Starting in O Gauge

[Oliver1940]

Hello all, I've come to the decision that I'd like to make a start in O Gauge. I've had OO trainsets but never set up a layout . Now with the space available, I already have the baseboards built as well as a Pannier and a Parkside Toad kit to start off. I was wondering as this will be my first layout if 7mm is the right choice or if I should go with 4mm though I am enjoying the level of detail that can be achieved in 7mm. My layout measures 25ft x3ft, what type of scene could I create in this space? Perhaps a regional terminus, but that is yet to be decided. Any suggestions are welcome. Cheers!

[Annie]

After working in a number of scales over the years I long ago came to the conclusion that working in 'O' Gauge is never a mistake.  A 25ft X 3ft baseboard, a Pannier and a Toad kit, - sounds to me like you've got the beginnings of a classic GWR BLT.

[Kevin Johnson]

You definitely won't regret moving to O gauge. Your baseboard dimensions sound just right for a BLT. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Oliver, sounds great.

Have a look at my layout thread if you have not already seen it? The size you have available is only a foot shorter than mine in length while the width is the same. 
I have a five foot traverser and the rest is scenic.

Cheers, Ade.

[hartleymartin]

You will never regret going to O gauge. It is also a great scale for building wagon kits as they can be had relatively cheaply. It has never been such a good time for O gauge now that we have relatively affordable RTR locomotives and a huge trade supply of kits and parts.

 

Keep an eye out for the Hudswell Clarke locomotive made by Ixion a number of years back. They turn up on the second hand market and are a great option. I own three of them now!

[Hal Nail]

I would say more than half the people starting a new 7mm thread did in fact regret it and ended up going back to 4mm! eBay is awash with the sort of small locos people buy to start a plank.

 

The key issue is usually space though and in that respect you are much better off than most. Nevertheless the size difference takes some getting used to - assuming you have a fiddle yard, a 2 coach train and loco at, say, 4 feet will have around 4 times its length clear run before it gets there.

 

I have a similar space in my new house but am still debating whether to run out into the garden to just let things stretch their legs a bit rather than focus on a scenic model. Its all down to personal preference though. Certainly plenty you can do in 25 feet.

[JeffP]

What put me onto O gauge was an article in Railway Modeller many years ago titled "If only...".

The writer had built a very convincing engineers yard next to a secondary main line, using mainly brass kits from the old David Parkins Post War Prototypes range of diesels and engineer's wagons.

[hartleymartin]

5 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

I would say more than half the people starting a new 7mm thread did in fact regret it and ended up going back to 4mm! eBay is awash with the sort of small locos people buy to start a plank.

 

The key issue is usually space though and in that respect you are much better off than most. Nevertheless the size difference takes some getting used to - assuming you have a fiddle yard, a 2 coach train and loco at, say, 4 feet will have around 4 times its length clear run before it gets there.

 

I have a similar space in my new house but am still debating whether to run out into the garden to just let things stretch their legs a bit rather than focus on a scenic model. Its all down to personal preference though. Certainly plenty you can do in 25 feet.

 

It depends where your interests lay. I am an endless tinkerer and I love to build wagon kits and I have even started painting them! The small industrial locos that interested me so much were just not around when I started in O gauge nearly 20 years ago. In fact anyone who did industrial basically had J94s, L&Y 21 Pugs, Terriers and J72s - maybe the odd Pannier because little industrial 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 locos were just not a thing. Now that we have the Hattons Barclay, Hornby Peckett, etc it is a different proposition.

 

But I find that O scale gives me more "play value" because I am less likely to blow my money on a new wagon or carriage every week at the local hobby shop, but I built the wagon, kit-bash, paint, modify, etc.

 

Just remember Rule #1 - My trains, my rules! - The only person who has to be happy is yourself, so do what you enjoy.

[F-UnitMad]

13 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

eBay is awash with the sort of small locos people buy to start a plank.

I would dispute that. I just did a quick check - for the UK O gauge section, searching "Minerva" brought up one listing, for a set of 'Minerva' nameplates. "Ixion" showed 4 listings. "Industrial Steam loco" one listing. Even "diesel shunter" only brings up 15 listings, not all of them engines, and all of them at "buy it now/best offer" prices.

Hardly "awash", is it? No, maybe O isn't for everyone, but I doubt very much your speculation on the matter.

[Hal Nail]

1 hour ago, F-UnitMad said:

No, maybe O isn't for everyone, but I doubt very much your speculation on the matter.

I was suggesting that O isn't for everyone...

 

I like it but I've seen plenty of threads where people try but decide to go back to 4mm - so when someone asks for advice, I think it's fair to try and give a balanced view.

[sagaguy]

I`m a convert to 0 gauge from 00 vintage railways.I now find it easier to sit at a bench and build locos,this is a photo of my first loco kit,a DJH Fairburn tank loco.An update on the theme of starting with 0 gauge,the build of the tender so far on my Roxey mouldings WD 2-8-0 kit.

 

                           Ray.

Edited December 26, 2022 by sagaguy
Update

[bluestag]

I was heavily into EM.   I had 14 loco kits (LNWR), and only started three.   And never finished one.    Then I met some 7mm modellers, and they persuaded me to buy and build a LNWR 4' 0-4-0.  Low investment in wheels, don't you see?    It took me a little while to finish it, but once I did, I did not look back.   (I compensated it.   The front axle rocks.  As long as the wheels are reasonably clean, it runs like a dream).    And I have sound in all my locos, I would not be without it.   25' is a fair stretch, my layout is 22 x 17 with a 6' fiddle yard on the 17' bit.    Be aware you are not going to have main line operations going on.    If big locos and long trains are your thing, stay in 4mm, or join a club.    My group has three layouts among us, and we meet monthly rotating layouts, the other two are larger than mine, and are a treat to run o n.

 

Do build a few kits.    And find someone else's layout to run on, for variety.   As long as some shunting suits you, you should be OK.  Join the Gauge O Guild.   Although why you want the Greasy Wet and Rusty, I don't know......

 

 

7 mm is just so much more impressive to look at, for me.

Edited December 24, 2022 by bluestag

[bluestag]

Oh, let me proselytize for my choice of couplers.  The vast majority of 7mm modellers run three link.    I think it is madness.    There is a choice called Dingham.    They mount just like three links, and can work with them.   But they are a true auto coupler.   Mine work well.   Not flawlessly, but with vastly less intervention than three link.    The chap who designed and marketed them retried recently, and the GOG took over manufacture and marketing.    There is an alternative called Flip-ems, that have certain advantages, but are essentially the same.    Search around on this site and you will find a fair bit of information on them.

[hartleymartin]

1 hour ago, bluestag said:

Oh, let me proselytize for my choice of couplers.  The vast majority of 7mm modellers run three link.    I think it is madness.    There is a choice called Dingham.    They mount just like three links, and can work with them.   But they are a true auto coupler.   Mine work well.   Not flawlessly, but with vastly less intervention than three link.    The chap who designed and marketed them retried recently, and the GOG took over manufacture and marketing.    There is an alternative called Flip-ems, that have certain advantages, but are essentially the same.    Search around on this site and you will find a fair bit of information on them.

 

I have been thinking about going with Dinghams, but my choice of prototype complicates matters. NSW Government Railways had a combination of 3-link and automatic knuckle couplers with transition links. (Set of rules regarding what could and could not be coupled too!) so I am inclined to head toward kadee couplers or the evolution coupler from San Juan Car Co - though non have the provision for a transition link.
 

 

[bluestag]

Kadees work as well.    Although how buffers work with a central buffer coupling, I don't know.    I suppose they are mounted long compared to the buffers.

[Hibelroad]

Try Rails of Sheffield. 
 

[Mike Bellamy]

 

Paul Martin at EDM Models (ngtrains.com)

 

https://ngtrains.com/shop/brand/kadee/?filter_scale=o-scale

.

[Dava]

On 23/12/2022 at 22:12, F-UnitMad said:

I would dispute that. I just did a quick check - for the UK O gauge section, searching "Minerva" brought up one listing, for a set of 'Minerva' nameplates. "Ixion" showed 4 listings. "Industrial Steam loco" one listing. Even "diesel shunter" only brings up 15 listings, not all of them engines, and all of them at "buy it now/best offer" prices.

Hardly "awash", is it? No, maybe O isn't for everyone, but I doubt very much your speculation on the matter.

It’s easier to buy from Minerva direct, 3 industrial locos available. https://www.minervamodelrailways.co.uk/
 

Heljan industrial liveried 03s are discounted at present by Hattons & Rails. The Dapol Austerity is promised next year.

 

Dava

[Oliver1940]

Thank you everyone for all the helpful suggestions and answers. While planning the storage for the layout I ended up wondering whether in place of a fiddle yard or traverser I should have a return loop that leads back to the station making the layout almost a balloon shape. I would probably use Peco settrack to allow most stock to negociate it.

[bluestag]

1 hour ago, Oliver1940 said:

Thank you everyone for all the helpful suggestions and answers. While planning the storage for the layout I ended up wondering whether in place of a fiddle yard or traverser I should have a return loop that leads back to the station making the layout almost a balloon shape. I would probably use Peco settrack to allow most stock to negociate it.

You will use a LOT of space doing that.    I am using a cassette system that takes up 6'.    That allows me five six wheeled coaches and a loco, or ten wagons and a loco.    Perhaps long for your preferences, if you are going to run only really short stock, set track will work.    I would find that limiting.

 

Kevin

Edited December 30, 2022 by bluestag

[Oliver1940]

29 minutes ago, bluestag said:

You will use a LOT of space doing that.    I am using a cassette system that takes up 6'.    That allows me five six wheeled coaches and a loco, or ten wagons and a loco.    Perhaps long for your preferences, if you are going to run only really short stock, set track will work.    I would find that limiting.

 

Kevin

I believe you are correct, I think a 6' traverser would work well for myself as well. Just for comparison how long is your layout?

[bluestag]

1 hour ago, Oliver1940 said:

I believe you are correct, I think a 6' traverser would work well for myself as well. Just for comparison how long is your layout?

See the photos above.   It is on two walls of my garage, and has a drop flap that opens out onto the driveway.    The long wall is 19'2" long, and the flap extends it by about 40".    The adjacent wall is 17' 4", and has the fiddleyard of 6' on the end.    So I have a little more layout than you do, but most of the 17' is just the branch line, no turnouts or sidings.   All that is on the 22' of the main layout.    So if you transition directly from station throat to fiddleyard, you will have only slightly less length than I have.

[Oliver1940]

Another question I had is what sort of passenger traffic and station could I get away with given the space I have. I was thinking of running a loco and 2 mk1 coaches, even 3 though that may be pushing it. Is something like a GWR BLT as has been suggested more fitting or is something bigger possible.

 

Oliver

[Hal Nail]

6 hours ago, Oliver1940 said:

Is something like a GWR BLT as has been suggested more fitting or is something bigger possible.

 

I would download a template of a point, then use a paper footprint of a loco, say, to map out how much space a run round loop takes up wìth clearance - that will start to give you a feel. A 45xx is about 26 x 6 cm, a bubble car not far off 50cm.

 

Plus look at some of the layouts on here such as Ramchester in a 30 foot shed.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Hal Nail

[Ray H]

Could you have a 6ft diameter turntable as the fiddle yard. It would need to have its centre a shade over 3ft from any wall. It could be an alternative to a return loopp.