New Generation!!!, Just getting started and looking for some guidance.....

[Anonymous]

92; get the book that I mentioned in the beginning of the thread! It's a good place to start and will show pictures of the engines apart ( exploded diagrams ) and will help you get a idea of what were all talking about!

[Dave Farquhar]

92, there are two ways to learn this stuff. The first is to ask lots of questions, which you're doing and that's great, and the second is to read a lot. Check and see what your local public library has in the way of books and magazines. My local library keeps the past five years of CTT, and has at least a couple of dozen different books on Lionel and competing O scale trains, prewar and postwar. I recommend anything written by Peter Riddle without hesitation, but there's a lot to learn from just about any book out there, especially when you're first starting out.

You'll want to buy your own copies of some books eventually; but it's a good idea to read all you can for free first, so you can get a better idea what you like. Being two years into a mortgage and having a car payment and getting married in June, I can relate to your situation of having lots of interest and not much budget to match.

Oh, and before you buy anything off Ebay, watch a few auctions for stuff you like to get some idea of a fair going price. Also make sure you know what you're getting: Is it a fixer-upper or is it complete, did the owner test it, etc. I bought a lot of stuff early on without really knowing what I was getting and I ended up overpaying on some, and being surprised with what I got in other cases. It's hard not to get caught up in auction frenzy, but remember, in virtually every case, there'll be another one next month, if not next week or even the next day.

[92hatchattack]

great advice everyone! .. ive signed up for Classic Toy Trains magazine and i will look into some books that you all recomended....

sorry for the long awaited response... busy time of the year ya know!!!

[92hatchattack]

QUOTE: Originally posted by palallin


92,

This is a prewar (WWII) trainset in Standrad Gauge, which is considerably larger than O. This particular set looks to be late '20s/early '30s. It is a common, small (for Standard Gauge) set, great for getting into SG with but not really compatable with the postwar Lionel stuff you are exploring. It is constructed from tinplated sheet steel (hence the term "tinplate") and uses as pretty primative (but nearly indestructable) motor. Parts can certainly be had.

Be aware that SG will be pricey compared to common O, that SG will take more room and time to get, and that SG is addictive as can be! If you dabble, you may get hooked (ask me why I know that!). [:D]

Peter Riddle did a very good SG primer called "America's Standard Gague Trains." You can search eBay's "Standard Scale" listings (in trains/toys and hobbies) for SG stuff (along with lots of things that don't belong there).

so its kinda common huh?? i thought it might be a little more rare being the age of it... i dont think im going to get hardcore into SG, but id like to maybe get an old SG like that just as a collectable ... im a sucker for antiques and that set just looked cool to me being so old and whatnot.....

[prewardude]

92,

FWIW, if you're thinking about getting some Standard gauge, MTH is making brand-spanking-new reproductions of a lot of Standard gauge gems. Just remember that these are big trains, and require a lot of space - the minimum curve diameter is 42 inches, and the trains themselves are roughly twice the size of O gauge.

Here's a link that you might be interested in: http://www.mthtrains.com/catalog/list3.asp?cat=bz&line=Tinplate&type=rtr

Welcome to the forums, by the way! {:-)

[spankybird]

QUOTE: posted by 92hatchattack

ok, there are some abveviations ive been seing around here that i dont know .. maybe you all can tell me what they ,mean......

TMCC
DCS
PSI
PS2
TIU
BPC

TMCC = ‘TrainsMaster Command Control’ is a command control system by Lionel

DCS = ‘Digital Command System’ is a command control system by MTH

PS1 = ‘ProtoSound 1’ is a sound system made by QSI for MTH engines before the year 2000.

PS2 = ‘ProtoSound 2’ is a Digital command and sound system for MTH engines for years 2000 and latter.

TIU = ‘Track Interface Unit’ is one of the two parts hardware for the DCS system. It puts the DCS signal to the track.

BPC = ‘Block Power Controller’ for TMCC. Directs track power from several sources to control conventional locomotives. Manage the power in your blocks from the CAB-1 remote controller. The BPC routes power from any TMCC TPC to any block of track. Eliminates the need for multiple power masters or TPCs on each block of track. Enhance conventional operation by connecting multiple blocks to one TPC allowing for travel across blocks without regard matching the voltage between them. Is programmable to channel power from 4 TPCS to two blocks or from 2 TPCs to four blocks.


Hope this answers your questions
tom