Hi all, new railroader

Wow.....lots of stuff to say.....there's a lot of info out there and yes, it can be confusing.....

1st of all, welcome to the OGR Forum.....a great place to be if you are in the O gauge hobby.... 

In no partcular order:

1. Lionel has been around since 1900.

Prewar refers to trains made before WWII or 1942.

Postwar trains are those made from 1946-1969.

1970-to the present day is called the modern era. 

2. Yes, you will need a 2nd transformer if you get a second "conventionally controlled train set". That is a train that is dependent on the votalge lever of the transformer to control it.

Just to make it more confusing:

There are command control engines in the Lionel arsenal.........one group called LionChief/LionChief Plus and the other called (different mechanism) TMCC/Legacy. Bothrun through a special handheld.

Price is what you are comfortable with......I would go to a local shop, go to local shows......get and read the 2 major mags OGR and CTT....

Go to the lionel website.......www.lionel.com.   Look at the other main manufacturers.....MTH and Williams by Bachman.....There's a lot out there and just read up and have fun!

Peter

Here are a few websites:

http://www.lionel.com

http://mthtrains.com

http://www.postwarlionel.com

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/...talogs_brochures.php

http://www.traincollectors.org/

http://www.tmbv.com

Peter

Welcome Aboard! If you need train cars, Menard's is the way to go. They have website and it will help you out.

Peter covered everything else

Try searching for used Lionel and Marx from the postwar era if you want to expand your collection. Bulletproof, and pleasing to the eye.

Welcome to the BEST Toy and Model train forum on the web.  All the info you will ever need is on here somewhere.  Just keep asking.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome! This time of year, you might be able to find a train show in your area. You might want to visit one or two and observe/soak up ideas, info, etc. If you have youngsters (judging by your OGR name), they should enjoy the shows, too.

Tom

Hi Tired Dad, Your self-introduction here is a nice way to be welcomed into the neighborhood. It's always nice to have a new voice on the forum, for your particular perspectives and experiences will be welcome additions to the conversation.

Peter has certainly been gracious in his offering of information to you, typical of his very amiable presence here on OGR Forum.

I was wondering if you have decided as yet if your "layout" will be one just for Christmas, thus, one that will be stored away, or will it become a permanent layout. Either decision would influence how well you affix various elements to the layout, as well as several other factors you may want to consider, such as transformer choice, especially if you exect to expand its precincts eventually.  Sooner or later, we all seem to want to expand our layouts.

FrankM.

That transformer gives you a power and control for conventional running and will allow you to run any one AC conventional engine.   (NOT Lionel LionChief)  If you want to run more than one engine at a time you will need a larger transformer (more watts).

There is a lot of beginner information in some sections of my website.   Feel free to contact me with more questions through the links on the site.

Welcome!

The best advice I can give is to read and study up on the hobby.  Investigate different operating systems and layout building techniques.  Read & study, educate yourself before you start spending money.  You can learn a lot of valuable information by just reading the posts here on this forum.  Anyway, that's my two cents now have a Merry Christmas.

Welcome,

There are a lot of trains that have been made and many companies who used to make them. Today there are about five companies who make O gauge size trains.

Lionel, MTH, RMT, Atlas, Williams by Bachmann.

Companies who are no longer in business include; K-Line, Weaver(just shut down), AMT, Ives, Dorfan, American Flyer(pre WW-2 O gauge, after WW-2 S gauge).

There is a lot to chose from and it can get overwhelming at times. Command Control has 2 different versions by 2 different companies; first there is TMCC & Legacy by Lionel, and DCS or PS-2 & 3 by MTH. Also each company makes a light(or simple) version; Lionel is called Lion Chief, MTH's version is Commander(not for sure of the name).

Lee Fritz

With so many choices to be made in your (fun) situation, you may wish to simplify by considering:

As pointed out, you do need a second transformer unless running one of the remote control systems.  (This would mean another loop of track as well).  Since you will most assuredly be buying more track to expand at some point, you may wish to continue using the same type that came with your first set.

Therefore, if going with conventional control I suggest that buying a second set would give you advantages of getting the second transformer, more track, and big money savings over buying pieces individually.  Many here have recommended the Lionel sets containing the 0-8-0 steamer (i.e., no pilot [engine] wheels, 8 drive wheels and no trailing wheels).

It does help to have the patience to read, observe and interview, but that is easier said than done, at least in my case.  Have fun, and do continue to post any questions here.

Alrighty now!

First of all, a big "thank you" to all for your assistance. Talk about drinking from the firehose. That's a lot of information.

Here's my summary takeaway for my Christmas setup.

a) Get a second transformer to run two trains.

b) For train #2, get Lionel or Marx postwar engines.

c) check out an 0-8-0 for train # 2...

ok, Tired Dad is tired...signing off.

PS. This is really not for me...I'm really just doing it for my 3 year old boy.

...really...it really is just for my kids....

Tired Dad,

   You might want to consider a RTR (Ready to Run Train Set) lots of different sets to choose from, my wife is getting me a new Hal-Mark Lionel Santa Express Train to add to my Christmas layout this year.  It comes with everything, including it's own FasTrack oval, remote control and transformer.   The engine is a real cool Steamer and the sounds are all of Santa.  Your kids would probably love it Christmas morning, I know this kid will.  There is another complete thread we started on this Hal-Mark Santa Train, you might want to check it out.

PCRR/Dave