you're playing with the toys & that's why I have both O & HO. When I'm in the mood to remember my childhood, relive the old days & think about me & dad, I run the Lionel. When my son & I want to do prototypical, scale modeling & operations, we  run HO. I like both for different reasons & they suit my interests just the same depending on what kind of a mood I'm in. 

  No insult intended, but that's why I've never been able to understand "Hi Rail", it just doesn't make any sense to me to spend time building highly realistic scenery, then detailing & weathering trains that look like toys that run on 3 rails. I'd rather run a traditional style Lionel layout & save my true modeling skills for the HO trains in the other room. To totally different worlds altogether.

Railroaded-

My thoughts exactly!

seems like the NAYS have it

I would be willing to wager that most folks think of leaving their chosen scale at least once.  Some make the jump, most do not, others "rubber gauge."

 

Rusty

I started off in H.O., I really don't miss locomotives still lurching even though the track has been kept impeccably clean as it needed to be.

 

I don't miss the random, for no apparent reason, derailment of rolling stock that always occurs in H.O.

 

IMO o guage is the best there is when it comes to overall reliable running.

 

BTW glueing those handrails onto Athearn H.O. locos what a royal P.I.T.A.

 

O guage has a nice amount of already attached detail, just take it out of the box and run it!

 

Now H.O. just looks so "teeny-tiny" to me.

Absolutely NOT!

I have ever considered it myself.  My son likes HO though and he bought a bunch of track and several engines and a bunch of cars to create his own Christmas layout.  I asked my grandson, my son's son, age 7 and an HO user since birth, just this past Christmas train season which he likes better - his HO or my "bigger stuff".

 

Without hesitating for even a split second he said "your stuff".  Asked why, he came back with 'Because it stays on the track'.

 

Smart kid!

 

- walt

No! One of the many reasons I like O scale is the size, because they are larger they are easy to work with. They are also easier to see compared to the smaller scales. 

I have a bunch of HO stuff in boxes, and it's unlikely to come out any time soon.  I like the O-gauge stuff for some of the same reasons.  Easy to work on, large enough to see the small bits inside, and robust enough to survive in the real world.