Curious why you went G-scale?

[marlboro]

When I was a kid ,my mom bought me a Lionel train starter set, some 40 years ago, awed at this train set, being a kid, the fad wore off, and I moved on to other things. Never thought anymore about trains, but was still awed when I seen one passing by. Nevertheless, 3 years ago, my girlfriend bought me one of those plastic train sets from Wal Mart, sound and all, to put around the x-mas tree, and I eagerly set it up, and had alot of fun with it. ERROR on her part. She reignited my passion for trains, and I started buying all kinds of sets and locos in HO, didn t know that G-scale existed yet. Then one day I visited a hobby shop here in Montreal, and on his counter, he had this one big loco on display, and I asked him, Is this what Lionel has come up with since, my chin to the ground, never mind HO anymore, I wanted this big beastie. He told me that the loco was G-scale, made for running outdoors!!!! Now after having spent 3 grand worth on HO, I didn t like running this scale anymore, I needed to have these dinosaurs!!!! Now I too am G-scale proud, But still have that little plastic set from Wal Mart. There s some things you just can t get rid of, for personal, or emotional reasons.Still wi***hough, that I held on to my first Lionel set, instead of giving it away, It even smoked in those days, had a smoke bottle with a dropper to put into the stack!!!!Thanks Mom!![:D][:D][:D] BTW, How many of you out ther remember Triang or Tyco HO trains!!!

[Anonymous]

I have always wanted outdoor trains. I wanted to play in the dirt on a more sophsticated scale...thus, there is G. Now that i'm a Dad, its a great hobby to share with my daughter.

[Anonymous]

The title of the thread is 'went' g-scale. I'm more in the 'going to' g-scale phase right now.

Got into Model Rail about a year ago as a way for me and kids to have something to do between sports, work, etc. Well after a while I really got facinated, but have also ended up in the garage by my self more often than not.

Finally just sold all the NScale stuff off, and have started selling off the HO. But I"m still facinated by Model Rail. Last weekend I finally made it out to an elaborate layout and thought, "Wife wants the back yard landscaped, why not do this." The, visiting my buddy at my LHS, i turned around and spotted a BNSF -9 from Aristo. Instant love. The thing is huge, power personified hunk of Steel. (ok, Plastic,)

Wife is at least semi supportive at this point (Ie wants to go to the train show tomorrow with me). Kids are all for it. So off we go into GScale.

Got plenty of room, decient amount of time, and not much cash. It will be an interesting ride to be sure.

[Anonymous]

Hi marlboro
I thought about it for years.
and did not do anything much about it made a false start G was expencive. The final push came on a good tax return and an Aus life style show called Burkes back yard.where a nice big garden railway was shown.
Wish I had started when it was only expencive[:(]
regards John

[Rastun]

Marlboro,

Lets see I do remember the Tyco HO set very well. Even ordering some lights that I just had to have for the set. that mysteriously got plugged into the wall outlet and never worked after that.[:O] I remember dad building me a figure 8 layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood that he had build the bridge and tunnel himself. Unfortunately neither of us knew that we really needed to put feeder lines along the track to get power every where so I would puch the train half the distance of the track before it would get power again and go for awhile. Needless to say the desire of the train faded fairly quick. [:(] Many years later I started a "N" Scale layout that has some great track work to it and great bench work but due to lack of materials at the LHS pretty much sucumb to being little more than a flat surface with some track on it. [:(] I looked into "G" a few years ago and things changed as in a new job in a new location so the idea was set aside. After the move and another job change (definatly for the better) I started to think about "G" again. My wife really likes the idea as an outdoor attraction for summer parties and BBQ's. So I've got the blessing to go ahead as long as I stay in early era steam for her. After starting to build that first Reefer she has been really excited about it herself and is wanting to help out. So that is where I am one car part way done and waiting for winter to let loose with the grip it has right now.

Later,

Jack

[Tom The Brat]

I've been thinking about a train outside since I was 12 or so....

Now that I don't have any outside, I have a train!

[Anonymous]

I got drawn to this out of a lack of space indoors for any decent layout, but have an acre of land[:D] but I must say size plays a big role too, My big fingers have a hard time with G scale detail parts let alone HO.

[Anonymous]

I saw an out side garden railroad about 6 years ago , and that started it off , now i have one about 5 years . ben

[TurboOne]

I always wanted to put my HO outdoors, all that room like the rest of you. Mom and dad had a 60 x 60 backyard. There was no info back then so I left the hobby. Now, got the HO running in the garage, I will fini***hat project, which should be about the time Lionel comes out with cab forward in O. Now I see G scale cab forward, so it will be whichever comes out with it, and how it looks. But still keeping the HO indoors, bigger outdoors.

Tim

[Anonymous]

I remember Tyco HO. Went to G-Scale, larger scale easier to handle and less likely to break . I like to garden and running trains outdoors just made to much sense. Back yard is around 150 feet in length and makes for some nice long trains and with very good viewing points. I just landscaped the back yard leveling off, laid down track.



mikadousrp.

[Anonymous]

I regard myself as an outdoor type here in Queensland it is hard to be anything eklse. Really G scale is the only way to go outside anything else as far as i'm concerned is suspect.

Rgds

ian

[vsmith]

I got into G when I picked up a LGB Porter on E-bay, originally for display. After my last attempt at an HOn30 layout ended badly, I swore I would never build another layout again but 5 years later i decided to get the Porter for a desktop display, but I was so intregued by it that I soon found myself sucked back into the world of modelRRing.

[bman36]

Hey there,
I have told this story in other threads but I smile each time. Was into HO for over 25 years. One day while on ebay I came across a mis-located item and thought this was quite different. BIG trains...and hey you can run them outdoors! I was very intrigued and headed to the hobby shop for a copy of GR. After my first read I was sold. The rest as they say is history. Still lovin' it! Later eh...Brian.

[marlboro]

I ve thought about this question just the other day, and I found out it was frun going back and retracing the passion,from boyhood to bigman boyhood still!!! I found it was fun to go down memory lane, as well as your responses, isn t it grand, the memories which brought us where we are today? I m still planning to hold on to some of my HO stock though. Gotta have something to do when mother nature doesn t allow you to play outside, its not like we live next door to Ian eh!!!! Wonder if any gators or lizards wreak havoc on his layout???[:D][:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

He did say somthing in another thread about wanting a Crocodile[:0]

[marlboro]

That train set of his lovely as it is, or for that matter, any train set would be just an appetizer for the croc, then he d be making eyes at Ian!!! [xx(][:(]

[Anonymous]

Okay...I'll throw my 2 cents in to the ring as well....

Started out with a Lionel set as a kid many years ago. When I got into junior high school, I beggd my folks to get me an HO set. I took a while, but it paid off. That set was a Tyco set. Came with a Mikado that , when I got to college, was later severely overhauled. I took off all the cast-on details, invested in a few Cal-Scale lost wax brass castings including an all weather cab, yanked out the original motor and replaced it with a Hobbytown motor and then filled any leftover space in the boiler with lead. That loco pulled about 110 cars on a flat railroad. After college, I was bouncing around a bit so I started to build a module HO railroad (still have it, but it's not set up). Bought a townhouse that had a finished basement that measured 10.5x20.5 feet. Funny thing, the railroad was 10x20 when all the door hinge pins were inserted. Also started running HO trains with a few other gents. Collectively, we all got introduced to live steam...1/8 scale railroading. When I moved into my house, I didn't have it in my heart to set up the old HO modules. I still have the all the supplies, track, modules,buildings, etc., but I can at least run the HO trains on other railroads.

Now here's the interesting part...my start in G came as a result of wanting to scale up some kind of passenger car from G to 1/8" scale, 7.5" gauge. MANY dollars later, I found the Aristo Sierra series passenger cars that will scale up very nicely without being overly long (in 1/8" scale, the shorty sierra cars will be about 60 inches long). Otherwise, my G operations are basically from late November to March. Wife does the tree thing for the holidays...I do the train thing. She even gave me permission to run a branch line under the piano. Then she wanted to know if I could arrange everything to run two trains. Well sure...but that takes more track, more turnouts, another throttle, some wiring, etc. BTW...ebay has been a great place for new/slightly used G equipment, including LGB stuff. Then this holiday season, we spent a bunch on miniature porcelin buildings at the nearby Kohl's Dept. store. Just before Xmas, everything was 60% off. Buy on Wednesday, use your Kohl's charge and tell them you're a senior citizen (or at least I have an AARP card) and I took $250 worth of miniature buildings home for $83. Oh yeah...it's a hoot.

Soon the train stuff will be packed up until next holiday season. I do know some people with permanent (indoor and outdoor G railroads), so I at least have places to go to continue to enjoy G railroading until next year. Just remember, the one that dies with the most toys wins...but it's better to enjoy now while were all still kids!

[markperr]

Back in 1997, I expressed to my wife a desire to get back into model railroading. She asked a few questions and for Christmas that year bought me an HO Acela that climbed up the wall. It was held to the track magnetically, sort of. If you gave it enough juice, it would go up the ramp, make the bend and come back down again. Too little juice and it would fall to the floor, too much and it would launch about three feet up the wall before gravity kicked in. Not exactly what I was thinking but she didn't know, bless her heart. I played with that set for all of about thirty minutes and have no idea to this day where it is. Shortly after that, she saw a garden in one of her gardening magazines that had a train in it. She said I should take a look at doing something like that. About a month later, we went to a GATS show and I saw on up close. I was hooked instantly. That was Feb of '98' and I've been "G" scalin' ever since.

Mark

[marlboro]

Bet you can t run your G scale loco three feet up the wall, through the wall I d see that one, right smack through into the neighbours Porsche!!! Can see the insurance settlement now, A train hit my Porsche, with minimal damage, as for the train, may it rest in pieces!!!!! Great story!! My question to you all is like a time machine to my and your past. Hope you ve enjoyed the ride. Its nice to go back and realize that what we did as kids has brought us here today!!! Theres nothing like railroading, as old as the first railroad to today, The steel dinosaur still roams about the globe spawning off new generations of locos and cars!!!![:)][:D][:D]

[whiterab]

I love building models,
We have a great ravine in the back of the property that reminds us of Colorado
We like being outside
Eyesight isn't what it use to be

But mainly between my love of modeling and my significant others love of gardening, it gives us something we can work on together.

[Anonymous]

Hi guys, this is my first time on the site, and I thought I'd give my story too:
Actually my first ever train set was an HO Chattanooga by TYCO (still have it) when I was 5.
Now I'm working on a BNSF N scale layout, but G is what I have out in summer or at Xmas.
Got started in G when I was 10 with a Bachmann 'Royal Blue'. Now I'm mainly into Aristocraft. My layouts now are just temporary, but when I'm done with college and have my own home, I hope to have something permanent. I love the outdoors and trains and cant wait to have some BNSF Dash9's pulling intermodal in G!

[jnichols]

Well let's see....

Accucraft K27 "Mudhen" $ 2,600.00
Batteries and R/C components $ 250.00
Sierra sound system $ 140.00
Assorted AMS rolling stock $ 1,300.00

Watching this train run outdoors at night in a snow storm:

PRICELESS!!!

[:D]

Jeff

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jnichols

Well let's see....

Accucraft K27 "Mudhen" $ 2,600.00
Batteries and R/C components $ 250.00
Sierra sound system $ 140.00
Assorted AMS rolling stock $ 1,300.00

Watching this train run outdoors at night in a snow storm:

PRICELESS!!!

[:D]

Jeff

Pictures Please!