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badun
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 Posted - July 30 2007 : 12:48:18 PM
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Thanks to assistance in the Maintenance forum I've got my 30+ years old Tyco train set running again. That said, I don't expect it to last forever nor do I want to put money into it. I'd really like to have trains in the house so I'm contemplating buying a new set in the near future. This appears to be a 'HO' community, but I was wondering if anyone cared to list the pros and cons of HO and O? One of my primary concerns is durability and ease of use by little hands. Accidents will happen, but I'm concerned that HO may just be too little for my youngest kids to get on the track. And that tends to lead to frustration and greatly increases the likelihood of "accidents" (I didn't mean to throw it at the wall, Dad!). I will also add that my entire family is a huge fan of Harry Potter, so I'm intrigued by the upcoming Lionel Hogwarts Express set. Thanks for any and all input!
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 Posted - July 30 2007 : 1:30:03 PM
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The one great thing about Tyco is they were made almost specifically to address the durability issue. They may be crudely detailed and the engines are often balky, but the rolling stock was generally "indestructible" (except for wheels and couplers) and so were the loco bodies.
But all Tyco is secondhand now so it's hard for a newbie to know what they're getting into.
Modern HO? Forget it! Most of the new stuff is indeed full or detailas and parts that will get broken, and the wheels and couplers can be just as fragile as ever. Kids can certainly learn to be careful, but accidents are inevitable.
O-scale is still the king of durability... easy to hold and more forgiving, and mostly without the finicky details that break off in the first place. Plus the size is generally more compatible with other kids' toys so they can mix things up quite a bit... my 2year-old daughter loved putting her figures and stuff on our Christmas O-scale layout.
But new O-scale is not cheap and obviously takes up more space.
For the price of an O-scale set, you might be able to assemble a stash of serviceable HO and spare parts.
There is a Hogwart's Express in HO-scale too, done by Bachmann a few years ago. I have one and it runs well enough, but there are some fragile parts...
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badun
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Posted - July 30 2007 : 7:07:49 PM
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| Very interesting about the Bachmann Hogwarts. I'm watching one now on e-bay. I also saw that an English company named Hornby makes one. Anyone have experience with that brand?
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Posted - July 31 2007 : 12:14:02 AM
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| O would be better for small kids if you have DEEEEEP pockets. HO can be OK for kids around 10 and older, but you know your kids better than we do. There's G scale too in case you didn't know. It's slightly larger than O.
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Posted - July 31 2007 : 12:17:30 AM
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Hi:
Catfordken would probably be the resident Hornby guy on this forum. He'll probably chime in here. I've owned two. Both were very well made!
-Gareth
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Posted - July 31 2007 : 12:40:00 AM
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Lionel is coming out with a Hogwarts train set in O gauge.
It is due out before Christmas.
It's also on the cover of the soon to arrive catalog.
Carl T.
President of the Cape James Terminal RR.
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Posted - July 31 2007 : 04:37:56 AM
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hi badun,3 companies have produced models,marklin ho,hornby bachmann oo,but not one has it right,for some reason in the movies they use a hall class gwr loco,but all models are of the castle class gwr loco?,bachmann models are typical german enginnering,robust motors,and very well detailed bodies,the hornby version is not so well detailed as it was made as a toy train as it should be,its fictional anyway,if you can get a hornby one thats my choice for kids,but remember all toy trains tend to be plastic and prone to little fingers,ken
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Boxed-Hornby-Harry-Potter-Hogwarts-Express-Train-Set_W0QQitemZ200134586473QQihZ010QQcategoryZ112505QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://www.hornbyinternational.com/
http://www.hornby.com/
/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/harry-potter-intro-4034.jpg
hornby oo gauge
/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/L00646.jpg
bachmann oo gauge
/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/29550.jpg
markin in ho gauge
/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/photo7.jpg
and lionels o gauge version if you can afford it
Edited by - catfordken on July 31 2007 08:08:19 AM
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badun
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Posted - July 31 2007 : 09:58:34 AM
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| Thanks guys, this is great info! I'm definitely not made of money so I'm leaning more towards HO now. Kids will be kids and, since I have seven of them, I've learned that you can't expect your possessions to remain untouched throughout their childhood. Bottom line is that they're going to break SOMETHING, so space requirements and cost are probably more significant concerns at this point. And I'd say HO is the clear winner if those are the top criteria.
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Posted - July 31 2007 : 10:20:36 AM
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Athearn and Bachman both make some nice HO stuff at an affordable price. (sets and individual peices) Try and stick with diesels. They're a bit more durable than the steam offerings. F unit type diesels don't have a lot of hand rail type detail that would break easily.
WOW! 7 kids!
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Posted - July 31 2007 : 4:37:09 PM
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| hi badun snap i have 7 kids as well from 8 to 20 years old and totally agree with cp diesels are more durable,ken
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Posted - August 01 2007 : 01:56:55 AM
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Yeah, HO steam is not really good for kids... the drive rods and valve gear don't stand a chance, and are more important than you'd think on some models.
That Bachmann Hogwarts set is very nice... as a casual fan of the books I had to get one. Collectors / HP fans seem to prefer the first set, presumably for its box art. But the second set is exactly the same and has the cool Ford Anglia model too. And I think there was a thrid smaller set that only had two passenger cars? So the blue-box Chamber of Secrets set is a great deal.
The Bachmann Hogwarts loco is actually pretty robust for a kids' HO steamer, so it might hold up well; it's certainly not very complex like some others. I did come a across one that had seen some rough handling and it ran just fine even with the drive rods missing (looked funny though).
The real locomotive is called the Olton Hall. When I got my set I dug up all kinds of pics to see how I might add some details to it, but Bachmann actually did a VERY good job on this one! It's at least the closest of the others Ken pictured.
Edited by - GoingInCirclez on August 01 2007 02:06:06 AM
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Posted - August 01 2007 : 03:22:11 AM
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I got my first HO electric trains when I was eight years old. Does it still exist today? Slightly. But I have seen the assorted train cars on ebay and other places like at swap meets.
Yes, they still exist, not because they were never played with, but because they did last a very long time. Somewhere else on this forum was a subject about model trains that were collected for only as a collection, never played with. It becomes a partial tradegy in my view that these toys were never enjoyed by a kid who played with them. But, not this subject.
HO scale stands for "Half-O-Scale" in the distance between the rail-heads, not in measuring sizes.
O Scale is 1 to 48 1:48 Or, O-27 because they were able to negotiate a 27 degree curve.
HO Scale is 1 to 87, 1:87, Not 1 to 96, 1:96.
I have seen a few HO-Scale items/products listed as 1:87.1.
Fortunately, since the 1970's and 1980's, the newer HO Scale trainsets have come a long way from being the "cheap-rattle box" trains they used to be.
Now, for a nominal fee, the track is already attached to the road-bed and it all stays together and can be operated on the carpet.
You can't do that with trainsets of the past. Well, you can, but there is an issue with lint and anything else on the bare or carpeted floor... and try to keep that old set of tracks together.
Plus, with the newer sets, you can put two screws into the wall and transport the track/layout onto that wall with two screws as one piece.
And, the rolling stock looks better, rolls better, and is even more (if not partially) accurate than the rolling stock of old. No CB&Q DD40's, etc.
Consideration may be taken into account on the interest level of the children... computers that play all their favorite games, or a model train that can come to life at a decreased level of scale. Take your pick.
Gameboy or Spectrum?
Both can be educational (I'm not totally agreeing on that idea, however) but one of those activities is no bigger than a fist and requires more batteries and memory chips to continue that education. The other is a world... "Outside Of The Box!"
Yeah, locomotives can be expensive, but how many of those "gameboys" can you take back to the store after it's been broken, and get help with the repairs? "Hello, customer service?!?!"
You may get lucky at a sale or on ebay... perhaps I needn't delve into a subject I have no experience in, more than going to a hobby shop or model railroad swap meet and walking away a happy person. Treasures in hand, and rolling on our 12X36 foot layout... and showing passer's-by the world... outside the box.
Thank you for your time.
John
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
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badun
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Posted - August 01 2007 : 08:54:18 AM
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| Thanks, this a lot of good info! I have more questions, but I think I'll save them up and start a "help me the n00b" thread when all my thoughts are together.
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Posted - August 02 2007 : 10:43:24 PM
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| I have been a collector of HO trains for 33 years now. I have quite a large collection. Just about every TYCO item from the brown box era is in my collection. I have moved several times over the years and with great care managed to keep the collection safe from damage. The best thing about model railroading is that most items can be repaired if you are quite the craftsman. I keep my collection away from little fingers by having a few less important items for them to play with. As stated in an earlier post, "It keeps the prized items off limits." This way they can learn how to care for their trains and yours. My daughter is 4 now and has a small collection of trains she takes care of. I find her protecting hers as if she had a gold mine. And I thought I was OCD about mine. This is truely a family hobby and I enjoy it even more with their participation. Have Fun.
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