New Looking for help

Terry,

First off, welcome and you've certainly come to the right place for advice.  I wouldn't have been to get as far as I have without learning from the good folks here.

Lots of things to consider and lots of questions to address.  My meager advice would be to set those aside for time being and start off with a ready to run starter set, something from MTH or Lionel Lionchief +.  They will come with everything you need to run trains immediately with little effort - scratch the itch as it were.  And even if you want to add to what you initially get, or change directions in track systems and power, you still have the trains to run wherever your train adventure takes you.

All the best!

Welcome Terry,

Steve made a good point.  I saw a complete set, cheap, at a yard sale last October.  The forum has been a wealth of knowledge and friendly advise.  My advice is look around, absorb everything, ask questions, then spend money.

Happy Railroading!

Terry,

Welcome to the forum and yes you can get any information you need here from start to finish.

I agree with Steve: pick a nice starter / ready to run set from Lionel. Many to choose from. They come complete with an oval of track and transformer. Many people choose the Lion Chief sets which look to be easy to set up and run.

MTH has starter sets too which look pretty good. Either way you can not go wrong.

Run them until you can decide what trains and track type you like. It would be a modest investment back into O Scale.

Spend lots of time looking at the excellent pics people post here. You may start to get a feel for what interests you most before putting any $$ into the project. This is something the interwebs is especially good for, sharing photos.

Lew

Thank you all for the advice, I will start looking into starter sets. I enjoy hearing all your thoughts, I'm sure it will help steer me in the right direction.  And Lew I have already enjoyed looking at all the pics that were posted, lot of talent in here that's for sure.

Welcome ChooChooPappa...

  Starting fresh? Here are some postwar trains to drool over

http://www.tandem-associates.c...onel/lionelident.htm

Thor's train & toy soldier site (R.I.P. Thor; visit, it may vanish)

Olsen's Trains has a great parts site, but is down for a while.

Instersted in one you see? Start a thread and ask about opinions. Take everything in slowly as you can.  Some folk manage to hang out a while before breaking ground, some will have a table up 4 days after the first post.

  1. New track is great. Check Menards online prices and shop around. Check for review threads here in search.  Pre war fat wheels make careful turnout a must. And speaking of fat wheels and tin, dont turn your nose up to quick on Marx, American Flyer O, or some of the others.  0-36 or larger if you can.

2. Don't get cheap on power. Not many folk cry "I bought too big". It's always I didn't buy big enough. 90w min. in a 1033, 125w LW, 180w KW, 180w VW, 250-280w ZWs, prewar R, S, V, Z 110-250w , A.Flyer 15b*, AF 18b*, and some Marx(not very servicable)

Buy refurbished with a warranty or read up on checking old for rebuildability, good windings, rollers, arms, etc. so you don't buy a dud because it lit one bulb or made someting run for 2 minutes.

3. Keep a carpet loop to run when bored if you start a huge layout. Some days you just want to run, not build.

4. Spend time running again asap and figure out for sure if you are still a looper or into operations before you build extravagantly either way. Heck there are collectors that never run anything or even have a track. Others like the scenery work more than running , etc... Know thyself. And before you say you do; your not a kid anymore; doublecheck

5. The for sale forum here is a pretty good place to begin. On "those auction sites" check the completed / sold adds to keep from overpaying.... A big price tag doesn't mean crap. I want to sell sticks of gum for $25 but who will buy.

6. Find a local club to visit. Ask if you can try something out in exchange for a small donation or something. There is new stuff to amaze you there. I want my old school stuff too, but you owe it to yourself to at least look.

7. TTOS, TCA, LCCA are clubs you might want to visit online... especially TCA grading guidelines since you are buying soon.(no price guide, just grades)

8. Don't run away if someone gets cranky some day

* these Flyers work best for non-whistle trains. They seem to trigger the whistle randomly, especially on new trains.

New trains and old trains, even items of the same brand are mostly compatible, but not always... always best to check.

What kind of train(s) did you have back then? Electric, diesel, steam? Engine # roadname or wheel count?

(time for the "Whyte Notation" and similar on Wikipedia? )

  Oh, AC trains on DC? OK (with some possible long term drawbacks)  DC trains on AC = smoke.   Dc with a rectifier on ac...ok.  DC only trains do exist. So does 2rail O... usually scale stuff but in tin too.

If you do have interest in the crazy amount of electronics available you might take a different approach.

Things today aren't quite as bullet proof as you old postwar was, but they are quiet anyhow (with the volume off )

Since they are touting Lion Chief, maybe make it a LC+ so you can still run it without the remote too.  If you want to run the world with your phone make sure you investigate the blue tooth capabilities on top of it.

  There are two levels of LionChiefs. LC &LC+...read up. Then the fancier "Neil Young" design is TMCC CAB1 (old) & Legacy (new, fancier) or MTH with DCS/DCC, they sometimes play well , maybe maybe not. Or other systems too. DCC is open source, very big in small gauge modeling. but high amp decoders for O kinda new.  

  I'm not a fastrack fan. It comes across as noisy to some folk (I say tin-y) not always though. I do like the assembly, but don't like the spring tab connections.

   O & 0-27 are different sized in pin & tube dia. and O is stiffer taller and has better turnouts than 0-27

  You can force a mix & match even if it means no pins, just butt them together track down and shim one up well.

Intrested in Super O? A member was offering a pretty good deal on ovals of vintage super 0. ( I love the track. Limited to one size turn without customizing it + some other quirks, but I still love the look and "feel".)

  The post war feel in engines is kinda gone. An open frame moror is only half of it, the mechanical e unit buzz is gone too. Low end running is better with can motors though.

Power supplies for new trains is chosen diffently. Nothing wrong with what was listed usually, but there may be better. Or worse. 

  Consider GarGraves for more realistic wood ties that appeals to you.

This place below with stuff like this, to Eric's train reviews. Lots out there.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oorg2q0D8hs

choochoopapa posted:

I am turning 65 this year, retirement is nearing, most likely in 2020 and I am looking to getting involved with trains once again. In 1955 at the ripe old age of just 1, my parents bought me a O gauge Lionel passenger train. It sat in boxes during my adult years, until I am sorry to say sold it about 20 years ago. I have the itch and the space to get it going again. I came across this forum and thought this would be a great place to start.

I have yet to purchase anything and I am looking for some exert advice. I like to pre and post models trains and since I am a child of the 50's and 60's love that era as well. I am just not sure what direction to go in or how to even get started. All and any advice would be great, I am clearing space now and starting looking around for some ideas. I wouldn't say I have limited income, but am not a rich man by any means.  Thank you all for listening and looking forward to reading your thoughts and ideas.

Terry

Hey Terry , Scratch your itch and begin your journey . Postwar Lionel will bring tears to your eyes . Good Luck and stay in touch.

Welcome to O gauge !!   Visit the Lionel and/or Mike's Train House web site and browse their 2019 catalogs.  That will give you an idea of what's changed since the 1950s.   It will be a little daunting to catch up a first.  Also, subscribe to an O gauge train magazine:  OGRR of course and Classic Toy Trains are most popular.  Go to a train show that has a reasonable amount of O gauge.  There are many.  You can see trains run and buy stuff new and old.  And when you're hooked like the rest of us, you'll want to go to the grand daddy of all O gauge shows:  TCA show in York, PA which is twice a year, April and October.

choochoopapa posted:

...And Lew I have already enjoyed looking at all the pics that were posted, lot of talent in here that's for sure.

My modeling abilities&skills are limited so I pick up tips here every day.

Lew

geysergazer posted:

choochoopapa posted:

...And Lew I have already enjoyed looking at all the pics that were posted, lot of talent in here that's for sure.

My modeling abilities&skills are limited so I pick up tips here every day.

Lew

I can tell you from experience that your modeling skills will grow once you get into it.  Some books help too, like Dave Frary's series.

shorling posted:

geysergazer posted:

choochoopapa posted:

...And Lew I have already enjoyed looking at all the pics that were posted, lot of talent in here that's for sure.

My modeling abilities&skills are limited so I pick up tips here every day.

Lew

I can tell you from experience that your modeling skills will grow once you get into it.  Some books help too, like Dave Frary's series.

I have his book on scenery techniques. I had some fun with cardboard, plaster cloth and Sculptamold:

Lew

Welcome; I jumped in at the age of 67 in 2014; went with Lionel; had no idea that there were so many choices; knew zero about Lionchief, Lionchief +, Lionel Legacy, and Lionel Vision Line.  Started with the Lionchief Christmas set named the Polar Express - around $350; then, went crazy and bought the Lionel Visionline Big Boy see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCSaV5RZzX4

Still buying Lionel locos and liking it.

Great video Rick thanks!

Man, great advice all around, thanks i will spend some time looking at all your suggestions. Hopefully i can decide the direction to go, i am in no hurry usually very patient and research a lot before plunking down the cash. Thanks again, i will keep reading the forum for ideas.

Fundamentals before you design an "O" track layout:

What do you want??  Basically, a toy train layout that has lots of track, and accessories crowded in, like back in our youth?  Or a depiction of a railroad in miniature? 

Any model railroad is really a caricature of the prototype.   To put 1:48 O Scale on a layout requires a lot of space.  

- you have to have access to all parts of it.  So- for example, any section that is against a wall has to either be about 24- 30" MAX deep, or have a removable/ lift-out access hatch for maintenance.

- You have to allow for access to things IN the train room- if the furnace needs to be replaced, do you have to dismantle the train to do it?

- Windows- can be a distraction if they are behind the train layout.

-  Access to work bench for working on trains- you wouldn't want to have to go up to the attic to work on an engine then test it in the basement.

- support columns - if they exist how do you hide them?

And dozens more compromises and considerations.  

Buy enough power.  In my 12 X 20 layout I have three sections- 2 run by 2 PW 275 Watt ZWs, and the other third by a modern 600+ watt ZW-L.

Our available space defines the size of our layouts regardless of the scale.

O Gauge advantages:

- better running- O gauge trains are WAY less "fiddly", and that is a benefit over smaller scales.

- access to what is really a second hobby- chasing old, but still good trains on e-Bay and at train shows.  Lionel engines from the late '40's can and do often run as well as when new.  (This is "collecting"!)

- easier to work on trains.

- (I think) more durable trains.

I sent the drawing of my space to the track designer, first, after discussing what I wanted.  Then to a benchwork supplier, who built my tables to the layout of my basement, as dictated by the track plan. 

This has worked out well for me:

- Realistic trackplan and mix of scenery/ track.

- Running trains within about 3 weeks

- The Fastrack is NOT as "noisy" as some might indicate.  I used vinyl roadbed over 1/2" MDF, you could also use homosote or carpet.  

- Reliable running trains.

This is  HOOT of a hobby.  Enjoy!!

Thanks Mike, great stuff. I do have a lot of space, but I currently have a lot of stuff in that space, working on that.  Thanks again.