What scales of model trains dose every one play with?

[ED WHITFORD]

Just sitting here & was thinking, can any one really stop at just one scale or stick to just one from the beginning. For me the hobby is just like the potato chip you can't stop at just one. Same could be said for the number of my hobbies.

As of todays date we currently have Z, N, TT, OO, HO, S or American Flyer, O-Scale 2-rail , 027 & O Gauge , Standard Gauge , G Gauge or #1, 7 & 1/2 " or one's you can ride on just like the one on silver spoons ( If anyone remembers that show) As for other hobbies I do the antiuqe tractor thing & farm toys.

Looking into going to a steam school this year to learn how to fire & operate both a steam engian & a steam tractor.

Like i said this is just a thought , What dose every one els play with.[:D]
Sorry about the spelling.[:I]

[Roger Bielen]

At this time I run scale and traditional sized O gauge. My other , so called, hobby is trying to keep up with the work around the house and property.

My current major, non-train, project is gathering all the family photos I can find, sorting them, and scanning them into the computer for loading onto CD's to pass on, along with the originals, to the daughter, oldest child, and CD's for the grandkids.

[tmcc man]

Hi Ed, and [#welcome] to the forums.
I have 3 different scales. I run O gauge, and G scale. I will be starting my G scale layout in the Spring of this year. I have HO as well, but that is at my grandfather's house. We might get rid of it, but I do not know if we will or not.

[Birds]

We have both O and G.

The O gauge stuff is finally getting a permanent layout. I try to stick with O-27 sized engines and cars but run them on the black tie O gauge tubular track.

The G scale is stuff has visions of going outside, but we keep ending up with sloped yards! Really need one of those LGB Zugspitze cog trains, but they are a bit steep.

[Dave Farquhar]

I have O, but every once in a while I get the urge to build a small Flyer S gauge layout. It would have to be small to keep me out of trouble with the wife.

And someday I sure would like to do an N scale layout in a coffee table. That's something she might go for, since it wouldn't take any extra space and it would be novel.

[Brutus]

I don't have any permanent layouts at this time, but I have 2 HO gauge train sets (The Hogwarts Express and Clinton Dewitt trains from Bachmann), the Lionel 0 Gauge Polar Express set, the Lionel Transyvlania RR so far with the loco, tender, sound car, work caboose and a bobbing head ghost car (all O gauge), and some breakdown stuff from a Riding the Rails Hobo set -- the handcar, track and controller, which is all O gauge. I also have a K-Line Kinnecott mining set with a hand car and several work cars that it tows behind it, track and transformer - all O gauge.

And, we have an "L" gauge Lego motorized Hogwarts Express set with all the buildings from 2001 and a couple later ones including the Chamber of Secrets and the Shrieking Shack, as well as the non-motorized Hogwarts Express which came with the 9 3/4 platform and accessories.

[mitchelr]

Hello. I mainly play with O although I also have some S and a crate of HO in the attic that belongs to my son. I am finally getting a permanent home for a layout in a small room in my garage. It's barely 6' by 9' but it is home sweet home and no one grumbles about the mess (except me) [;)]

[IronHoarse]

I have not been at this very long so I have only o gauge all of which is Lionel. I have both traditional and Lionmaster, next I plan on adding a standard o diesel ( F7 ABA ) engine and a few standard o cars to my small collection.

[prewardude]

O gauge and Standard gauge. Yep.

[pbjwilson]

O, HO, N, and G. O layout in the basement, G out in the yard. My N and Ho I set up occasionally. Most recently getting into O passenger sets with steam locomotives. Also have a collection of old tinplate - Am. Flyer, Hafner, Bing, Ives. The train collection keeps growing, "I think it's alive!"

[wrmcclellan]

I prefer the term "operating my railroad" [;)]

I have N, HO, tinplate, 3r O traditional, 3r O scale, and some G. I did a short excursion into 2r O, but large curve radii required and 3 to 5x cost of steamers pushed me back into 3r. I also decided I always had more fun with 3r.

[Anonymous]

I would rather have a few smaller layouts in different gauges, as each gauge has its own plusses and minuses. So...my primary one is "O", but only a 5x8 layout. Also have a 2x4 "N", a in-process 4x6 "S", and some battery-powered "G" in the garden. I have no desire for "HO", since I already have the "N" and "S". Having all these different ones certainly makes train shows more interesting. The primary purpose of all of them is to entertain my 7 Grandchildren, and myself. Joe

[BMRR]

Right now I run three different scales, O ( traditional lionel ) N and HO. When I first started in the hobby, I was just going to run one scale, but it didn't work out that way.[:)]

Stan.

[Anonymous]

Z, HO (Marklin), O, On30, Standard Gauge, and Large Scale.

[Anonymous]

SCALE...an interesting word in the model train world. Especially in three rail "0".
I operate 1:160 (N), 1:87 (HO Marklin AC stud contact), Who knows and whatever the heck is that scale(semiscale "0"), 1:48 (Hirail "0"). I have operating examples of most everything else. AC and DC

[Anonymous]

The scale i like to build is ho scale. as of now i do not have a layout . i have built three 4X8 layouts and took them apart after building them to bild a new one.
i like to model the Bangor & Aroostook R.R., The next one i wan't to bild is the Bellfast & Mooshead R.R. in MAINE, in the 50s to 60s airia. I also collect anything on Maine Central R.R. as of now it's all in H.O. scale. some day i would like to build a G scale or large scale out door layout in my back yard. ALL IT TAKES IS MONEY HAHAHAHAHA.[8D][#welcome][swg]

[darianj]

I have all O at home...considering one of the smaller ones; HO or N, to display at on my desk as work.

[Anonymous]

Ed,

Too bad you don't live near me. I could let you fire my Frick traction engine(9 1/2 tons) or my 23 foot steam launch. Or maybe one of my two 7 1/2" live steamers?

The rest are just "weenie gauge" G, O, On30 and N.

Sure keeps a body busy maintaining all this stuff.

Just spent a beautiful Sunday (62*) at the airport doing some brake maintenance on the RV-4. Winds were probably 30 MPH at times. A rope tied to a fence stake was all you needed to get airborne![:D]

Tony

[thor]

I started with O went to OO/HO and then N which I couldn't get to like mainly because of the constant problems with derailment. I got given an O gauge set for Christmas after a long hiatus from trains and will probably stay with it but would have liked G gauge if I could get the garden space.

[laz 57]

o
laz57

[wrmcclellan]

LAZ - surely you meant "O", not "o" [:D]

[SchemerBob]

Currently I have 4 different scaled train systems (although I have many other "toy" trains like BRIO):

N Scale: I have a small layout with two ovals of track complete with scenery and buildings. Just got it back down and remembered how fun it was. I have 3 powered locomotives, several freight cars, and 3 Am-Fleet coach cars. I also had a few of those Hot Wheels "Planet Micro" cars, which go well with N scale, so I put them on the roads to make things look more "alive".

OnTrack: Kind of close to TT scale but a little smaller, these trains may be considered "toys" but to me they are as good as scale models. I have several locomotives (2 of which are powered) and lots of track thanks to the sets Wal-Mart produced. On track seems to be mostly un-available at the moment, so I'm glad I got what I got while I could.

HO Scale: I don't have a layout but do have lots of track and trains. That's basically it, though. Most of the time I just goofed around and pushed my non-powered locomotives, so they don't get brought out much anymore.

O Scale: This is the train scale I'm the most into now. I have 4 powered locomotives (3 Lionel and one MTH), lots of Lionel FasTrack and O27 tubular track, Plasticville buildings, road vehicles, and tons of passenger cars and freight cars. I do not have a layout as of now, but I'm hoping to make a very large one soon. I'm already off to a good start!

[FJ and G]

Too many O gauge projects at hand. Another scale/gauge. You gotta be kidding, right?

I'm up to my alligators in projects!

[Nick12DMC]

We have British outline OO and Lionel O gauge. The O gauge is set to grow
when I get the new garage/gamesroom built.

Regards
Nick H

[Anonymous]

Primarily rooted in 3 rail O right now. I don't see myself straying anytime soon either. This includes a little prewar and postwar Lionel. New purchases are leaning more towards modern issue scale stuff.
I own some original Standard Gauge Lionel but generally it sits on display or gets used around the tree at Christmas.
A couple of other display pieces are 2 rail O scale from the 40's and 50's. Actually, one is set up for outside 3rd rail found at a yard sale in California years ago. The other used to ply the rails of the Model Railroad Culb of Toronto's layout....I believe it's an old Varney kit with a solid cast brass boiler.

QUOTE: Originally posted by wrmcclellan

LAZ - surely you meant "O", not "o" [:D]

Roy,
I believe that is what Laz meant....and don't call him shirley! [;)]

[Bob Keller]

O, S, Brit OO

[mickey4479]

Started out in HO about 16 years ago before I needed reading glasses. Modified that layout several times but was never satisfied with the steam locos that I could afford. About 9 years ago I dismantled my HO, sold the locos, rolling stock and structures and switched the benchwork to 0-27 for only a short while, then to 3 rail Standard O scale. I like to model PRR and have acquired 4 Lionel PRR locos. My 1st passion is sailing (life size). Fishing and RR are close seconds. My fishing cronies think I fish in HO scale. Can't wait for grand kids.

[tdetmer]

This is interesting. Although it may be a self selecting sample, most people answering this are into more than one scale, though predominently active in one. So its seems its hard to stick to just one (except for David of course [;)] ). Me... I'm primarily an S gauger but I've got an HO train and a G gauge train that I hope one of these years to set up in the back yard. And, it is hard to find the time for one gauge alone, but its so dog-goned tempting to get some of these other trains on a rare occasion when presented with an opportunity... [:D] Tom

[dbaker48]

I started with O27, lost them when parents divorced. Then got a very inexpensive Flyer layout with two trains, but my heart was in Lionel. Slowly got back into Lionel and was doing OK, then my girlfriends best friends father had died (1974), and he had an attic of Lionel that someone paid to him on a debt. (never out of the box).
They had a value in excess of $5k, I couldn't afford them, I was going to college at the time, and offered to broker them for the family. They were quite insistent that they wanted them to stay with someone they knew, and asked if I could pay them $300 for all. Instant Collection !

Added to them a little at a time, then put them away to raise a family. Now I am back. Currently have O27, some O, and a couple of LGB

LGB used at Christmas, the rest throughout the year.

One thing I have found very beneficial is I have tried to get 1 caboose from each scale and display them on a shelf, so that when visitors try to relate the various scales have a quick display. Works well !!