O gauge

[Hal Nail]

8 hours ago, Nick G said:

One you try O gauge your on a slippery slope and probably won't go back to any other scale...

Who is it selling all the O gauge stuff on eBay all the time then?

[Nearholmer]

People who are raising cash to buy more 0 gauge stuff, I expect.

 

Or, possibly people raising cash to pay their gas bill.

 

 

 

Edited September 19, 2022 by Nearholmer

[37114]

2 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

Who is it selling all the O gauge stuff on eBay all the time then?

For every 1 x O gauge loco for sale there are 20 x 00 gauge ones though 

[Nick G]

5 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

Who is it selling all the O gauge stuff on eBay all the time then?

 

Me, thinning out the collection I bought before I built a layout and changing era.

[Hal Nail]

1 minute ago, Nick G said:

 

Me, thinning out the collection I bought before I built a layout and changing era.

Actually i buy and then sell quite a bit so maybe its just a few of us swapping stuff!

[The Johnster]

1 hour ago, Hibelroad said:

It all depends on what suits the individual but price isn’t a barrier, I recently bought a new Dapol Terrier DCC fitted (excellent model which runs smoothly) for £210, that compares well with 4mm prices.  

 

But I can buy a new Hornby Terrier for around £100, add about £30 for DCC version, and a Hornby coach for around £40 or £50, all recent toolings to a good standard.   Oxford wagons still come in at under £20. 
 

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

Where it will go horribly wrong in cost terms is if you build an MPD, then buy all the locos that ever visited it from 1960 to 2000!

 
That sort of game will bankrupt you in any scale!

Edited September 19, 2022 by The Johnster

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

But I can buy a new Hornby Terrier for around £100,

At Stafford Guildex a few weeks ago a Trader had several Dapol O scale Class 08s going for £130 each. 

Recently on ebay.co.uk I got an Atlas O GE Dash-8 40 loco that is DCC/Sound for around £180 inc. postage. Okay it was second hand, but even then that was still a good price!

Bargains can be had if you look around. O scale is about 8 times the volume of OO. Unless you go for exotic brass, it is rarely 8 times the price of OO. The only real disadvantage can be the space requirements, depending on what you want to run. It's up to each modeller to decide their priorities - and thus ideal scale - for themselves.

[brynna79]

Have found this thread very useful and insightful.  I am making a similar move from HO to O Gauge, Have shifted the majority of my rolling stock though prior to purchasing O, although I am somewhat bored of selling now. 

 

I have a single Class 50 in H&H livery and I was massively impressed with the size and bulk of the model.  My space is limited, but still feel a good model can be built that keeps me entertained, with a possible future option being a shorter loft or garage run, if I enjoy what I am doing.  I really felt sad selling the collection of CSX/NS locos I had, many brought on trips overseas, and have kept a handful of Vermont locos for now, but do feel I need to go all or nothing to achieve the limited time I have at this stage (18month old, busy DIY schedule and a job that is quite involved for time).  The wife has been happy with the income generated to date (I'll buy what I need when I need moving forward, rather than spend it all at once as I have done when I changed in the past.  This will hopefully control what I actually need. 

 

I seem to have gone to UK O as I have something relatable to model and see, plus the availability of stock is easier to find that US.  I am currently sat on a Azuma north to Scotland from Leeds and loving the views and scope of what could be modelled with my UK based O Gauge decision. 

 

I missed out on a couple of CSX MTH ES44 units that went for <£300 recently and these may have meant it would have been US instead, had I made that decision earlier!!! 

 

Cheers. 

[Hal Nail]

13 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Bargains can be had if you look around. O scale is about 8 times the volume of OO. Unless you go for exotic brass, it is rarely 8 times the price of OO. The only real disadvantage can be the space requirements, depending on what you want to run.

There are good deals around and I would certainly argue O is better value but I dont think its true to say they cost roughly the same (per earlier) and prices are going up. I would aim to pay or get £28 for a Parkside kit 4 or 5 years ago. Its nudging £40 now and not even for a new release, just the cost of exactly the same thing.

 

That said, this works both ways when you come to sell. My net outlay is nothing like it would be if my hobbies involved cars or women!

 

By the way, in case the OP isnt aware, the secific 7mm section on here has a range of useful threads.

 

[duncan]

22 hours ago, brossard said:

The thing about turnouts for O gauge, is that, AFIK, Peco are the only game in town for off the shelf RTP.  They are pretty dear as well so I made most of mine using Peco components (chairs,rail) and Intentio wooden timbers.  I did initially use Peco timbers but I found they warped and made the turnout useless.

 

 

The turnout in the middle is Peco but I really hate the enormous blade/stockrail gap so I modified it as you see.  (tie bars are from MM1 (ex JLTRT) and yes they are a fiddle but worth it).  The gap is much better.  The other two are handbuilt using the Peco template.  The nice thing about O is that wheels all seem to have the same standard, unlike OO, so all my stock works smoothly.

 

John

 

There are other RTR points available & kits, though possibly not exported, Marcway (copperclad sleepers), C&L Finescale (plastic sleepers).  I can recommend both as a customer, there might be others which I have not used.

Best advice I can offer is what I was told, join the Gauge 0 Guild, did that many years ago & the information available is vast. 

As others have commented, once 0 gauge hits you, you are hooked.

[brossard]

14 hours ago, duncan said:

 

There are other RTR points available & kits, though possibly not exported, Marcway (copperclad sleepers), C&L Finescale (plastic sleepers).  I can recommend both as a customer, there might be others which I have not used.

Best advice I can offer is what I was told, join the Gauge 0 Guild, did that many years ago & the information available is vast. 

As others have commented, once 0 gauge hits you, you are hooked.

 

I did caveat with "off the shelf".  I had a C&L kit to start with.  It was expensive but it guided me in the process.  If you buy a kit with pre-made blades and crossings, expect to pay a lot.  I make my own crossings and blades now - not that difficult but there is a process.

 

As for Marcway, my understanding is that they build to order and the copperclad timbers are not for me.

 

I am a member of G0G and like it.

 

John

[doilum]

4 hours ago, brossard said:

 

I did caveat with "off the shelf".  I had a C&L kit to start with.  It was expensive but it guided me in the process.  If you buy a kit with pre-made blades and crossings, expect to pay a lot.  I make my own crossings and blades now - not that difficult but there is a process.

 

As for Marcway, my understanding is that they build to order and the copperclad timbers are not for me.

 

I am a member of G0G and like it.

 

John

A friend has begun work on a large layout. I cannot remember the name of the fim but the points have come in kit form with laser cut sleepers pre formed crossings and switch rails to his design for around 45 pounds. I am not sure if the chairs are included in that price. The quality appears excellent and the price undercuts Peco by some margin.

Nothing wrong with Peco if you can accept the limitations of a rtr point. I have had a custom built curved crossing from Marcway. It ran superbly but the lack of chairs always bugged me. 

[brossard]

5 hours ago, doilum said:

A friend has begun work on a large layout. I cannot remember the name of the fim but the points have come in kit form with laser cut sleepers pre formed crossings and switch rails to his design for around 45 pounds. I am not sure if the chairs are included in that price. The quality appears excellent and the price undercuts Peco by some margin.

Nothing wrong with Peco if you can accept the limitations of a rtr point. I have had a custom built curved crossing from Marcway. It ran superbly but the lack of chairs always bugged me. 

 

45 pounds is still a lot, they are roughly 55 pounds at Antics.  If you buy the components and make the details yourself you are looking at something that is very inexpensive (I haven't done the sums though).  I confess that I got myself a slue of Peco turnouts from an estate sale for a discount.  I did mention above that I too dislike the Peco compromise at the blades and modified that myself to look much better.  Not every turnout is FPL (referring to the silly box). 

 

John