heft

[FJ and G]

perhaps this has not yet been posted as a separate topic but I believe heft is pretty important; at least from a personal perspective.

heft, is sort of a noun and a verb. When I think of heft, I think of grabbing up an object in my hands and weighing it.

You will find quite a bit of heft on O scale. At first, I purchased a Lionel 1 motored RS-3 and was really impressed by its heft compared to my HO and S scale forays as a youth.

But later, I hefted a Lionel Scout. A pretty modest locomotive that is die cast, but man, that is even some greater heft.

So, what's so special about heft?

Nothing much, I guess.

I don't have poor eyesight so that argument goes out the window right away. I could probably be happy with Z scale, as far as my eyes go; and man, the real estate I could create in say a 5X20 layout with that!

But heft is much more to me. It is the vibration of the train as it rolls along. After all, aren't real trains supposed to be pretty impressive monsters? The models should mirror that, and not be tiny shakey, hesitant models that stop on a dime when some oxidation is encountered. Heft means plowing on thru the crud!

And finally, heft to me means lots of action. Smoke, sounds, sparks, and excitment like a good ole American July 4th celebration. Something that'll make you sit up and take notice.

[Anonymous]

Ya need to give Large Scale a try, David! Now THAT'S heft!

Or, you might prefer the heft of Standard Gauge.

Either of those will make O gauge seem. . . well. . . puny and lightweight in comparison.

But heft does have its disadvantages, too. Like any time you have to move, or when space is at a premium, or when you're boxing-up trains you're selling to ship to a buyer. I significantly reduced my Large Scale, Standard Gauge, and O gauge collections for just such reasons (a part of my continuing efforts to downsize my life a bit), and nowadays am doing a whole lot more with Z scale. Those Z scale trains may lack heft, but I can pack and carry my entire collection--which is quite large--in one easy-to-handle box. [swg]

[pbjwilson]

Dave,
Great observation. Nothing like a big die-cast steamer rumbling down the tracks with the plywood reverberating. And with magnetraction you can highball it into an o31 curve, give your passengers whiplash, and barrel on down the tracks for more.

Just seems O gauge gives you so much more, especially in terms of weight, when you compare it to other guage trains. Then too you can actually pull a load with your trains. I've always liked testing just how much weight my engines can pull. Load up some gondolas with real stone and some steel nuts and bolts and give it the throttle, wheels slipping and smoke belching!

Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Heft is was really makes toy trains special and sets them apart from HO and the smaller stuff. When you run toy trains, you can feel the rumble and hear the roar and clatter that they make as they go. When you have several trains going at once, the effect is very powerful. I have lots of HO trains, too, but they can't duplicate these qualities. Whenever I show my trains to guests, I always have them lift a heavy cast iron Lionel steamer. It never fails to impress them. They're always taken aback by the heft!

[ChiefEagles]

One day, I hope to have a Garden Railroad. Big engines and etc. Maybe I could lay a track around my lot and actually have and engine I could ride on. Now that would take a lot of heft to move around. [;)]

[jkerklo]

Yes Dave, I agree. Hard to put in words, exactly, but you may have come up with why we prefer toy trains to small scale trains.

The "heftest" postwar train I have is a GG1. "Heftier," even, than a 773.

Has anyone seen a "heft" (weight) comparison of postwar engines? Might be interesting.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

[lionelsoni]

How about 6 1/2 pounds for a 773 (without tender) and 7 pounds for a 2360?

[Anonymous]

Hello Dave: Re: July CTT 05 The Little Joe is over 10 pounds ( That's Heft ) ( The Chief would have to reinforce his floorboard's to run it [;)]) . Regards Steve

[FJ and G]

I think that the heaviest toy train ever is the 20 lb Big Boy. That would be heftier than any "Challengers" (ha, ha).

Now, wouldn't or shouldn't an Allegheny be heavier. Or how about a C&O M-1?

[tgovebaker]

Dave, that's a great description. There is something inherently reassuring about the heft of O gauge, something I have struggled to explain to my wife who, as a landscape architect correctly points out that I could build an enormous N-scale empire if I could just get past that scale's absence of heft.

[Anonymous]

Heft comes into play when traction is needed. Heavier locomotives have more traction that lighter ones. This is ESPECIALLY important at the smaller scales. HO plastic steamers are notorious for not being able to pull much, but die'cast ones are great pullers. Try +6 pounds for an HO steamer!

Mark in Utah