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Model Train Resources - Intro to HO Scale Trains |
Get started by learning the basics
George Sellios guides a train through his Eastern seaport town of Franklin.
David Frary
| | Welcome to HO model railroading! Chances are good that if you're reading this article you already have some HO railroad equipment and know about how big it is. What you may not know is that HO refers to two different things: a scale (or modeling ratio), and a track gauge (the distance between the rails).
Pronounced "Aitch-Oh," in HO scale 3.5 millimeters equal 1 foot. This works out to a size ratio, or proportion, of 1:87. That is, everything made to HO scale is 1/87th as big as the real thing, or prototype, that it represents. In HO a 6-foot man stands about 3/4" tall, and a big 87 foot boxcar is - you guessed it - 1 foot long.
HO also refers to the track gauge, the distance between the inside edges of the rails. HO gauge rails are spaced 16.5 millimeters apart, representing the standard gauge of 4' 8.5" used by most railroads across North America.
HO - both the scale and the gauge - was imported to America from England well over 50 years ago. Back then one of the most popular model railroad sizes was "O" scale (7 millimeters equal 1 foot), and by halving that size the British came up with "Half-O," hence the name.
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A most popular size
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HO has grown in popularity ever since its introduction, and today it is the most popular size among model railroaders. More than 100,000 model railroaders have HO trains, and as a result HO has far and away the most products offered for it: There are literally hundreds of different locomotives available, thousands of cars, and tens of thousands of structures, vehicles, detail accessories, and parts.
This abundance of products means that you can build a complete HO railroad by assembling ready-to-use products, or you can choose to build everything from kits - or even from scratch. The decision - like all decisions in this hobby - is up to you, but most HO railroaders take a middle-of-the road approach: They get started with ready-to-run equipment, then try kits later.
HO is so popular and so diverse that it takes a book the size of a small city telephone directory just to list most of what's available. Wm. K. Walthers, the largest seller of model railroad equipment in North America, issues an annual HO catalog which does just that, and it makes fascinating reading. New HO products are introduced every month, and the best way to keep up with what's new is to read Model Railroader magazine published by Kalmbach Publishing Co.
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Should you start with a train set?
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HO scale Dash 8-40BW from Atlas.
| | Most HO model railroaders get started with a train set, simply because the set includes most of the things you'll need right away - a locomotive, cars, track, and sometimes a power supply - and is attractively priced. You don't need to start with a set, though, and many experienced HO railroaders would recommend that you don't. Instead, they'd suggest that you purchase top-quality locomotives, cars, and track separately to substitute for the substandard items provided in some sets.
The trouble is that as a newcomer to HO you don't know what products are top-quality and what is substandard. You'll need help in choosing, which brings us to an important source of help to all beginning model railroaders: the hobby shop.
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The hobby shop
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If you live in or near a large- or medium-size city, you also live near a hobby shop. These specialty store (check your Yellow Pages under "hobbies") carry model railroad products, and a good hobby shop is also a valuable source of assistance, especially when you're just getting started. More often than not someone who works in the shop is an avid model railroader who has the experience to help with your problems.
The hobby shop is also where you can see what's new in model railroading and meet others interested in the hobby. Many areas have clubs or informal groups that hold meetings and open houses, and a hobby shop is the best place to find out about such events. Best of all, once or twice a year (often during National Model Railroad Month in November) many clubs host open houses where you can visit one or more layouts. Seeing what others have accomplished is always a great stimulus to accomplishing more yourself, so if you have a chance to visit layouts, by all means go.
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Dive right in!
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The best way to get started in model railroading is to build a small layout from start to finish. Even if you have the space, time, and money to start building a dream layout that would fill a gymnasium, you'll be much better off if you first learn the hobby by building something less ambitious.
Now let's get started. All aboard!
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This article first appeared in the book Practical Guide to HO Model Railroading. The book is a complete starter course in HO model railroading, and everything you have to learn is fun! You'll cover all the basic mechanical and electrical topics one by one, then take time out to build the Kitty Hawk Central, a compact layout that fits on a 4 x 6-foot sheet of plywood. After the Kitty Hawk you'll find several chapters on scenery building (one of the most enjoyable activities in model railroading), and information on building models from kits and making your trains run better.
Many topics are covered more than once, and occasionally you'll find explanations of more than one way to accomplish the same task. This isn't meant to confuse you; instead, it means that there's often more than one right way to do things. In fact, part of the fun of model railroading is finding your own ways to build and operate your layout and passing them on to others as your contributions to the hobby. At the back of the book you'll find an index, a glossary of model railroad terms, and a list of useful addresses.
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The above articles is the property of and is
the copyright of Kalmbach
Publishing Co. |
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