# New Guy wanting to enjoy the hobby and get started....



## krazykj03 (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi guys, im new. I have no trains yet, but i would like to get some after doing some research. As a kid i always loved trains, and i think every kid enjoys them. I remember having toy trains just playing around. i think i had a train set but never knew the brand. Fast forward 25 years and here i am looking in to the hobby and get into it with my 7 month old son. i know he cant play with them now but as he gets older maybe i can pass this passion to him and maybe to his kids and so on. I like the hands on feature of this and now a days kids are always on there phones or watching tv, they dont know what is its to play outside and just explore and be creative.

What kind of got me to get into this was my wife wants a train set for me to put under our 7.5 feet. so she gives me some options on amazon and they all sucked cause they were like $30-50 and the reviews were really bad. So here i am doing my research and they come in all different scales. I am looking into the O scale or HO scale. i would spend a little more to be able to last a long time and not just for that 1 month. For me i am 1 of those people if i buy 1 thing i want to stick to it and be able to upgrade or expand getting more in the hobby. I know the HO scale you can do all that sound and commands but i know nothing about them and i know it can get expensive real quick with those. I want to be able to make a town layout and have a project for me to do for the time being and when my son gets older have him help. 

Any thoughts on what i can do? 
should i go get a O scale train for the holiday to put under the tree and expand with O scale?
or get a HO scale for under the tree and expand with HO?
or get both, O for the holiday tree and HO for me? 
And what scale would you guys recommend for a beginner like me, i would like to really get into it just like other hobbies that keep me occupy.

thank you all for your time.


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

It'll really depend on a few things. First how much space do you have? HO will allow you more trains in less space and has many quality choices for items. O scale being larger is easier for some with less nimble fingers and less than stellar eyesight. Doing an O scale Christmas train is a viable option, you can check around and find some reasonably priced O scale items on E-bay, and sometimes our member to member thread. Even though they can require some up front tinkering, postwar Lionel (1946-1969 years) offer some very nice items at reasonable prices. Outside of a few items almost all of my train items is from that era. 

For HO you need to decide DC or DCC, I'm not an HO guy, so others will chime in here. I'd encourage you to view threads related to scales. You'll often find valuable information to aid in choosing. 

One final important note, remember it's your railroad there is no right or wrong way to build and run it as long as it works and makes you happy.

OH and welcome to the asy.... err forums 

Carl


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*train size*

Hi,K.. Welcome to the forum:appl:. Ho probably [depending on the money you got] as it is the most popular and you can get some pretty decent train items reasonable. There is a lot of Ho available out there. O gauge is real good also,just larger.It depends on a few things like money,space,your wants. This is a really good place to start. The people here will be more than willing to help you with any of your questions or problems.As you probably know there is a for sale thread as well as pass it forward.Check out the whole forum. It will be very informative. The best for you.

Have fun,enjoy the hobby,Everett


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## MRLdave (Nov 1, 2011)

To me, the most fun "christmas train" is a G scale. You can actually see it, and a lot of the sets aimed at under the tree have sound, smoke, ect. But unless you plan to build your "me" layout outside, you wouldn't want to stick with G.

I agree HO is the most versatile.....it's small enough to be able to get a lot in a small space, and the variety of locos,cars, buildings,accessories, ect. is unmatched by any other scale. And because there is so much out there, costs are a little lower. If you are really limited for layout space, N scale might deserve a look, but it's a little less "child friendly" than the bigger scales.


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## Highclimberteacher (Jun 29, 2020)

krazykj03 said:


> Hi guys, im new. I have no trains yet, but i would like to get some after doing some research. As a kid i always loved trains, and i think every kid enjoys them. I remember having toy trains just playing around. i think i had a train set but never knew the brand. Fast forward 25 years and here i am looking in to the hobby and get into it with my 7 month old son. i know he cant play with them now but as he gets older maybe i can pass this passion to him and maybe to his kids and so on. I like the hands on feature of this and now a days kids are always on there phones or watching tv, they dont know what is its to play outside and just explore and be creative.
> 
> What kind of got me to get into this was my wife wants a train set for me to put under our 7.5 feet. so she gives me some options on amazon and they all sucked cause they were like $30-50 and the reviews were really bad. So here i am doing my research and they come in all different scales. I am looking into the O scale or HO scale. i would spend a little more to be able to last a long time and not just for that 1 month. For me i am 1 of those people if i buy 1 thing i want to stick to it and be able to upgrade or expand getting more in the hobby. I know the HO scale you can do all that sound and commands but i know nothing about them and i know it can get expensive real quick with those. I want to be able to make a town layout and have a project for me to do for the time being and when my son gets older have him help.
> 
> ...


As a grandfather who's sons and grandchildren all got trains by the age of four so Papa has buddies to play trains with, I recommend you stick with O or O27 Lionel, K line, or MTH die-cast steam engines in sets. My 40 year old son's first locomotive has been dropped many times but with regular lubrication works like new. Lionel had a slogan in the 80's, "Big trains for little hands.". As an almost 70 year-old with thousands of trains, the size helps my vision as reading glasses and HO when putting trains o a track is more difficult. Check eBay and your nearest hobby shop.


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## Mushtang (Aug 27, 2020)

Highclimberteacher said:


> Check eBay and your nearest hobby shop.


This thread is about 7 years old. I'm pretty sure he's gotten something by now.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

The answer works and is good for posterity.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Yes, but this thread was already IN posterity. It could have been safely left there, and the forum wouldn't have been any the worse for it. Contributions could be made to more current discussions instead (there's a fresh one on a similar topic in the General area right now.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

If it bothers you that someone replied to an old thread, just don't click on it!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

The point is that there are plenty of good discussions in new threads, so why pull up dead ones? For people like me, who DO look at all new post on a more or less daily basis, it's the forum equivalent of the nerd who breaks into a conversation trying to return the discussion to what was talked about 10 minutes previously. Is it too much to ask that members pay a little attention to what they're doing?

Like I've said, if it's a good topic and you're actually adding to the discussion, there's no harm. But so many of these resurrections are attempts to provide people with help or advice on a question that's usually long overcome by events.


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

I think this issue of old threads being brought up again is due to the "Recommend Reading" section of this forum. It often suggests threads that are multiple years old. I've often times myself seen a recommended thread that I think "oh, I should answer this" only to realize after spending significant time on it that its over 10 years old. I'd really like the forum software changed so that the "Recommended Reading" list heavily weights newer threads over old ones in its search & sort algorithms.


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