Anyone do trains?

[adsm08]

So does anyone here play with trains? I used to, but got away from it for a while. Back in the fall I picked up a pair of HO gauge sets for the boy for $70 and we just got around to messing with them. I had to fix a few things before they worked. We also have an O27 that usually only comes out a Christmas because we don't have a lot of room, and the transformer is messed up.

 

[Curious Hound]

I did as a kid. My dad has done HO scale all his life, so I grew up with it. Never had a good place for it myself, so I haven't had my own layout. I have done high powered rocketry and RC boats. I let the rocketry go a few years ago. The RC boats have been on back burner since I got the Ranger and started modifying it. Should be able to get back to the boats in a few months.

Do you have a train question? or just curious about TRS member train activity?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Played with dad's as a kid.

PSA: be sure it is unplugged before you polish the track with steel wool

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I sold my n-gauge collection to buy my first vehicle. Got $1,600.00 for it about 30 years ago. Haven't done anything since.

 

[adsm08]

I did as a kid. My dad has done HO scale all his life, so I grew up with it. Never had a good place for it myself, so I haven't had my own layout. I have done high powered rocketry and RC boats. I let the rocketry go a few years ago. The RC boats have been on back burner since I got the Ranger and started modifying it. Should be able to get back to the boats in a few months.

Do you have a train question? or just curious about TRS member train activity?

I am mostly just curious about other TRS member who do anything, and the extent they are active to. I played with my dad's as a kid too. We only ever got it out at Christmas but he always wanted to a bigger, more permanent setup but never got around to it (he isn't dead, I just stole most of his stuff last year). We set up our train for the first time since our son was born last year and he loves it. He loves all things train really, he is obsessed with the little wooden ones, and loves the HO one I have in his room right now.

Anway, last year we moved and we have a big, open, dry basement now. We used to have a big, open, wet basement. I am thinking that once we get the basement cleaned up and organized I might build a table to build a big setup on. Doesn't have to be anything pretty, just some 2x4 framing and full-sheet particle board.

PSA: be sure it is unplugged before you polish the track with steel wool

That is good but pyrotechnically boring advice.

 

[Mark_88]

We played with them as kids...my Dad had this vision one day...it was a train running all around the basement on an elevated track...so he put in the track elevation base (all around the basement) and we were going to build it over time...four young boys at home to entertain was a big project...

We never did get to lay the track on that scale but we had both train and racing car sets that took up enough space and entertained us for a long time...

I tried to get into it about 20 years ago but found the cost was outrageous...and real estate is limited in my new place...no basement...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I tried to get into it about 20 years ago but found the cost was outrageous...and real estate is limited in my new place...no basement...

That is about when we were playing with it. Dad's engine was shot and a new engine cost the same as a new set and a new set was outrageous... so it kinda fizzled.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, costs can be huge on these. It is one of the reasons I am eyeing HO instead of O. The parts and cars cost a lot less, and you can do more in less space. It also seems, so far, that HO cars stay on the track better (thank you physics). The one HO engine we have zips around the track with no cars far faster than the O engines and doesn't come off in the corners.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Space is why I went with n-gauge. You can build a small layout under a glass coffee table. IIRC there is a z-gauge that is 1/2 of n-gauge. Doesn't the scale go ?;
O
HO [Half O]
N [half HO]
Z [half N]

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, I think that is how it goes, but I am not too familiar with N and Z gauge. And now they are throwing in all the same letters with "scale" instead of "gauge" which are supposedly higher quality parts.

But yeah, as I recall it is "O27" because a perfect circle of the track is 27" across, then HO is "Half O" and each one halfs the one above it.

 

[BLOODBANE]

Not so much the trains themselves, but I have been learning to do train scale dioramas...
Heres the first one I have done...

This one is Hot Wheels sized (about 1/64th scale). Im learning how to do water and water falls. I enjoyed this one as a learning base. Once you (me) figure out how to use the different textures and colors, it was fairly easy to do. If I ever do get back into trains, I have a spare room just waiting....

 

[Mark_88]

Not so much the trains themselves, but I have been learning to do train scale dioramas...
Heres the first one I have done...

This one is Hot Wheels sized (about 1/64th scale). Im learning how to do water and water falls. I enjoyed this one as a learning base. Once you (me) figure out how to use the different textures and colors, it was fairly easy to do. If I ever do get back into trains, I have a spare room just waiting....

Nice! That was the kind of thing my Dad had in mind for our basement project. We went to a few model train and car racing places that were popular back then and they had some pretty nice layouts (dioramas). Tons of work involved and constant upgrades for some people.

I like the ones with tunnels and different levels all active at the same time...but a monumental amount of time, money, and patience...

 

[adsm08]

Not so much the trains themselves, but I have been learning to do train scale dioramas...
Heres the first one I have done...

This one is Hot Wheels sized (about 1/64th scale). Im learning how to do water and water falls. I enjoyed this one as a learning base. Once you (me) figure out how to use the different textures and colors, it was fairly easy to do. If I ever do get back into trains, I have a spare room just waiting....

That's pretty cool.

 

[Curious Hound]

Bloodbane,

That is really nice. I lose my patience with scenery details. I can build structures or loconotive/ car kits all day long. I also enjoy engineeribg the wiring for the track, signals and lighted objects. But then I want to use them and I don't care to Install grass and trees.

I'm working on a video of dad's layout. We ran a GoPro around it a couple months ago. I have almost 45 minutes of footage to splice together and edit. That was from one trip around the entire " main line" at a realistic scale speed. Yeah. Dad's serious about trains. He has been converting many of his locomotives to digital control which allows operation of many separate trains on the same track with very good control and great sound effects.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Jim Oaks]

Looks great BLOODBANE.

My son and I had a HO gauge set up several years ago on a 4x16 foot table. Lots of fun.

Tyco made some cool stuff back in the day. I use to buy any of it I could find. You could load and unload your train cars, which made it that much more fun than just watching it go around in circles.