Newbie Railroader

Well, first of all welcome to the forum. The Lionel Union Pacific Overland Flyer is a nice starter set. It comes with 036 FasTrack. The 0-8-0 is a nice little engine, while clearly O gauge, it may or may not be a scale representation of an actual UP locomotive. It is a traditional sized set.

When it comes to adding cars; MTH Rugged Rails, MTH RailKing, RMT (Ready Made Trains), WbB Traditions (Williams by Bachmann) and of course Lionel non-scale cars (including "Post War" ) will look fine behind your locomotive.

The tinplate couplers are a different. Not impossible to "make them work", but for now I'd suggest avoiding Tin Plate.

Assuming you are a UP fan, you can save yourself a ton of money if you focus on UP (and fallen flags that make up the UP) rolling stock.

Thanks a lot really appreciate the help. I am not just a Union Pacific fan I Like them all lol. One of the main reasons I bought this set was because it had a metal engine and came with a transformer. I was looking at some sets and I believe the engine was plastic and it came with the remote control. I don't know but I like the transformer better then that. I was also wondering why I cannot go with a  scale representation cars. Is it because they will look to big behind my locomotive

UP - Union Pacific.....

Some scale cars will likely look fine behind your locomotive. Mixing scale cars in with the cars you already have may not look "right". There are scale 36' MTH reefers that would probably look just fine....

ok sorry about that I just figured that out. Like I said I am a newbie

Hey gilly, does 0-8-0 represent the model number of my engine. is that what that means

That's the wheel configuration 

0 no pilot wheels (front)

8 driving wheels (4 per side)

0 no trailing truck (under the firebox)

This wheel configuration was used for a switcher. 

I'm an N&W fan and they had 0-8-0 s too. The N&W cab# 244 was the last steam locomotive built in the USA. 

The wheel configuration is the same as yours. When you look at the tender, you'll see significant differences.

My favorite N&W steamer is the J class. It is a 4-8-4 wheel configuration. This sketch illustrates the 4-8-4 wheel configuration well.

0-8-0 is the wheel arrangement.  No lead axle, 4 driving axles (8 wheels), no trailing axle.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whyte_notation

Jeff Davis

That's a beautiful steamer. I love the 4-8-4. Beautiful. what did they use that locomotive for. and my steamer I required in my set was used as a switcher

Hi Justin! Welcome! The N&W J 4-8-4's were passenger locomotives. And yes, 0-8-0's were switchers. 

The N&W J class was used for passenger service. The 611 has been restored and returned home to Roanoke Va back in the spring.

This is great. I am glad I finally understand what that means. I actually called lionel today to figure out what that means and she told me it was the model number of my locomotive but now I know. great. Thanks a lot guys.

Here is another question. In my set on the price tag it said 027 flyer freight set. Gilly said I had 036 track but I don't understand why it says 027 on the price tag. Unless that means this is the tightest curves I can go with with this set

Bingo. The Lionel website under "Features" it lists minimum curve diameter @ 27".

Justin - is this the set you purchased? 

Awesome. So when you buy one of these sets it lists the tightest curve you can go with I guess. I was also wondering a scale car is more closer to the size of real car is that correct. So therefor scale cars are bigger then what I have. What are my cars called then. just traditional size

yes it is rshawyer36

I was wanting to get this set but it came with the remote and I dunno about that. I like having the transformer myself. Seems more natural. If I were to buy this engine though can you still run this on a transformer 

http://www.lionelstore.com/Alb...Set-Loco-4983-681279

Your set's cars would be traditional size. Scale size (MTH Premier, Lionel Standard O, Atlas, etc.) are 1:48 size scale of the real thing. These models also are usually more detailed, etc. 

ok atlas cars correspond with lionel then

meaning if I went bought a couple cars made by atlas they would couple up with a lionel locomotive

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your first train set Justin!

To answer your questions, most if not all models locomotives are based on a prototype in real life. Some are whimsical and loosely based on an actual model, while others are accurate down to the finest details. Steam locomotives are named by the arrangement of wheels, starting with the pilot truck, then the drivers, and finally the trailing truck; your 0-8-0 means there are only 8 driving wheels and no pilot or trailing truck wheels. Lionel commonly calls the 0-8-0 a "Docksider" or "Yard Goat" as these short, stalwart locomotives were often assigned to switching duties in yards or industrial sidings. One of the best places to learn more would be a quick search on google or wikipedia using the wheel arrangement as a search term. Pictures are also worth a thousand words (as Kodak proclaimed), so you can find lots of rail photo websites out there; my personal favorites are rrpicturearchives and railphotos.

To answer your next question about couplers, in theory all O scale trains with knuckle couplers can be able to couple together without any issues. However the height or depth of the coupler pocket varies with the vintage and brand of the model, which can lead to some operating issues. Nothing serious, but you might find that one brand's coupler won't couple to an older mode from another brand.

To answer your question about which rail cars would be best, the answer would depend on the length of the cars and your own personal preferences. O-27 is the tightest track diameter, so logically you can only operate cars with a length of less than 12" to prevent derailments and the cars overhanging curves too much. Some modelers desire to have locomotives pull era-appropriate cars (ex: a steam engine pulling 40' woodsided boxcars instead of modern bathtub gondolas or intermodal flatcars), but it reality there is no wrong way as long as you are happy with the results. Since most starter set locomotives tend to be undersized rather than scale pieces, some scale cars might make the locomotive look disproportionately small. With that said, Lionel trains from the 1970 onwards (traditional sized only), K-Line, Atlas O's Industrial Rail, Williams/Williams By Bachmann, Ready Made Toys, and MTH Trains' Railking line would make excellent choices, as you will find a plethora of cars in every road name, number, and type available. Keep in mind that your starter set locomotive will pull a few lightweight cars with ease, but not much more.

Again welcome, and lots of luck! The forum is one of the greatest resources out there for O scale trains.

-John

thank you. what about mth locomotives will those work on a lionel track and cars. I was looking at this one for instance

http://www.trainz.com/p-338797...3-wps3-prr-1187.aspx

does lionel own all these companies or something. I am confused as to which companies work with lionel. I mean if I bought a Bachmann O scale set would I have to buy Bachmann cars etc

Yes, all 3-rail O gauge locomotives and rolling stock will work on any brand's track system. The key point with track is the gauge between the running (outer) rails, which will always be fixed at 1.25".

In terms of companies, all are distinct entities. Lionel is synonymous with O gauge trains, but Lionel, MTH, Atlas O, Williams, Ready Made Toys are all individually owned. The former K-Line company was once independently owned, but was acquired by Lionel due to a legal case in the mid 2000s.

The good news is as long as it runs on 3-rail O gauge track, it is compatible with your starter set.

Hope this helps!

-John

another thing I am curious about is this. Im looking at this engine here and it comes with the remote and says this          Engine will work with conventional Transformers for power, they operate from the remote for speed, direction and sound.   so does that mean it will still operate with just a transformer.

ok thanks Acela. one more question regarding that. How do I know if it runs on a 3 rail track lol. does it say or ??

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LIONEL...?hash=item51c6f1bf5c

All locomotives that have some form of remote control (LionChief, TMCC/Legacy and DCS are the common ones) will operate conventionally with just a transformer. The caveat is some of the advanced sound and/or operating features may only be accessible by the remote.

In terms of 3-rail track, all locomotives and rolling will operate on 3-rail track unless explicitly stated in the catalog details. Only Atlas O and MTH currently manufacture 2-rail versions of catalog items.

-John

Ok I gotcha. So therefore lets say I wanted to buy this locomotive here made by mth. I would be able to run this on a lionel 3 track system and couple up to my cars from lionel

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com...-p/mth-20-3562-1.htm

Absolutely - all the different brands will work perfectly together on any 3-rail track. Just keep in mind that your hypothetical locomotive purchase requires wider radius O-42 curves. If you intend on running longer, scale pieces I would recommend switching to O gauge track now, especially before you begin to acquire track switches (these tend to be the most expensive tracks).

-John

Hi Justin, Welcome.

What you want on your layout is the name of the game.

"Don't let um get you, no. Don't let um get the...... 

0-27 is smaller in curves, and in scale than O is. Some is interchangeable, some is not. Issues that arise from 0-27 trains on O track or larger, are few, and often easily remedied. O down to 0-27 has a good sized list of individualized issues, but many work or can be made to work.

Ask.

  That is incompatibility bit is within brands as well. Some MPC-Lionels are DC only, as well as some other early stuff. (When in doubt test with DC, 99% run on DC fine).

 This forum is an excellent sounding board to keep you from making the occasional oops too.    

There are a few lifetimes worth of info and choices to consider.

Your style, or lack of it  will develop, and change more than likely.

 I suggest to not pull up the carpet layout until your done with any other "big idea" 

It keeps you running trains, and dreaming while glue dries

 Move at slow pace that allows sound decisions.

  The best layouts take years, get changed along the way, and few are the first the builders have made.

 Don't just look around online. You need to see and touch too.

Find a show, or better yet SYLHS before they are gone

 (support your local hobby shop. The little guy)

The AAR and Whyte notation will help you catch up with loco names, and types to some extent. Look at each, both have a link at the above page link.

  What transformer(s) do you have now? Are you going with command?

 Many are really quite adequate till you own a "monster". To be more specific 90w+ is pretty much ok till you run two or three motors on the head end.

One way to combine different couplers is called a transition car. In has two style couplers, one at each end. There are/were also some adaptors made, that fit on one or the other.

Steam has more options for that. 

Some tin plate tab & slot couplers can be used with a normal steam locos drawbar.(tin tender)

A tin loco(tab&slot), can often pull a normal tender drawbar.(some are now the digital link)

 Turnouts are the big tin issue between brands, because the gear is right at the wheel flanges edge.(a "fat wheel" by nickname).

 Its tin, its older. It was the best thing on rails for the time, so it does work. But years of development brought big advances all things considered.

I run Tin, 0-27,& O together.

Some days I'll hook them up in a visually pleasing order, where you don't notice change of scale much.

Other days I could care less.

 But some folk would rather watch tv than run a non-scale train.

And You might say "No way not me" right now, but then change your mind, and want scale only a year from now. Then switch to tin plate because an incorrect detail gives you a nervous breakdown, and then back to o-27 for personal nostalgia again.

So grab up just what will keep you somewhat satisfied for now,(easier said than done) and learn more about what the Midnight Rider has to say about what he likes best

Hey Justin - I have that MTH 2-8-0 Consolidation. It is an awesome locomotive. It is from their Premier line, which means it's scale, and as John noted requires a large radius of curve - in this case, O-42. Your set I believe comes with O-36 curves. Fastrack comes in O-48, so if you decided to pick up that MTH locomotive, you can easily purchase track that it will run on (although I would encourage you, if you do purchase it, go for O-72 track. Scale looks much better on wider radius). I second John - I encourage you to not only research online, but if you can, visit your local hobby shop and look at the different track systems and radius of curves, and if their is a train show near you, check that out as well. 

The rolling stock and locomotives are interchangeable (as long as their 3-rail). For instance, while most of my locomotives are MTH Premier, my rolling stock is MTH Premier, Lionel Standard O, Atlas O, Weaver, etc. That's the great thing about O gauge - you can buy from all the different makers and interchange them together. 

As you get into the hobby, I would definitely encourage you to take time to decide what track system you like the best before you spend a lot of money on one particular system. A mistake I made (and several others on here have as well) was buying a lot of one system (in my case, Fastrack) before really researching all the different ones. As my tastes changed and my personal preference was for scale sized locomotives and rolling stock and a track system that looked more prototypical, I ended up selling off all my Fastrack for about half of what I paid for it so I could buy a different track system. Your track system will also depend on where you intend to run your trains. If you're doing what we call the Carpet Central, Fastrack or MTH Realtrax are your best bets. Don't ask which one is better on here - lol - you'll get a lot of different opinions. It's a matter of personal preference. 

If you're doing a more permanent layout, you have a lot more options for track. Some of the more popular are Gargraves and Atlas, and Ross switches are excellent. Again, it's a matter of personal preference and there's plenty of options to choose from. That's the great thing about this hobby - there are lots of great options for each individual preference. 

You'll also want to check out some of the various command control systems. The two most prevalent are MTH DCS and Lionel Legacy. The older Lionel command system is TMCC. DCS will run MTH and Lionel (although not all Legacy features), but Legacy will only run Lionel. Again, take time to research. And never be afraid to ask questions on here - there are a lot of great people and tons of great resources. Also, you can look through some of the various forums on here for answers to some of your questions. It's probably been discussed before!

Enjoy yourself - this is a wonderful hobby! 

Welcome to the forum. You'll learn a lot of info on here.

welcome to the wonderful world of trains fellow Buckeye. lots of great people and info here.

Welcome to the Forum.

Welcome Justin,

I hope you like your starter set. You may want to expand your set after a few weeks to a few months. Be sure to purchase the correct track for your set so you can add on to it.

Most of the freight cars made by; Bachmann/Williams, Lionel, MTH, K-Line and Atlas should be able to be used without any problems or changes to them.

Keep away from what is called pre-war and Marx as they have different couplers and they don't mate up to Lionel style knuckle couplers.

Weaver is another company that made model trains in O gauge and O scale, be careful if you purchase any Weaver items as they may have different mountings for their couplers and act different depending on the item made. Weaver just went out of business.

I won't tell you about all the different track that is available in O gauge as most people have different opinions about track.

Lee Fritz

Justin,

    Welcome aboard you will like it here!  Check out the FasTrack for your Lionel Trains.

PCRR/Dave

hey guys really appreciate all the welcomes. Everybody is so friendly here . Yeah before I buy any more track I wanna get track where I can run scale cars. I have plenty of room to set my track up and I still need to build a table to get my track permanently mounted. I was kinda wanting to go with a track where I can run just about anything. When I buy track I was thinking of going with like a 048 or 060. I was looking at fastrack but I know the regular track is cheaper and I can buy a conversion piece to go from fastrack to regular track. maybe later on I will get into the computer chipped equiptment but for right now im just using a 80 watt transformer. how many trains can you run on one transformer