Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: sullie363 on January 23, 2008, 05:59:56 PM
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So years ago I used to be into HO scale trains. I still have all my stuff, along with a layout that was never finished. But recently I looked back into it and basically found that everything is much more expensive these days. A couple years ago I'd expect to pay somewhere around $35 for a new diesel engine from the local hobby shop. But now the same engine type from the same company (in this case Athearn) could be almost double more. What, do they have little people running around in them now too? Just wondering if anyone else is into this hobby and could offer insight.
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NOW ya gotta have a computer to control all the stuff:aok
I have a Lionel train my late big brother opened under the tree in 1953 ....ya cant do much with it in the way of cool electronics, but we put up crown moulding around the dining room and the put the track on top, and the thing churns around in big circles making racket and belching smoke any time I want it too:)
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I used to build trains and layouts around 9 years ago I was really into it. I since put the old HO and lionels away as it doesn't do any good when you move around alot in the military. I went to a train shop and found the same thing you have as far as prices also. It's that the trains these days sometimes come with remote controls that really bring the scale to the hobby now.
You can add smoke, sound, and have control over forward and reverse speeds. Alot of the pre-fab buildings they sell also do different things as far as controlling the different lights you might build into your layout. The hobby itself has simply gone beyond a dial controller and a couple of wires to the track from the outlet.
What is really bad is the layout materials these days. A pack of little fake trees with some white stuff on them for snow effect is like thirty dollars now. The trains with no extra circuitry are almost rare now though. There's also not alot of people into that hobby as there was 10-11 years ago. Darn shame kids don't have any creative skill anymore outside of how fast they can click the combo to make the special move work on the old xbox hahaha.
Very good point about the hobby though!
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I've been into it my whole life, but im only 19 so I don't rember ever seeing prices for a new Loco that low. I have a pretty good size HO layout in my basement That me and my dad have been building for about 5 years.
I usually expect to pay $90 - $120 for a new Loco, but I have paid way more than that for DCC with Sound Equipped ones. Those range from $150 to upwards of $300.
DCC is the big thing, its basically a small computer chip inside the locomotive that recieves a signal through the track from a throttle. The days of using tranformers to regulate power on the track are gone for me, this allows multple Locos to be run on the same track at different speeds and has all kind of neat tricks.
I can't say much about the scenery aspect as thats my Dad's type of thing, but I do know that the best way to do scenery is make your own. The biggest piece on my layout is the Mountain my dad made with some spray-on foam and paint 20 years ago for his O gaugue layout.
Yes the hobby is more expensive, but the things you can do know with it are truly only limited by your imagination.
P.S> If you happen to live In New England or are up for a trip, this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts is one of the biggest train shows around at the Big E. 4 large buildings filled with trains. Its a good place to see whats new with the Hobby.
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Never had the HO stuff, my brother and I have a bunch of Lionel 027 stuff, some that is over 50 years old. We have a layout we built with Dad before he got sick that covers 4 4'x8' sheets of plywood. We haven't had it out since before Dad died. I saw some of our pictures a while back. Brought a tear to my eye. The stuff is REAL expensive these days, probably way more than double what any of it was when we last bought stuff 5-6 years ago.
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Gunns actually works on real trains IIRC, and I believe he has interest / information on model trains.
he pops on now and again, just don't have any of his mead :rofl
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I do N scale and O scale. I collect post-war Lionel and rebuild and refurbish transformers on the side.
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Originally posted by comet61
I do N scale and O scale. I collect post-war Lionel and rebuild and refurbish transformers on the side.
Got any transformer parts? I have a transformer (made in the fifties) that is missing the handle.
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All of train collection is stored away in the basement of my mother's house collecting interest for my retirement. :D
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Yeah I remember when that DCC stuff was just starting to show up, never got into it though.
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I loved HO scale, but I dont hame the room for it though right now.
But I still go to train shows and pick up engines, cars, and track cheap when i see something I like.
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Dood, did'nt you watch The Sopranos? Stay away from the model trains.
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Originally posted by BlueJ1
All of train collection is stored away in the basement of my mother's house collecting interest for my retirement. :D
I did the same Blue, 1977 to 1979 I got hooked on N scale with my mom. N scale was nice cause you can get more "train" in a smaller space. Joined the AF in 79 and trains/cars, track, and buildings/scenery all boxed up until the day I would have time to set it all back up again. 28 years later still boxed up... dont have the space yet... My brother and I though have recently began discussing starting it up again, he has plenty of room at his house I just have to get all the stuff out of my sister's attic
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Originally posted by sullie363
Yeah I remember when that DCC stuff was just starting to show up, never got into it though.
DCC is pretty sweet once you wire it up. Wiring can be somewhat of a pain.. but being able to run up to something ridiculous like 255 trains at once, wireless controllers, pc automation, etc... pretty spiffy. Though with the gear they're making nowadays, even reversing loops are pretty easy to wire up.
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Have four large boxes of Marklin trains and tracks in the basement at my dads house. Ill prolly sell the lot some day. Was fun when i was a kid, but takes up too much space and isnt fun anymore.
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I am in the process of building an HO layout in my basement. I had a 4x8 layout as a kid. I have to say that if it were not for DCC I am not sure I would have gotten interested in the hobby again.
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I have maybe half-dozen locos and maybe 30 cars, H0. All East-German, made in 1970s. Two big boxes, opened them only once since I moved to my last flat in 1989... Plus toy-trabants, buses, trees, stations, houses, etc.
H0 (16mm track) were not as popular as TT (12mm) here. My co-worker was illegally trading them ("speculation" was a crime in USSR) in late-80s, when we studied in school. An interesting 12mm engine could cost up to 400 rubles (average salary was 200 rubles a month).
Railway models were "toys for Fathers" here :) Like "My daddy bought himself a new engine for my birthday" :D
In MSK there was an East-German store, called "Leipzig", and they had a huge model railway there, like 10x10 meters, with stations, towns, tunnels etc. We went there just to watch it working when I was a kid.
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Had a 4x8 layout as a kid, got bored so I integrated my slot racing set into it. I wish I was as creative now as I was when I was young. I cut two holes so I could run the race track underneath the plywood and come back up. I glued two sides of a railroad trestle bridge to the sides of the slot racing track and glued the tops to the plywood. So when you looked underneath it looked like a suspended trestle bridge. It came out awesome, my friends loved it.
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Well,
I belong to a RR Club, the http://www.nmslrhs.org/ . Check out our photo section. We were looking for a scale letter for our "model" and we kinda settled on "P" for prototype (Grin)
I did a lot of HO when I was 14 to 21, even did a few scratch built brass locos, that is I made every thing but the drivers from raw stock. at the time a Brass loco cost about 35$ new. Currently I have a few N gauge Locos, but no layout, except for a Diorama of the work site where we are restoring the 2926. One of my locos is a model of the 3780, the prewar version of the 2900 (during the war the war production board told AT&SF the could not have any more diesels, so they ordered the best steam they could, due to war time shortages there was no alloy boiler plate available so the 2900's were built from mild steel, almost an inch thick) I have renumbered it 2926 and placed it in my diorama.
Also please note we have set a date on when we want to be finished with the restoration, 2012, that is the NM state centennial.
If any of you want to see our project let me know and I will give you the grand tour. (Grin)
As for the mead it was a perfectly mild 12 year old vintage and only tipped the scales at 23% Aol by volume.
Regards,
Kevin
Originally posted by JB73
Gunns actually works on real trains IIRC, and I believe he has interest / information on model trains.
he pops on now and again, just don't have any of his mead :rofl
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Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
Got any transformer parts? I have a transformer (made in the fifties) that is missing the handle.
I got same problem--the original Lionel Xfrmer is ok, but the locomotive barely goes with 16 volts, the GOOd one (with 18 volts and more current) has 18 volts....I might take it to a fabricator gent in next town, the guy can make anything from a picture
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Transformers are old school :) For entry level, a nice Digitrax Zephyr starter set works pretty well. With some patience and wiring, you can control all of your switches, train effects, etc, etc from one little box. They even make wireless versions where you can walk around, and "dial in" different trains as you go. After that, you're a short step away from smart/automatic signalling, switching, and block automation. Even this basic model also has ports for extra controllers, letting you run multiple trains at once, at different, yet variable speeds.
(http://www.tonystrains.com/products/img/dtx/dcs50_zephyr.jpg)
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Originally posted by indy007
Transformers are old school :) For entry level, a nice Digitrax Zephyr starter set works pretty well. With some patience and wiring, you can control all of your switches, train effects, etc, etc from one little box. They even make wireless versions where you can walk around, and "dial in" different trains as you go. After that, you're a short step away from smart/automatic signalling, switching, and block automation. Even this basic model also has ports for extra controllers, letting you run multiple trains at once, at different, yet variable speeds.
(http://www.tonystrains.com/products/img/dtx/dcs50_zephyr.jpg)
Bet it doesn't run a 55 year old 9 pound A.C. powered locomotive:)
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My cousin is into it; him and his girlfriend should be stopping by in few days so I'll ask him to reply to this
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Originally posted by gunnss
As for the mead it was a perfectly mild 12 year old vintage and only tipped the scales at 23% Aol by volume.
Regards,
Kevin
you know Kevin, I STILL owe you for that :D and I will repay some day.
I'll never forget sneaking out of my room about 4 AM to not wake 42 and 11, because I knew some violent puking would ensue... got to the lobby, asked "wwheeer itsh theee reshtroooom?" and they pointed me to the room by the con hall...
from about 2 feet above I sprayed that toilet seat, bowl, floor and all. I don't think I puked that much in my life before or since. what was that, IIRC 12 "glasses" of that stuff?????
got up to play golf 7 AM that day :D :rofl
serious though I know what that cost, and will get it back to you some day. bro, still have your business card in my stack too!
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Don't worry about it, we still have some of the keg left. We use it for pork roast marinade.... Mmmmmm!
As to MRRing If any of you need prototype data and stuff I have so good connections....
Regards,
Kevin
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Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
Got any transformer parts? I have a transformer (made in the fifties) that is missing the handle.
Ebay has TONS of post WW2 Lionel stuff!
I have both types transformers, am buying a handle today
link (http://toys.search.ebay.com/lionel-transformer-handle_1945-69_W0QQcatrefZC6QQdfspZ32QQfclZ3QQfgtpZQQfposZQ5AIPQ2fPostalQQfromZR2QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ32QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQlopgZQQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZ4146QQsadisZ200QQsaobfmtsZinsifQQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZunknown)
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Ranger Bob (if anyone remembers him) I believe has one of the biggest train layouts on the East coast.
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Gent's,
Thanks for bringing this thread back up. I just spent a good part of yesterday going over the trains I inherited from my Dad all O-27 gage. Since he died in 62 there was nothing in there that was newer than that and quite a bit that dated from the late 40's. I got some of that back to 10 year old feeling looking over the equipment. :D
I took it to a train shop here in Lafayette for an appraisal as I have never had it looked at for value. The large transformer (double handle 4 circuit) checked out fine but will need a new power cord. Simple fix. The engines can all use cleaning and lube after having been stored for over 70 years. That will be a project for me in the next few weeks.
While I don't really care if it's valuable as I don't intend to ever sell it (about the most I have to remember my Dad by) I just want to know what it's worth for insurance coverage. If it doesn't have much monetary value that's fine by me. It has value far above the dollar sign.