So who models HO scale American?

[pete12345]

So I fancy doing something a bit different as a modelling project, and I've always liked American trains. Anyone here model a North American setting?

I'm interested in doing something like a single track, independent 'branch line' route for local passenger/freight traffic, plus maybe serving an industry. No idea really if this sort of thing is prototypical. With there being 'standard' types of loco bought by several railroads, it seems like there's a lot more people inventing their own fictional lines and livery, along the same sort of lines of NG modelling here. I think this could be good fun.

Can anyone offer any tips about getting started with HO scale?

[Bigmet]

Plenty of US websites, google Carl Arendt. What you are thinking about as a scenario is a 'short line'. They weren't necessariy physically short by UK standards, fifty or more miles was common enough, but compared to the 1,000+ mile reach of a UP or SP, they were short...

Its' fun, there's great equipment, and the opportunity to have a significant railway running down a main street in a town - a real practise in the US - makes for very attractive modelling opportunities. I was planning to do something of this, and then Bachmann started with the better quaility OO, and my first love BR(ER) steam became possible.

[pete12345]

I'm trying to envisage how much space American models take up. I have a space available for a layout that's roughly 4m x 1.5m in an L-shape. The long side needs to stay relatively skinny, but the shorter side can be wider. Originally I was planning on having a branch terminus and a stretch of running line along the longer side, leading to an industry and fiddle yard behind on the short side. However looking at the length of most US locos and freight cars, I wonder how anyone ever manages to fit it all in

[Bigmet]

That's a more than adequate size. Inspiration if required, do a google search for '59th and rust' and just look at what might be a short line servicing several industries. One of the best layouts shown at the CMRA St Albans show this year, and entirely believeable, lost count of how many such rail served locations I have seen in the USA and Canada. A pretty large diesel moving just one or two bogie cars on and off the loading or discharge points of a couple of businesses would be entirely typical operation.

The train crew will try themselves to push any track obstructing parked road vehicle clear, if ringing the bell and sounding the horn doesn't summon the owner to move it himself. But if no one comes and they can't move it, they'll push it off with the loco! Seen it happen.

[UrbanHermit]

American houses traditionally have big basements, where they have the boiler, washing machine and stuff. That's where many of them have their layouts. A space 7 or 8 metres square is nothing unusual for them.

Mind you, I've seen videos on YouTube of the sort of operations Bigmet mentions, so there's still hope for you.

[pete12345]

I'm starting to think N scale would be better for achieving a more 'open-plan' look and actually seeing a train in motion rather than shuffling back and forth. Trouble is, being a long-standing 00/HO man, I think I'd find it too fiddly. I use DCC and would want to take advantage of the ability to get realistic working lights, which would be much more difficult in N.

[Bigmet]

Modern American N is somewhat bigger than UK N, because the prototype is that much larger. And the choice and quality of product is overall better, a lot of it will come fitted with lights; and quite often a bespoke decoder is available for locos so if bought DCC ready you just remove the DC board, plug in the DCC decoder board. The North American market is bigger and has pushed ahead technically over what is available in the UK.

The space saving advantage of the smaller track gauge over HO/OO is the same though. Worth looking hard at what is available as N will let you do a lot in your proposed space.

[pete12345]

If I was to go for N scale, I'd probably design the track layout as if it was a UK 00 model. That allows for the track plan to be spread out and give a decent length of run. Also keeps things relatively simple and saves on buying/building a huge amount of track.

I'm leaning towards modelling a section of a short line in Minnesota, crossing the border into Canada. Looking on google maps, it appears that Duluth, Minnesota and Thunder Bay, Ontario are both rail-served, but lack a connection between them. A route built along the edge of Lake Superior would work nicely as both a logging route and a connection between the major railroads either side of the border. That way you could see stock in my own line's livery, plus transfers of Burlington Northern/BNSF, Wisconsin Central and Canadian National. May not be entirely realistic but would mean lots of variety There'd be lots of scope for scenic modelling too. I'd probably model the end of a spur off the main route, to serve a small town and also something related to the logging industry.