how do i get into model trains?
>>11291375They are pretty small anon, considering shrink rays don't exist i think you are out of luck.
I'll answer your question with another question.Do you have the money to afford being a diehard car hobbist who can buy, maintain, and customize vintage and unique models, along with the space to store and work on them? If so, you have the entry level income needed to even think about being in the hobby.That or hope that your "weird" uncle/grandfather's weird thing was trains; then you'll have a headstart when they pass away.
>>11291375there's a few questions to think about first.what kind of trains interest you? old US coal powered locomotives, modern passenger locomotives, shinkansen, etcdo you value a larger and more detailed train (requiring either large space for a layout orna smaller layout) or would you want a more elaborate layout with trains that might either omit or require customization to make up detail?is the social aspect of railfagging something your interested in, are there local clubs or similar to you that might jointly build layouts at a unified scale?
>>11292174Even with a cheap kids focused train set youd have to have the space neccesary to run a train. My dad had a sheet of plywood we would use for train sets or race tracks, and then we would hog up a room with that basically kicking everyone else out. >dont touch the tracksMy dumbass gets a jolt and it hurt.
Buy a Lego train instead.
The main issue is space and money (and time)You could try joining your local model railroald club, to me that solved the space issue, the layout is already built (and way bigger than anything I would imagine in my home) and I don't need to know everything from carpentry to diorama decoration. Plus I made friends with people there, learned a lot of things etc.For the money part, you may buy things second hand, get simpler models or older (so cheaper) models, etc>>11293209that's a toy, not a model
>>11293314So there's a division among the train community with model vs toy rivalry, huh? Intredasting...
>>11293165Yeah. My mom got me a train set when I was really little (primarily so she could play with it because she wasn't allow to have one as a kid), but it took up a big chunk of our attic. When we moved out of that house to a smaller one, the train set went into storage, where it still languishes to their day.
>>11291375lol Goring.
>>11291375Step 1. Give up a room in your house. Step 2. Build a large table that takes up 90% of that roomStep 3. Build a railroad dioramaStep 4. Realise that you still don't have enough space.
>>11293314>that's a toy, not a modelI said: mcfucking buy a Lego train.
>>11291375don't. just buy train simulator for PC instead.
>>11293349Oh you don't know the half of it. Theres also big divides between HO and O Gauge.
Can anyone recommend me an affordable O Gauge starter set. My nephew is big into trains and I want to get him something with a little more substance than those cheap fake G Gauge Christmas trains and battery operated crap. I'm looking at Lionel and they are a bit too expensive for just a starter set for a kid.
>>11293349there's no rivalry, basically nobody cares about toys in the hobby I'd say. Toys like Lego are cheaper but are really unrealistic, even for the few ones modelling real engines with bricks
>>11294621Check out estate sales or auctions for old Lionel stuff.
>>11291375Wonder if any of Goering's model train collection survived.
>Theres a Pokemon themed Lionel setOkay this license set I can actually see being pretty cool, since Pokemon has this ability to go well with everything. But the set itself seems kinda low effort.
Well Lionel's 2025 catalog is out.
>>11297369Lionel licenseslop has been exactly that
>>11298548And now its most of 2025's starter sets. Doesn't seem like theres any traditional O rolling stock that isn't a licensed thing or gimmick this year
550 bucks for three coaches who's tooling dates back to the fucking stone age and 2-6-2? I can literally go on Ebay right now and buy the same set for hundred bucks max.
Thank God for model trains. Without model trains, they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big trains.
Frankly, if I was in the market for a new large train set, I would just get a LGB, Piko or maybe a Marklin Gauge 1 if money was no object. I do not see any point in buying a new Lionel or MTH in 2025.
>>11294625>Toys like Lego are cheaper but are really unrealisticSo are model trains. Most HO carriages are actually 1/100 instead of 1/87 scale because otherwise they wouldn't be able to get around curves which have way smaller radiuses than IRL. Much of that stuff is not to scale but compromises authenticity for functionality.
>>11299589I miss K-Line. They had a pretty good balance of affordable and detail.
>>11300350K-Line had the right balance of price, detail and quality. I think Menard's might have hit the, but I do not know what the serviceability of their products are like.
>>11300650You get what you pay for. They are decent quality for the price. Their models do have some overspray issues though and the couplers can be finnicky. That being said if Menards can offer up a few cheap passenger cars and steamers that could be great.
>>11299631>So are model trains. Most HO carriages are actually 1/100 instead of 1/87 scale because otherwise they wouldn't be able to get around curves which have way smaller radiuses than IRL.Lol, "most". That was the case at least 30 years ago and is very visible (picrel from that thread https://forum.espacetrain.com/index.php?topic=4438.0) https://lereseaudepsx.e-monsite.com/pages/petite-lecon-de-chemin-de-fer/ho-et-1-100.html, you basically can't find that in the modern production, unless you explicitly search for it or go into the hobby or toy (so not model, huh) segmentMeanwhile Lego's proportions are all over the place, have no details, random colors, have fucking studs (like in reality of course), the minfigs don't look like humans, you can't remotely call that a model.
Convine why or why not I should buy a Halling/ Ferro Train TW6000. Their shop has a 30% off site-wide sale.
