Taken the plunge

[commsbloke]

Well that's me taken the plunge. Rails of Sheffield's fantastic reduction on some of the Heljan's 05 shunters were just too good to overlook.
1st step a little light testing with my son's train-set controller.

Next step, build my own PWM controller.

 

[The Bigbee Line]

Try and plan first before any rash purchases..... The voice of experience....

Welcome to the world of 7mm. It’s great. 

[brossard]

I will echo Ernie's comment.  Plan your loco stud carefully.  That said I've been building wagon kits like mad lately - mostly because I like doing them.

 

DCC sound adds a whole different dimension to locos.

 

John

[commsbloke]

Thanks for the advice gents, the current plan is as follows.

 

1) The 05 is the stud

2) A homemade microcontroller based PWM controller (DCC Sound will have to wait for a good bonus) 

3) A couple of Parkside Dundas / Slaters box vans, before I go for a Connoisseur brake van.
4) A small dockside shunting layout based on the timesaver plan. (something like 3 x 4ft by 2ft boards)

 

A quick question if I may, how do I run the loco in without a loop?
 

[brossard]

Good to know you are taking it slowly.  The kits you mention are all very good - and very addictive.  Connoisseur kits require transfers.

 

I like the idea of a small shunting plank.  My plank is 21' long and no track laid yet.  I keep finding other things to do - like build kits.

 

Modern drive systems are very good.  If your loco runs well now, then there is no issue IMO.  Up til now I have driven my locos back and forth on a meter length of track.

 

John

[Simond]

Can you join a club with an 0 gauge test track?

 

or buy a rolling road?

 

HNY

Simon

[O-Gauge-Phil]

Hi

 

Very nice to see you take the plunge, however the connoisseur brake van has a lot of rivets to press out.  O gauge is magnificent, to me anyway.  Just pick it up, the weight, the detail and the way it rolls, marvellous.

 

Anyway remember the slogan " let's get the O gauge layout done " could have been a Brexit free zone.

 

Enjoy your modelling.  Phil

 

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by O-Gauge-Phil

[brossard]

I will add to Phils comment that I built a Connoisseur NBR brake and loved it.  Pressing rivets is tedious but very doable.

 

The odd thing is that RTR wagons (and Dapols are very good) and kits are very close in price.  If you can find the wagon you want in RTR, you probably should get that.  The only thing is that the RTR selection isn't huge.

 

John

[markjj]

Welcome to the madhouse lol. You wont regret the change. Although as a few others have said you will miss the stock variety but that changes month by month with new announced models. 

Dont try to run before you can walk though there are a great many RTR brake Van's and plenty of plastic kit ones. 

Brass models need a few extra tools to make them. 

I'm guessing you can solder though so that's one big hurdle not to worry about. 

[brossard]

I would make another comment about RTR wagons.  Dapol's first generation PO wagons were pretty bad so avoid those.   Later models from Dapol are pretty much clones of Lionheart wagons and excellent.

 

John

[O-Gauge-Phil]

Sorry I think the web is overloaded, it just go crazy.

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by O-Gauge-Phil

[Adrian Stevenson]

Welcome to O gauge!

 

I have been running my locos in on a few lengths of track back and forth. But I intend to invest in a rolling road in due course.

 

Cheers, Ade.

[Father Dougal]

I have an 05 too! (This one is easy to fit a sound chip and that opens up lots of play value)

Welcome to the world of O gauge, or the funny farm as I like to call it.

lots of advice here on this forum. I have been modelling in O for 10 years - lots more RTR now and often at a good price from Hattons or Rails of Sheffield.

for kits, I would echo the advice of trying Conniseur if you want to build in brass or try Slaters or Parkside kits if you want to build plastic.

Dougal

[37114]

From a fellow newbie, welcome to O gauge, I was tipped into it by the availability of the Dapol 08 rather than the 05 but having plenty of fun planning my shunting layout, all 5ft of it..

[Tricky]

Welcome! You won’t regret it. And if you can afford sound it makes all the difference. I am a recent convert to DCC, stay-alives and ‘active braking’. It’s marvellous!