Starter Set

[Anonymous]

I have always been interested in railroading and have decided to purchase one. After viewing many articles I have decided to go HO gauge. I really wanted to go with O gauge, but it seems that financial considerations would allow a much better choice in HO. Is this a correct assumption? I have fallen in love with the "Rivarossi HO 2-8-4 Berkshire Steam Locomotive for the engine. Hobby Circle advertises this item for $150.00 (engine and coal car). Is this the best price, or are there better deals somewhere else? Also, which is the best track for the dollar : code 70, 83 or 100? Thanks for any input.....I have a million questions but will be trying to review some of the forums as time permits.

[tstage]

Sirgknight,

I'll grant you, Rivarossi are beautiful looking locomotives but they have had their ups and downs mechanically so I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend one. (Seems like they are always getting bought out by someone.)

For a little extra $$$, Proto 2000 has a 2-8-4 Berkshire and they make some VERY nice, VERY detailed steamers. I'd rather have a loco that both looked AND ran well.

My two bits...

Sirloinofbeef (Tom)

P.S. If you haven't already, check out Trainworld.com (http://www.trainworld1.com/index.html). You might be able to find a good deal there. I'd also call up any local hobby stores (LHS) in your area to see if anyone has one that you can look at or compare the two together.

[Anonymous]

I do not know eneugh about Rivorossi to be able to give you a good reccomendation on it. However, Proto-2000 makes essentially the same locomotive for not much more than the price you stated and they have a reputation solid as the rocks of Gibralter. For track you will be able to Code 100 the cheapest. New sections cost as little as 1$ for a three foot section of flex track. If you purchased used, You can save huge.

James

[METRO]

Hey welcome to the forum!

Yes, in general HO is much less costly than O scale. Basically less materal = less cost, also because of the smaller size you can fit a lot more in an HO layout than you can in O.

As for the Berkshire, I'd go with the Proto 2000 (usually called P2K on this forum) model as it will last a lot longer with fewer problems and smoother operation.

I've tried a couple Rivarossi models, a NYC J3a streamliner and a yard goat, but they end up as paperweights more than anything else. The J3a is now painted in 20th Century Limited stripes and in a glass case at my office, and the yard goat sits in front of a tourist railway depot on my layout, barely ever getting use.

P2K on the other hand has done nothing but good by me. While I've never bought a P2K steamer, their diesels make up part of the backbone of my layout. They're great looking, reliable and are very easy to work with.

Track codes are for the size of the rail, basically code 70 is short line, code 83 is main line and code 100 is for the heaviest use main line corridors. I really don't think it matters what type of track you use, some people like to keep it prototypical and use the closest code to their line, but I just go with code 83 as it has the greatest variety of components, is easiest to find, and looks just fine on a layout.

Take care, and remember to enjoy yourself!
~METRO

[IRONROOSTER]

If you really like O, take a look at On30. It's narrow gauge so the locos and cars are smaller than standard gauge O, but a little bigger than HO. It uses HO track and you can kitbash HO locomotives if you want.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

You might want to check out the Bachmann On30 stuff - O scale narrow gauge, that runs on 30" wide tracks (as opposed to standard gauge of 4'-8-1/2"). This scales out to be able to use HO scale track. Very affordable and quite a few nice choices in small steam engines.

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by METRO
P2K on the other hand has done nothing but good by me. While I've never bought a P2K steamer, their diesels make up part of the backbone of my layout. They're great looking, reliable and are very easy to work with.

My Goodfriend Dan. (Milwfan on this forum) Purchased the P2K Berk to run on his layout. He has had to send it back twice. Not because of manufacturor defects, but because it runs so well that he keeps wearing it out.

James.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for your input and advice. You have given me a great deal to consider and reconsider. Model railroading has developed into a monster hobby, and I want to have a system that not only looks good but functions with little or no maintenance and with great performance. My one and only train set was a Lionel O guage and that was almost 50 years ago. My, how times have changed.

[PennsyHoosier]

I agree with the sentiments here. The Proto-2000 will serve you very well.

[Anonymous]

I agree that Proto 1000 and 2000 engines rock. Given that you have said that you would love to go with the O scale, I think the On30 is worth looking into. I think Bachmann hit a homerun with that and I'll bet it won't be long before you see a bunch of other manufacturers get onboard. I don't have any experience with On30, so I'll leave it up to others to describe their experiences/opinions.

BTW: I've ordered from Hobby Circle twice with no problem, but others here haven't been so lucky (do a search on the forum and you'll see). I've had excellent service from Internettrains.com and 1stplacehobbies.com.

[ben10ben]

You would be suprised at how little space a fun O gauge layout can be set up in...in some cases the same amount as an HO layout.