What surprised you?

The absolutely infinite variety of products...astounding!!!

I am with you Frank....  Being located in a part of the country that is a "desert" for toy trains, I didn't think I would meet so many nice folks like you and many others here on the forum.  Discovering this place opened up a SURPRISING number of friendships with a great bunch of guys and gals that not only enjoy our hobby together but enjoy each other as well...  Our Mid America 3-Railers group is made up of many OGR formites and in fact exists because of this forum.  Great thread topic Frank!

 

Thanks,

Alan

As a relative newcomer to the hobby, in the past 4 years I've been surprised to discover:

 

- MTH ... never heard of them 5 years ago, now MTH comprises most of my "fleet"

 

- YORK ... never heard of it, now, we've been to about 5!

 

- BMRS ... our local train club, never knew they were there! About 15 minutes from the house, great bunch of guys, lots to do, lots to learn!

 

- OGR Forum ... who would'a thunk there'd be such a great pool of knowledge and friends in one place!

 

Ed

There were 3 big surprises that hit me when I got back into the hobby:

 

- FasTrack, and how easy it was to use when compared to tubular.

 

- The digital sounds in today's locomotives, and how superior they were to the "Mighty Sound of Steam" in the trains of my childhood.

 

- Command control, and how much fun it is not to be tied to a transformer.

 

Later on, the size of York was a bit of a surprise, once I actually attended my first one, but I was fore-warned about that on this forum...

 

Andy

My biggest surprise was also that there were other people as addicted to trains as me.

One...that there were actually companies that made little fake grasses and weeds, tiny trashcans etc.

 

Two...that there were other "train companies" besides Lionel!  MTH??  Weaver??  Atlas???  When did this happen!!??  

 

- Mike

That "The Great One"(VOX) was more than just an urban legend.

 

 

Rick

Finding this and other forums 4 years ago was a pretty big surprise. Back then I wasn't as technologically inclined as I am now and had no concept of what an internet "forum" even was. A giant website where hundreds of people as into trains as I am talk about everything and anything trains daily? Who'da thunk it 

 

Another surprise, as already mentioned, was finding out there were other companies out there with a quality product beside Lionel. Last York was first time I really delved into MTH rolling stock, and now I'm hooked.

 

And finally, York itself was probably the biggest surprise of the hobby for me. Wouldn't have known anything about it or the TCA if not for this forum. I had been putting up with a gradually dying once a year show in Tampa as my only big "train event" my entire life. The silver hall at York was bigger than that entire show, not to mention there's seven more halls even bigger. It's York or nothing for me now 

That there are so many discussion threads on the FOR SALE FORUM...can you say EPIDEMIC???  I know...I know...it's free, and we all have the right to RUIN A GOOD THING!!!

       


Amen!
The products available have made this the number one scale again

I didn't expect or anticipate... long waits for items I ordered and the significant number of defective new arrivals. Had I known that reality... I might not have got involved in O gauge trains.

 

I also thought the trains would have held their value better.

 

 

Rick

 

 

The number of people who want feature piled on top of feature, so much complexity, and then complain when every little thing (and some big things) doesn't work perfectly.

 

The number of people who apparently can't be bothered to modify or add a detail or two so as to match a favorite prototype.  Mel Thornburgh is spinning in his grave.

 

The fact that there is a real need for forums dealing exclusively with modern control systems.  I can't help but notice there's no specific forum for conventional control.

 

Pete

 

 

What surprises me most is that when I power up the transformer, the DCS and all the engines run the way the should, where they should.  Every once in awhile I have to troubleshoot to find out why a switch won't line or a uncoupler won't work or no power to a section of track. 

 

Back in the day,  long ago and far, far, away,  all I had to look for was where the derailed car was that was preventing the transformer from resetting it's breaker!  

 

 

All in all, I just turn on the power and off they go!

 

Dan

I've been fortunate enough to have practically been born into the hobby through my Grandfather and my Father setting up a layout every Christmas season since my first concious memory.  Also, growing up in Philadelphia they would take me to visit most of the many model train shops in the area during the holiday season.  I had several neighborhood friends and a few cousins who had Christmas layouts I could visit and operate. So in spite of all the usual distractions of growing up, I always had the trains as my favorite hobby.  But because of a small row house basement I was restricted to the 4X8 set up for Christmas.

 

After buying my first house my objective (as I was also painting, wallpapering and other upgrades to the new house, back when I had the energy to do it all) was to build my biggest layout yet!  It was about 14' X 8' using my pre-existing Christmas layout lumber and a few scraps of leftover plywood.  It all sat on wobbly saw horses with a combo of Super O and O-27 track of four loops and the couple of Lionel post war sets I had from childhood and Plasticville buildings.

 

This sets up my biggest surprise in the hobby, when my cousin introduced me to Greenberg Train Shows and to the TCA 30 years ago.  I was amazed at all the buying and selling of trains going on, seeing some guy whip out $700 cash for a whole set of a Lionel SP GS-4 and 5 matching Daylight passenger cars!  

 

Further surprise was when other O gauge manufacturers began to pop up; Williams, MTH, K-Line, Weaver, Atlas O, 3rd Rail, and improved Lionel items as a result.  There is so much to choose from it's made the hobby so much more fun for me.  And with the advent of the internet and discovering lots of model and real train information, I discovered the OGR forum.  The information from here is amazing, but the friends I've made that I can relate and share the hobby with are priceless.

 

First time I couldn't run a four minute mile. 

Don

Coming back into the hobby around 2006, I was surprised when I found out some of the O gauge locomotives had all kinds of sounds.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find out Lionel had a track system with built in roadbed.  I immediately boxed up my O-27 track and started what became a permanent carpet central.

What surprises me is that I'd someday be posting on a train forum on a topic that's asking what surprised me.

 

What surprised me 8 years ago when I got back into the hobby is the great products from manufacturers other then just Lionel.  I now have locomotives from MTH 20, Lionel 7, Weaver 4, 3rd Rail 3, Atlas O 4, Williams 1 and original K-line  2. I also was blown away by TMCC and DCS and the great track options such as Atlas O and Gargraves

I've had a few surprises: 1. The demise of K-line. Which really should be no surprise. Giving away museum quality models of the SD75M for $125? Kinda tough to stay in business that way. 2. Receiving my SD75M after K-line went out of business. A very pleasant surprise. 3. Lionel Fastrack. The first starter set I bought came with it. Got rid of all my tubular after that.

When I was younger (70s and 80s) I would travel to weekend train shows with dad looking for all the latest good stuff as well as post-war treasures. I observed that most of the crowd were guys my dad's age or older; the generation that absorbed toy trains (primarily Lionel) like kids today absorb X-Boxes or iPhones. I would often think what is going to happen to this hobby when this generation (that I was observing) is no longer at these shows? Fast forward to this past year or so and my re-entry into the hobby (as more than just having a shelf in the office with some trains on it) and I am pleasantly surprised to find many individuals younger than myself very much into their trains. And the slice I see are those that choose to participate in online interaction. Statistics dictate there are more out there. This bodes well for the hobby...and proves that with all the cool technology out there toy trains are still pretty awesome to those that choose to indulge.  -Len

Frank,

 

What a wonderful thread. If I wrote a list of everything that surprised me, I would be here all night.

 

1) I didn't know there still was a Lionel in 1974

2) I never heard of a 773

3) I had no idea articulated locos ever existed

4) I thought model steamers were all about 7 inches long

5) 6464 boxcars were not scale?

6) What was scale?

7) MTH who?

8) My Lionel milk car was not worth $1000

9) Train shows? What is a train show?

10) There were other model railroaders? I thought there was just this fellow at work who said he had some trains.

11) My mother-in-law was not a train fan.

12) My wife listened to what her mother told her.

13) I had to listen to what my wife told me

14) My mother-in-law told me I could not build a train layout in the boiler room because she wanted to sleep there.

15) #14 was a doozy, right?

16) My mother-in-law told me the train layout I built in the other room of the basement had to go because she was moving from the boiler room.

17) #16 was a doozy right?

18) The more I played with my trains, the less my mother-in-law mattered

19) I moved out and played with trains all I wanted

20) Mike who? He was building a Challenger? What's a Challenger?

Eliot I loved #11 to 18 those were all doozy's

 

What surprised me was the awesome sounds and extremely slow movement

of these newer trains.

 

THANKS, Alex

I can't believe how far the hobby has come since I started back in the 70's. From short non scale locomotives and cars to what we have today. I always wanted scale locomotives back in the 70's but had to run what was available. Then came the late 80's and the start of the scale revolution. I'm still buying and running the trains I always wanted. No matter what you run or collect it is all about having fun and I'll be having fun till the end.

What surprised me was trains used to be considered a investment that probably would go up in value or at least hold their own. Now they depreciate like a car.

 Also until the manufactures started to go to foregn makers there really wasen't anything new. It was postwar with new paint jobs or old Marx tooling in the case of K Line. The many new products after that ere was what surprised me.

For years and years there was tubular track or Gargraves, that was it. Now many much better track is a surprise although I use Gargraves and think it looks as good as any except maybe Scaletrack.

Like many others who have come back to the hobby, to discover what's available these days is mind boggling. I refuse to focus on one aspect and love to flit from tinplate to high rail, American to Australian to British to European, just a wonderful hobby.

Also, this forum is unique. I have not come across anything in the same league, where real friendships are made around the world, where the combined knowledge is so complete and willingly shared. And where else could you find Scrapiron, Farmer Bill, Scale Rail and all the other wonderful characters in one place? Thanks Frank, for reminding us all how lucky we are to be in this great hobby with such a great bunch of people.

Expensive locos with electronics Gomez Addams would love because CLICK CLICK they blow up on their own!

For me...

 

The many aspects of the hobby. It is absolutely great!

This Forum, which helps bring them out and together!

 

York, for the first time a couple of years ago when I joined the TCA - Thank You to Dave at JusTrains for helping that to happen!

 

How many people , of all ages, that really enjoy this hobby in the technology driven age we are in.

The amount of technology used in the hobby now.

 

The choices to be made. O or S, Toy - Hi-Rail or Scale.

The number of smaller companies finding their niche in the hobby.

 

The help from and sense of humor of the Forum members - Thanks everyone!!!

 

The amount of pre and post war items still out there! Toy trains truly defined several generations of kids!!!

 

Like ohers I could go on and on....

 

Henry J

 

 

I'm Surprised at how much money I have spent on this hobby.  Then I'm surprised I need something else when I think I have Spent enough, Then I'm surprised when I spend some more money. I'm surprised I'm saying this. Signed, Surprised, but Happy.

I've had a Christmas layout since 1986, but other than enjoying it every year, I was not really "into" the hobby. When I decided to build a year-'round layout in 2005, I discovered FasTrack, Miller signs, and TMCC. But most of all, I discovered Train Forums.

What surprised me when I got into O gauge, coming from the smaller gauges:

1) the prices overall - I think you get more, well . . .  size if nothing else, for your money.  Regardles,  O gauage seems like better bargains than N and HO.

2) detail.  In two ways: first, the detail some model locos have is exraordinary, and second, the details that matter to people.  When I was in N, nobody worried too too much about tiny detail.  Here, lots of folks count rivets . . .

3) good dependability (the locos run hours without de-railing or uncoupling or haviong accidents) but poor reliability (they seem to have lots of electronics glitches

4) How much more often the track seems to get dirty (I suspec tthis is an AC versus DC thing).

I suspect that sintered wheels may have more to with this, although high amperage AC arcing may well be a contributor. 

Strange, I had a miserable time in HO keeping wheels and track clean.
In O the more I run trains the cleaner the track gets.

And that great bunch of people certainly includes you, Dave. When I see that you have posted on a topic, I am sure to read it. It's nice being connected to folks as far away from where this forum eminates as where you are. I also enjoy seeing the photos you post of your layout, esp. those atmospheric shots. You have a very nice way of speaking, here, and a handsome way of modeling, IMHO. I am glad to have become acquainted w/ you. If you are able to make that visit you posted as a distinct possibility, next Oct. to York, it sure would be a pleasure to say hello in person, should you have the time and inclination. 

Frank

I've been doing this since birth 60 yrs. ago, so I've never been away from the hobby. But there have been surprises: my wife fell in love with Standard gauge the first time she saw a 400E and likes G gauge and traction as well. I never expected to see Mallets that would be affordable, let alone run on 031 track (thank you Mike Wolf!). My biggest surprises seem to be found in dirty cardboard boxes stuffed under the tables at York - a little cleaning, a replacement part or two, and I have something for a fraction of the cost of the stuff on top of the table - always an adventure!

All the sound and command control features on board trains. I used to thing you could only run off of a transformer and that air horns were are good as sound got! Now I use DCS and am obsessed with proto sound.

Lionel agreeing to allow MTH to use their name on tinplate trains (I really think it was won in the lawsuit, but that can't be proven!)

What surprised me was:

 

1)  All the scale, highly detailed trains available in 3-rail.  I thought the only place I'd see that was in 2-rail

 

2)  The manufacturers had correct items out for Seaboard Air Line

 

3)  The weight of an O-scale steam locomotive.  I understand when I read that folks have to replace pieces of track that have been worn down

 

4)  Brand wars are being fought, very unbecoming of us

Rubber tires on high priced locomotives 

How a hobby can become an obsession ...