anyone into model trainsets?

[AwakenEvil]

So I recently started to assemble my office trainset. First time for me... always wanted one as a kid but mom never got me one. So now I'm living out that childhood fantasy.

I'd figure there are some experts here with train sets.

So I have a question about them. When wiring up an O Scale using MTH Real Track do I simply attach hot, cold, and ground to the rails? Is there a formula as to how spaced out the power drops should be on the rails? My grid is basically a circle along my ceiling which is I had to guess is about 60ft or so of track. My office is about 15ft by 12ft or so.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

Google is Your Friend. Also Wikipedia and YouTube. Use "Wire up O gauge trains" I would not start this unless I were ready to be consumend by it

[AwakenEvil]

I've been googling and YouTube. I had no idea how much this could cost me. I thought this trainset would be a few hundred dollars when I started it. My freaking engine was $500 and the 5 cars I have are about $60 each. I also have about $200 in wood and another $100 in brackets and hardware. Haven't even powered it on yet!

[dondd]

@Little Christineoffers some good advice.  To which I will add - Be prepared for mixed messages.  

We are building an N scale layout and did our research in that context.  Gauge, layout size, DC/DCC are all considerations.  Advice ranged from every piece of track to one at each end.  

Research, perhaps reach out to an O Scale users group, and use some common sense.

Good luck and have fun.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

Just now, AwakenEvil said:

I've been googling and YouTube. I had no idea how much this could cost me. I thought this trainset would be a few hundred dollars when I started it. My freaking engine was $500 and the 5 cars I have are about $60 each. I also have about $200 in wood and another $100 in brackets and hardware. Haven't even powered it on yet!

That kind of $$$ could be a LOT of rubber panties, diapers and tiaras  or a good starter magic wand. Something that would take about 2 seconds to turn a politician into a frog

[Little Sherri]

I did this a number of years ago, for the same reason - my parents would never buy me one, but then I had the money, so, I bought me one. However I quickly realized that to actually crate what I pictured in my head would require a lot of real estate and a lot of money. I became dissatisfied with my table-top loop and gave it away. I still think I might revisit all of this when I retire; maybe by then, you'll be able to schedule the trains via an app (if you can't already). Or get the viewpoint from the locomotives on your phone. 

[DailyDi]

If I had the money and space I would be into it

[Baby Toni38]

Built one with my father before he passed. They can easily add up the dollars. 

 

[rusty pins]

My brother is a licensed Lionel Repair Dealer and if you mention MTH to him you better take off running!  He hates them and I guess it's 1)  Because he has always been a Lionel person although he has Williams, Atlas and others and 2)  He has had more problems with repairs on MTH for stupid circuit boards and other things than any other brand.

Me, when I was 6 my parents bought me American Flyer S gauge.  It was just before they went out of business and it was poorly made.  A couple years later they got me N scale and I still have 50 years of N scale trains and a very small layout just to run them now and then.  Around 24 years or so ago I started getting back into American Flyer and S gauge, and have one of about every engine AF made, about all the accessories for it as well as a ton of rolling stock.  I have a fairly large 92 x 92 inch layout with an offshoot  about 32 x 44 inches.  One day I hope to clean it off and work on it again as it's partially landscaped.

[Glennie]

8 hours ago, AwakenEvil said:

I've been googling and YouTube. I had no idea how much this could cost me. I thought this trainset would be a few hundred dollars when I started it. My freaking engine was $500 and the 5 cars I have are about $60 each. I also have about $200 in wood and another $100 in brackets and hardware. Haven't even powered it on yet!

and your just getting started spending money on your trains.. its a wonderful hobby but a very very expensive one as well.. enjoy

[Crinklz Kat]

MTH HQ is just a few miles from me.

But I'm in HO scale.   And spending money..... I'm well over the 50K mark! 

[AbabeBill]

I love model railroading, I have G scale, even more expensive when you go to buy what you need! ? I haven’t set anything up in a while, or bought any new items, mostly because I don’t have the space either. But I did some fun Christmas layouts on the lawn in past years. 
 

[kasarberang]

I wanted to do some stuff with trains, nothing super fancy, I wanted to 3D Print the tracks and trains, and just have a good time at it. My wife veto'd that idea, we don't even have close to enough room to even dedicate a small section to train building. So, It's something I'll just have to passively think "that seems like it'd be fun" without actually pursuing it, unless I want to get rid of my other space consuming hobbies (which I don't.).

[AwakenEvil]

1 hour ago, Crinklz Kat said:

MTH HQ is just a few miles from me.

But I'm in HO scale.   And spending money..... I'm well over the 50K mark! 

You have as much in your trainset as I have in my engine

[zzyzx]

11 hours ago, AwakenEvil said:

So I recently started to assemble my office trainset. First time for me... always wanted one as a kid but mom never got me one. So now I'm living out that childhood fantasy.

I'd figure there are some experts here with train sets.

So I have a question about them. When wiring up an O Scale using MTH Real Track do I simply attach hot, cold, and ground to the rails? Is there a formula as to how spaced out the power drops should be on the rails? My grid is basically a circle along my ceiling which is I had to guess is about 60ft or so of track. My office is about 15ft by 12ft or so.

@AwakenEvil:

I still have my old Lionel O scale train sets (stored) from when I was young packed away, and probably won't get them out till I retire....  And then I'm not sure if I will have the space to play with them....  Time will tell.

I don't know if my comments will translate to your system.  I'm not familiar with MTH and if it is compatible with Lionel's setup.

My Lionel equipment is AC power based, not DC powered.  And Lionel is based on three (not two) rails, with power between the center rail and the outer rails.  If you have a single engine, you could run the entire set of track on a single power connection.  With more than one engine, and/or having switches (i.e. not a simple oval / circular layout), then you probably want to segregate sections based on what you want to individually control. And for Lionel, that means putting spacers (electrical breaks) between sections of track, and powering up different sections using different controls - possibly multiple transformers or a transformer with multiple taps and/or some electric switches involved.  For Lionel's AC setup, higher voltage was faster engine speed. 

I do have one HO car (because I couldn't buy O scale for the item) for one location where we lived.  And I think I was handed an N scale train set at one point, and I believe that one was two rail (not three) and DC (current) based. 

For the Lionel transformers, there were either two connections (one for center rail, and one for the outer rails) or multiple connections that varied based on the transformer.  My larger transformer (if I remember correctly) could control two trains, and had some fixed voltage output for accessories.  Most of the Lionel train kits had just a smaller transformer that was just the two polls.  And to use multiple transformers you have to learn how to synchronize them (i.e. line up the sine waves so things would work in parallel).

Best wishes....

 

[AwakenEvil]

9 minutes ago, zzyzx said:

@AwakenEvil:

I still have my old Lionel O scale train sets (stored) from when I was young packed away, and probably won't get them out till I retire....  And then I'm not sure if I will have the space to play with them....  Time will tell.

I don't know if my comments will translate to your system.  I'm not familiar with MTH and if it is compatible with Lionel's setup.

My Lionel equipment is AC power based, not DC powered.  And Lionel is based on three (not two) rails, with power between the center rail and the outer rails.  If you have a single engine, you could run the entire set of track on a single power connection.  With more than one engine, and/or having switches (i.e. not a simple oval / circular layout), then you probably want to segregate sections based on what you want to individually control. And for Lionel, that means putting spacers (electrical breaks) between sections of track, and powering up different sections using different controls - possibly multiple transformers or a transformer with multiple taps and/or some electric switches involved.  For Lionel's AC setup, higher voltage was faster engine speed. 

I do have one HO car (because I couldn't buy O scale for the item) for one location where we lived.  And I think I was handed an N scale train set at one point, and I believe that one was two rail (not three) and DC (current) based. 

For the Lionel transformers, there were either two connections (one for center rail, and one for the outer rails) or multiple connections that varied based on the transformer.  My larger transformer (if I remember correctly) could control two trains, and had some fixed voltage output for accessories.  Most of the Lionel train kits had just a smaller transformer that was just the two polls.  And to use multiple transformers you have to learn how to synchronize them (i.e. line up the sine waves so things would work in parallel).

Best wishes....

 

mines 3 rail. I think I need something that plugs into the track itself. Everything I its called a lock-on, once I have the loop in place I plan to do another step and put foam board under near and plan some of my Star Wars Busts and Action figure dioramas with it. Probably be a few more months before it is running but I did order this.

https://tandkhobby.com/40-1000-mth-o-z-1000-transformer/

[spoonchicken]

My dad & I were heavily into it when I was young ( HO traction and modern-day diesel-electrics). The best place I can point you to for SOLID advice on EVERYTHING is...

Model Railroader - Trains

Dude...seriously...these people are THE industry authories on this....that's the good news 

Bad news is they'll charge you a fee of some damned kind or another for the information 

Lots and lots of excellent information available, though  

[Crinklz Kat]

22 minutes ago, spoonchicken said:

My dad & I were heavily into it when I was young ( HO traction and modern-day diesel-electrics). The best place I can point you to for SOLID advice on EVERYTHING is...

Model Railroader - Trains

Dude...seriously...these people are THE industry authories on this....that's the good news 

Bad news is they'll charge you a fee of some damned kind or another for the information 

Lots and lots of excellent information available, though  

I just let my subscription lapse.  I just can't keep up with it anymore.  I have 3 years worth of back issues to catch up on! 

[DiaperboyEddie12]

@AwakenEvil I always loved model trains though I do not have the budget right now I would like to work with HO though not happening right now.

[squishii]

Well, I'm fairly interested in model trains, but I just don't think I could get them. Not just because of budget restraints, but... well, I'm lazy. Very, very lazy. Just couldn't be bothered to assemble a trainset.

[zzyzx]

1 hour ago, AwakenEvil said:

mines 3 rail. I think I need something that plugs into the track itself. Everything I its called a lock-on, once I have the loop in place I plan to do another step and put foam board under near and plan some of my Star Wars Busts and Action figure dioramas with it. Probably be a few more months before it is running but I did order this.

https://tandkhobby.com/40-1000-mth-o-z-1000-transformer/

@AwakenEvil:  You are correct that you need something like what you call a "lock-on".  I don't remember what Lionel called it for their track, but it is a clip on that hooked to one outer rail and the inner rail from below the track, and provided a place for two wires to be connected from the transformer to the rail.  If the linked transformer is what you use to power the train, then this setup looks like or very similar to how the old O scale Lionel trains ran.  OK, one could get away with soldering wires to the bottom side of the rails, but the model train companies will have a device so you don't have to do that (and will allow you to adjust where power comes in later).

So, yes, one wire goes to the center rail and the other wire runs to one of the outer rails.  (You should confirm this with another source that knows the equipment you are using.)  Based on what popped up below the transfer (on the linked page), the rail looks similar to the O-27 Lionel track I have, and your system would probably run on the old Lionel track I have if it could run on the narrow curves (under scale) of my O27 track (which does a 27" circle radius).  (I believe "standard" O scale would be like a 32" or 36" radius for a circle.)  The center rail is insulated from the rest of the rail mounts, and the two outer rails are electrically connected by the support structure. 

I'm surprised a power connection block didn't pop up on the bottom of the linked page.  Maybe those short track sections are how they handle a power connection.  In which case you would probably need two blocks of the same length to keep an oval track in proper shape.

1 hour ago, spoonchicken said:

My dad & I were heavily into it when I was young ( HO traction and modern-day diesel-electrics). The best place I can point you to for SOLID advice on EVERYTHING is...

Model Railroader - Trains

Dude...seriously...these people are THE industry authories on this....that's the good news 

Bad news is they'll charge you a fee of some damned kind or another for the information 

Lots and lots of excellent information available, though  

Its been years since I've had a subscription to Model Railroader....