HO basic ?'s


S

scthstn

New Member
I'm kinda new to the whole model train hobby. I have a 3 yr old son that loves trains, Thomas etc.... We currently have a circle attached to another circle for this season. And I would like to design a bigger platform 4x12, over the next year in the basement.

My questions are

What are the pro's and con's of any of the basic HO tracks and the Bachmann E-Z track. I want something that isn't gonna give me trouble down the line.

Transformers, how far can a train make a lap on a standard transformer?

Books that can help me with basic HO knowledge to get a setup running?

Thanks for your help,

Scott Huston
 
1. Kato Unitrack is the best that I've seen, however, Kato isn't very big on HO scale, so it can be quite costly. Atlas True-Track is second. It is really nice track and if you ever wanted to upgrade from plastic locking track to actually laying your own track, the track pops right out of the roadbed. Bachmann E-Z track is narrower than standard track by a few tenths of a millimeter. I'm not sure if that will cause a problem.

2. The de facto standard of train control today is DCC (Digital Command Control). It does cost a little more to start up, but you can run more than one train at once, have two trains going in opposite directions on the same track, and if the engines are sound equipped, you can ring the bell and blow the whistle. DCC also allows you to adjust the speed of different locomotives so that they can run together.

Whether or not you decide to go DCC, your DC transformer or DCC system should be able to do a 4x8, but if you want to be safe, you can have wires branching off the feeder wires and stagger the branching wires throughout the layout so that you don't lose much if any power due to the resistance of the metal in the tracks.

Another de facto standard is the Kadee #5 coupler. The couplers, when installed at the correct height will allow you to pull longer trains. The couplers are metal and have a nice appearance. If you buy brand new rolling stock and engines today, most will come with plastic couplers. The plastic knuckle couplers work fine, but the shank will twist and/or break the knuckle, and you may get separations if you are running a long train.

Another good thing to have on the rolling stock is metal wheels. Intermountain works great as the axles are metal, and the wheels are metal (they are insulated). The metal axles roll smoother in the trucks, and the metal wheels reduce drag allowing you to run longer trains. Plus, plastic wheels wear down and leave gunk on your tracks.
 
Other thoughts for planning ahead:
- A larger radius for curves, such as 22", will allow smoother operation of a wider range of locomotives, in particular long ones.
- I use basic track and it lays down pretty easily. Cost is the biggest consideration.
- DC transformer would be much easier for a 3 year old to operate. I have run a 6x6 on a single transformer.
- Regarding books, a basic physics textbook can be a very useful reference, in particular the sections on friction and electricity.
 
The things these guys mentioned are very important and certainly do make a difference, but when you're starting out and everything is small it may not matter so much. But planning ahead for when 'things get big' can be helpful. Metal wheel sets, metal couplers, feeder wires, etc, aren't required but will make a difference eventually. I'd suggest getting something up and running and worry about improving later.

Another thing to consider, it seems like you're planning a 'table top' in 4x12. The space required for such a monster table could be used to build a really interesting layout. Rather than having space wasted by walkways on both sides of the table, combine the walkways in the center and have the layout go around the walkway. There is lots of discussion, examples, and images of "around the walls" layouts on this forum and generally on the web. It's kind of like the metal parts upgrades of the cars, but more difficult to upgrade to later on, since it's the foundation of your trains - literally. :D It would require a complete tear out and rebuild. So it's definitely something to spend time thinking about.
________
Cute_Cunt
 
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Thanks for the great info from all 3 of you guys. We have a running loop on a 4X6 running now for the next few weeks during the holidays. My son is happy with it but he wants to add a bridge but space is limited on a 4x6 board. So I know doing that would require more space and time.

I do have a crap load of ATLAS Track that I am going to use. but for the switches, can I wire those to a toogle and use the toogle instead of using the track switch? Plastic wheels just suck. My current layout has a few gaps in between spots on the tracks now. Kinda shotty work, but had to get something up and running for the boy.

Also, trying not to get ripped off at the local hobby shop buying parts and trains. I bought a Sante Fe Train w/ hopper, TYCO model from I believe the late 70's, paid $35, looks and rides really good. Ebay is nuts with the holidays, but I'm assuming prices and people buying will drop after the holidays.

But once again thanks for the help and advice,

Scott
 
scthstn said:
Thanks for the great info from all 3 of you guys. We have a running loop on a 4X6 running now for the next few weeks during the holidays. My son is happy with it but he wants to add a bridge but space is limited on a 4x6 board. So I know doing that would require more space and time.

I do have a crap load of ATLAS Track that I am going to use. but for the switches, can I wire those to a toogle and use the toogle instead of using the track switch? Plastic wheels just suck. My current layout has a few gaps in between spots on the tracks now. Kinda shotty work, but had to get something up and running for the boy.

Also, trying not to get ripped off at the local hobby shop buying parts and trains. I bought a Sante Fe Train w/ hopper, TYCO model from I believe the late 70's, paid $35, looks and rides really good. Ebay is nuts with the holidays, but I'm assuming prices and people buying will drop after the holidays.

But once again thanks for the help and advice,

Scott
Click to expand...

If you have Atlas turnouts (switches to real railroads), they are twin coil. Other twin coil machines are wired the same way. ONLY MOMENTARY CURRENT PASSING THROUGH THE COILS WILL DO! DO NOT WIRE THEM DIRECTLY WITH JUST A TOGGLE SWITCH! YOU WILL BURN OUT THE COILS! Wire a pushbutton in series with the center terminal on the switch machine, then use a single-pole double throw (SPDT) to each side terminal on the switch machine, and wire these to the AC terminal on your power pack.
On other twin-coil switch machines which may have four separate wires...two from each coil. Tie one wire from each coil together for a common connection. Wire that to a pushbutton, then to one of the AC terminals on your powerpack. Use a Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) toggle or rotary switch for route selection. The center connection of the toggle is wired to the other AC terminal. The outer connections on the toggle are wired one to each of the wires from the turnout machine. Atlas does make a slide switch with a pushbotton contact on it for use with its turnouts.
 
Trailrider, thanks for the info on the turnouts. I can see now how to wire it up correctly and have it work properly.

Thanks again,

Scott
 
Two big show stoppers: uneven tracks and joiners that don't provide the electrical continuity they're meant to permit along your rail system.

Make sure your tracks are aligned, no kinks in curves at any joints, and that the rails don't pitch up or down, or roll. In other words, their bed, what we call the road bed, should be very clean and level, or if you change into a grade, that the transition is smooth and allows the engine to gradually lift its nose and not lose wheel contact, or drive its nose into the rails. You need gentle curves up into a grade, and by that I mean a vertical curve, not one that goes left or right. Then, once you move into your grade where the rate of climb is constant, it should once again offer the rails stability and evenness. Modern locomotives in scale don't really appreciate undulating and pitching rails, even as little as 1/32" in a short distance, say 2-4", and especially on a curve. You'll quickly lose your enthusiasm if you are hasty about putting your rail elements together and don't take care to make them level.

Joiners are usually great at first. If your road bed allows the engine to cause the rails to depress as the engine passes over them, the joiners will weaken and splay. Means loss of contact area for electrical purposes, and poor mechanical alignment between the rail ends. What many of us learn before long is that joiners that fail mean scratching your head and wondering why your train just stopped. A real damper on your train playing experience. Frustrating. A way around that is to solder those feeders. Not all of them, just ever second one, and at the same time solder a thin wire feeder to that joiner. That arrangement guarantees that every two joined lengths of track will be electrically potent. You don't really care much about the joiners on either side as long as they provide alignment. The electrical continuity is assured by the soldered and fed joiners that alternate.

Crandell
 
Another question on loco's that I have is, will a DCC Loco work on a standard transformer that runs trains on DC current.

Thanks guys again on the great issues and topics.

Scott
 
Yes, but not all decoders have that feature. You'd have to check the decoder model to see if it will work on DC. Some of the basic decoders do not have that function.
 
diburning said:
Bachmann E-Z track is narrower than standard track by a few tenths of a millimeter. I'm not sure if that will cause a problem.
Click to expand...
Maybe the roadbed is a little narrower. The rails aren't. The rails are at the proper gauge set by the NMRA. EZ-Track is like any other track . If it's laid properly and not just shoved together and slapped down any problems are minimal and easily corrected. The action of the remote turnouts leaves something to be desired as the points don't lock in place. On the manual turnouts the points lock into place and don't move when a train is going through, unfortunately the #4 is the ONLY Bachmann turnout that locks. On the others the points can drift while a train is going through an dthe next thing you know, BANG. You have a derailment. There are ways however to reduce the odds of this happening. I sharpen the end of the point rails with a jewelers file so they lay flush against the stock rails. This greatly minimizes the chances of wheels picking the points. I would suggest not placing a turnout right after a curve. Have at least a 6" section of straight track between the two. 9" would be better. When placing a turnout on a grade don't have the track changing grade immediately going into or out of a turnout. If the track will be in place as a permanent layout I suggest soldering the rail joiners. Even though EZ-Track locks together the rail joiners are still exposed to the same stresses and corrosion as those on any other track.
 
The rails are narrower. A Kadee height gauge sits squarely on NMRA standard track. With the Bachmann E-Z Track, the gauge snaps on due to the rails being slightly narrower.

I don't remember where I read it, but someone else found the same thing.,
 
That's very strange. I just inverted a piece of Atlas track on a piece of EZ-Track and examined them through a powerful magnifying glass. If anything the rails of the EZ-Track were very slightly farther apart. I thought maybe I got a piece of track that was out of gauge so I got another section of each and did the same thing and got just the opposite result. So I had one piece of EZ-Track that was ever so slightly wider and one that was ever so slightly narrower, yet my NMRA gauge says both are in gauge. I did the same comparison on some of the Atlas track sections I have then on some Mehano track sections and found the wider-narrower thing on both of them as well. So here I have track from three different sources and they all share the same imperfection. Or is that two sources? After all, Bachmann makes Atlas.
 
Hmm, I may have gotten it backwards then. All I know is that the Kadee height gauge snaps onto the bachmann e-z track and sits squarely on Atlas track.

And how do you know that Bachmann makes Atlas' track?
 
They're being made in the same factory as far as I know. The latest Bachmann locos I've bought are looking much better inside with a better made drive and run as well as any of the four Atlas locos I have with the exception of the Bachmann GP30's I have. They growl along like a couple of Athearns.
 
Well, actually, you are correct. Atlas contracts their manufacturing to Sanda Kan which is owned by Kader, who also owns Bachmann.
 
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