I hope you won't mind me posting this here considering OO runs on HO track. If someone wants to get into OO scale is there a guide somewhere comparing manufacturers/etc?
Hi Caxu If you are starting now in 00 you will have a really good choice of ready to run, with relatively little overlap of models across manufacturers on the whole beyond a handful of the most common prototypes. Anything for sale new today should run on code 75 or code 100 track, and code 83 as well. 00 specific track is now becoming available with correct rail profile and sleeper spacing from Peco and DC Concepts - but still with 16.5mm gauge. There are two major manufacturers - Hornby and Bachmann, and both manufacturers have a premium main range and a lower detailed entry level range (Bachmann Branchline, and Hornby Railroad). Especially in the case of Hornby the Railroad range uses older tooling, often from subsidiary companies like Lima which keep assembly costs down. Models in the Branchline and Railroad ranges are often still very good models. There are quite a few smaller manufacturers tha are taking an increasing part of the market and mostly they produce nice products. These manufacturers include Dapol, Heljan, Oxford, Rapido, Realtrack and occasionally Vitrains. I have probably missed a few here. As for duplicates between ranges you will find a few - BR 9F , LNER A3 Flying Scotsman and A4 steam locos, and common diesels like class 37 (Hornby, Bachmann, Vitrains), class 47 (Hornby Railroad, Bachmann, Heljan, Vitrains), and popular like the Class 52 Western (Dapol, Heljan, Hornby). Generally speaking when there are duplicates the newest on the market is usually the best, and price is usually a good guide to quality. The most important thing to watch out for is that the mechanisms can vary quite a bit depending on how old the design is. It is not unusual for older models to have trouble hauling a prototype length train, and it was quite common for diesel locomotives to just have a power bogie rather than central motor/flywheel/all-wheel-drive. Some manufacturers are very loathe to fit pickups to more than four wheels too! If you are modelling a specific prototype there are often limited edition runs of some models done by retailers such as Rails of Sheffield, Hattons or Kernow Model Shop. What are you intending to model? Suzie x
I have no idea what I'm modeling. I'm getting back into Model Railroading and am investigating all the scales. I know that Z and N are out. TT and S intrigue me - and I'm leaning more towards S. OO interests me because it hits a sweet spot between HO and S. I am also from the US. Quite frankly after visiting several Model Railroad clubs I'm tired of seeing the same trains over and over again. It would be nice to see some UK trains - something much different - for a change. Can you clarify what you meant by the different code of track? One of the appealing things about OO to me is in theory I should be able to take it to my local Model Railroading club and run it on their HO track.
Yes, UK loading gauge is much smaller than continental gauges, so the 4mm scale stock will generally run on H0 layouts. This small loading gauge is the reason for the 4mm scale instead of 3.5mm - the H0 mechanisms were too big! Track code is the height of the rail in thousandths of an inch. In the olden days course scale wheels had big flanges that needed high rails, nowadays the flanges are much lower so 75 thou high rail can be used. If starting a new layout you are best using code 75 track for UK or European, with code 83 best for North American. Modern stock will run on either, but you will probably have to check the back to back on UK stock from the bigger manufacturers to make sure it is in spec before you use it - QA in China is not always quite what it should be! Small adjustments are sometimes required. Suzie x
With UK outline you will want to hear the sound of English Electric engines. 1000HP Class 20 (Choppers), 1750HP class 37 (Tractors) and 2000HP class 40 (whistlers) are the ones you might want to listen to. I get my sound decoders from Coastal DCC, they fit the decoders , ship internationally and you can hear sample sounds on the Zimo website. For UK locos you really want a Zimo sound decoder as they are the best. Don't forget though if you are tempted by the class 20 that they almost always run in pairs nose to nose! Suzie x
Posting links to other forums is a no no here; so no links for that. I had an interest in getting a small selection of British model trains and of course had to purchase OO scale models. This led me to discover the fabulous world of British OO Garden railways, which is a thing unto itself. Trainboard doesn't have a real following for OO so you just have to search around. Well here is a test link we'll see if the mods remove it: https://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/ Historically there are a lot of manufacturers for British Stock. If you go to ebay and look for OO model trains you'll soon see what I mean. For modern trains the big one is Hornby. All of my UK online friends seem to order a lot from this site: http://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/1000588/OO_Gauge_1_76th_scale_/productsbyscale.aspx Hattons is a good place to see what is available for the UK market. Another thing about OO is that it kind of changes your modeling perspective. US modelers tend to go for different materials than the Brits do. A good example of that is the paper/card models that UK modelers are fond of. Their cardstock structure kits are very nice. https://www.metcalfemodels.com/ Have fun.
