I love building kits!

[ZimDalf]

Hey all!

I'm Wil from Dunnville, Ontario, Canada. I have been in the hobby a few years now. Started in N scale, transition era. Found I like building kits and wanted more detailing possibilities like interiors in the building. Also I found I prefer steam locomotives and they look better in action when they are bigger. It occurred to me a short train behind a small steam loco could be shorter in HO then and long N scale train! So I sold all my N scale and now I'm in HO.

[LoudMusic]

I hate to introduce you to another concept now that you've already transitioned from N to HO, but O scale will expand you to even more detail. And they also have a large selection of kits.

But I'm glad you're having fun with HO! It's definitely the largest market of the railroading scales.

[zoegraf]

Hello ZimDalf,

Glad to hear you're having fun with HO and like steamers. I got into steam locos years ago simply because I liked the detail and watching the intricate parts move. Later it got more sophisticated than that with interests, knowledge, and age.

I like short trains too, which is why I model branch lines.

Here a shots of my steamers.

[tootnkumin]

Gidday Wil, I feel I can welcome you now as one "colonial" to another. Although I now have become a "neutralised" Australian my favourite steam loco's are from my New Zealand homeland.

Here's one of my favourite's, taking on water.

a "K" class 4-8-4, the largest loco built in NZ for it's 3'6" gauge.
and another showing the first built's headlight position (my favourite), recessed into the smokebox top (and the reason for the low offset of the access door)

Here's another of the later "Ka" class sporting it's streamlining?

[Old 97]

Hey all!

I'm Wil from Dunnville, Ontario, Canada.

Welcome aboard Wil! Steam is king on the Broake & Howe RR.
Just wait until your preference is "Tooter" sized Loco's and rolling stock.

[Old 97]

Here's one of my favourite's, taking on water.

Great pictures!

[montanan]

I went throught the same transition. I started in N scale in the 70's, and by 1980, after a move from Florida, back hoe to Montana I had a little N scale empire with almost 16 scale miles of mainline, let alone ranch lines and different industries. I too enjoy building, kits and especially scratchbuilding. I found that first off, the availability of detail parts and buildings were poor, and the locomotives for the most part didn't run well on average. They have improved that over the years so today the equipment runs very good. I also found that I couldn't get locomotives, either steam of diesel with the road names I wanted.
I switched to HO scale about 18 to 20 years ago and really liked the availability of detail parts for detailing locomotives, both steam and deisel. I model the steam to diesel transition era, 1957, which allows me to run both. I also found that it was so much easier to do custom paint jobs. Even in HO scale, not everything was available that I wanted, but I could sure duplicate just about anything I wanted to.
I freelance my own railroad, the Logan Valley, and love to scratchbuild structures whenever possible to fit exactly where I need them. I feel that it has made the hobby more interesting for me.
I have also done custom painting for others in O scale, and really enjoyed that, but I don't really have the room for O scale.
Insread of having a spagetti bowl of track, my mainline only passes through any scene once. This leaves me room to concentrate on building different industries andstructures and have a lot of switching opportunities. I also enjoyed custom painting my own equipment. A lot easier to detail and paint.
I did hand lay my track, code 70, a lighter rail, but this does "technically" limit the size of the locomotives I can run. The largest Diesel I run a a C-C locomotive, such as an SD7 or RSD5, and limit steam to a Mikado, 2-8-2. I do have a few larger locomotives that really wouldn't have run on my line, like a Challenger, or an NP Z-5 Yellowsrone, but once in a while I'll take them out and let them run just for grins.
Hope you enjoy the change of scales.

[Charles Smiley]

Wil,

If you like better detail and short trains are OK, then consider freight traction in larger O-scale. Canada had lots of interesting electric lines that had both freight and passenger ops. I started long ago with this old California line in HO. I regret that I didn't start in O-scale. The extra detail and weight for smoother operation are the main reasons. You don't need as much space with this type of railroading as tighter curves look reasonably credible.

Photo has no overhead wiring - that will come later.

[montanan]

Wil,

If you like better detail and short trains are OK, then consider freight traction in larger O-scale. Canada had lots of interesting electric lines that had both freight and passenger ops. I started long ago with this old California line in HO. I regret that I didn't start in O-scale. The extra detail and weight for smoother operation are the main reasons. You don't need as much space with this type of railroading as tighter curves look reasonably credible.

Photo has no overhead wiring - that will come later.

The catenary is one of the things that scared me off of modeling the Milwaukee Road in Montana. I made jigs made to build the overhead system, but all the work. As old as I am, I would probably never have a chance to enjoy it.

[Charles Smiley]

Yeah. Doing cat in more robust O-scale would be better than my HO. By the time you get it done you'll need bifocals for sure.

I plan to keep the cat to a limited section of the layout so I can run my old beginners traction models that got me restarted in the hobby over 40 years ago - clinging to my catenary and pantographs.