I've been watching several Youtube videos involving British steam excursions. I really think some of those locomotives are really cool-looking! The "A4 Mallard" type particularly got my attention. After some research, I found out Hornby makes these in "00" scale models that run on HO track. I also found out I can get a "Mallard" from Amazon for around $150. How "off" is this thing gonna look on an HO scale layout? Is OO larger or smaller than HO, and HOW MUCH larger, or smaller? It's just a "novelty" but I won't consider it if it's gonna look really AWKWARD on the layout! Also, it's DCC equipped. Is English DCC compatible with US DCC? And what about couplers??
Mike C.
HO Scale is 3.5 millimeters = 1 foot. OO Scale is 4 millimeters = 1 foot . OO is larger - about 114% of HO.
British prototype locomotives and railroad cars are generally smaller than US prototypes. Because of this even though they are larger than HO Scale, most do look OK on US HO layouts and there should be no clearence problems.
DCC is DCC
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Thanks for the quick reply! DSchmitt, have you, by chance had any experience with converting couplers on this British stuff to knuckles? Kadee? I guess I could look myself.....duh...
I should add that there are some non compatable DCC type systems but both the US and British follow NMRA standards which are based on Lenz protocols. Lenz ia a German company.
I am in N scale so have no experience converting HO British equipment. However I do know that many British model rails use Kadee couplers.
Your A4 "Mallard" is either DCC ready or DCC fitted. If it is DCC ready, it should have a plug-in interface. You will find a hint to that in the manual or by contacting Hornby.
Your loco is also equipped with a so-called NEM 362 draft gear pocket, which makes converting to Kadee couplers really easy. Kadee offers couplers, which fit into that pocket.
Kadee NEM-362 couplers
All you have to do is to carefully pull out the old Hornby horn-and-hook type coupler and insert the Kadee coupler. I am not sure, whether they match up with your US rolling stock in terms of coupler height.
The description on Amazon says "DCC fitted". I'll look at Kadee website and see if they list an application. Are these Hornby engines good quality and detail? Is 150 bucks a "good deal" for this thing??
HO was introduced as "Half O" gauge by Marklin long ago. Since in Europe they used 7mm = 1 foot for O scale, HO became 3.5mm = 1 foot for HO. The story I heard was that in the UK, they didn't have an electric motor small enough to fit into models of most British steam engines, so increased the linear scale to 4mm = 1 foot - but still using HO gauge track. That means most UK models are oversized for the track, although some modelers in recent decades use wider track to it's correct standard gauge for OO scale.
As noted, UK engines are about 1/8th smaller than their US counterparts, and OO models are about 1/8th bigger than HO scale models. So running an OO scale UK engine isn't going to look really odd on a US layout, unless you compare it to photos or video of real UK engines in the US, where it's apparent how small the UK engines are.
DCC fiitted means the loco has a DCC decoder already fitted to it. I don´t know what make or quality it is, but you can run it on your layout straight out of the box.
150 bucks seems to be a reasonable price for it, but not really a bargain. The quality of Hornby products is usually quite OK, but not up to the standard of Bachmann (UK), IMHO.
Be aware that there was "American" OO scale, 1:76 proportion compared to 1:87 for HO, and the American OO ran on a corrected and accurate gauge. It is not unheard of to still see OO scale American trains at swap meets -- unless they are right next to HO you don't initially sense how much larger they are, but just in case you'd want to be aware that those OO scale trains will NOT run on HO track and thus would not be compatible with your Hornby OO/HO. {and didn't Hornby once offer a live steam version of the Mallard in OO/HO?} Some British modelers run their OO trains on a corrected and accurate gauge but Hornby stuff should all be OO/HO.
American OO was popular in the 1930s into the 1940s -- even Lionel had some OO scale trains -- and for a time in the 1930s you would read references to the "battle of the scales" between HO and OO, but gradually HO won and OO lost commercial support and became a sort of refuge for old timers who loved to tinker with it. One of them, Temple Nieter, was a prolific letter writer to MR for years and most of his letters were mostly of the "nobody builds stuff anymore but us OO scalers" variety.
Dave Nelson
I have Bachmann's Harry Potter Hogwart's Express which I believe is OO scale (somebody please correct me if I am wrong on that). The engine and the passenger cars look fine next to HO rolling stock so unless you are really familiar with the various sizes of locomotives the Hogwarts engine doesn't look out of place or toy-like. It does come across as being a rather large steamer which, as has been said, is not totally realistic. I can live with that. Others may not.
The passenger cars are actually not as tall as North American units. The only thing that is noticeably bigger are the passenger car wheels. They are rather large in comparison to typical HO passenger car wheels. 36" HO wheel sets will fit the Bachmann trucks but the details under the car are then running too close to the track for comfort IMHO, and they don't look right anyhow. 42" wheels might be a better bet but I don't have any on hand to try.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!