What is the difference between ho and o gauge

Scenery material itself tends to cost the same regardless of scale. The lower initial purchase price is a big reason why many people choose HO scale vs O scale. This HO scale layout is fairly typical of what a dedicated train hobbyist will aspire to build. If you do this in O scale, you have that unrealistic third rail to contend with. Even inexpensive HO scale trains have good scale proportions and run on 2-rail track.

Mainstream O scale sets, like the Lionel starter sets you can buy every year starting in the fall, run on 3-rail track and the actual scale of the cars can vary from down to or even scale. Plenty of people are more than willing to deal with that compromise.

Some ignore it entirely and build hyper-realistic layouts around their less-than-realistic trains anyway. Others take different approaches. Compromise is often a big reason why people choose HO scale vs O scale.

You can waltz in to almost any hobby shop any time of the year and find an HO scale set. I would like to fill a 12x12 room eventually. I would also like to know a good resource for trains, tracks, accessories, etc What kind of trains should I be looking for? Is it a mortal sin to mix and match? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

From largest to smallest these are:. Scale is the ratio between the size difference of your model to its real-world equivalent. For a variety of reasons, the scale factor used to get set the distance between rails is often slightly different to the scaling factor used for the rest of the models so we end up with railway scale and a track gauge. OO and HO scales being the most obvious. These both use the same Guage of track — For more like it see my guide to Hornby how to guides and the top 4 best model train sets.

If you found this article useful you can support me by making a donation on my fund-raising page. Thanks and happy modelling, Andy. Picture: Track, J. OO Scale is , not as you claim above. OO Gauge 4mm to 1 ft, scale HO Gauge 3. Andy, thanks! The page was updated recently swapping the order in which the gauges are listed, HO and OO changing. My bad. Thanks for pointing this out. Don't subscribe All Replies to my comments Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

I hope it's not true, or if it is that I can delay it for several decades, but If by the Old West you mean 's to 's there isn't much available in either scale. A lot of the narrow gauge dates from around onward. There is some standard gauge in HO. If you have the room for it, some of Bachmann's Large Scale narrow gauge models It also depends on what you want to do with the models. Do you want to build models or buy everything ready to run. Is this basically a display layout where the trains provide some action in an Old West diorama or do you want to engage in operating the layout like the prototype did.

In general large scales favor building because the pieces are large. They also favor display running because the large trains have more "presence" as they run. Smaller scales favor more of a scenic setting for the trains, longer trains and having more railroad - that is more towns, yards, etc - which helps make operating more interesting. O is the hands down winner.

It's large, rugged, available, and way cooler than HO. Don't buy into the "expensive" myth, it's a lie that O cost more. You can buy O at close out sales, yard sales, 2nd hand shops etc. O scale is bomb proof, if you drop it, if the dog grabs it and runs, it's OK, wipe it off and continue. O scale is orders of magnitude easier to repair, it's bigger so it's easier to see, and you need fewer tools. O scale you leave in your will to grandkids. O scale takes up only slightly more room than HO, so no need to worry about that.

Hardcash Which gauge is the most popular and the most versatile? Now to respond to your questions directly without all the pontification and assuming you're talking about model not toy trains: HO scale is about ten times more popular number of modelers and four times more versatile takes about one-fourth the space and has four-plus-plus-plus more products available than O scale.

I will enjoy HO scale for a few years yet in my home. I believe that HO scale offers the best oppertunity. However, old style Lionel and similar O gauge are bullet proof and require more basic plan for the smaller space than does HO scale. With that in mind, I may be moving up into O gauge with advancing years. I already have started the planning for a simple out and back track plan plus the rolling stock, engine and caboose necessary to make it happen.

Train length will be 5 to 8 cars and a few more for staging. The real question comes down to availible budget. That shooting you like to do will probably see a bit of a slow down in ammo supply once you start buying stuff for trains. Take care to avoid certain O gauge stuff that appear to be a bit I started off in O and moved into O gauge via Lionel post war as a child and recently looked over the offerings availible in O gauge in two hobby shops.

The pricing for O gauge will be more expensive than HO. The other issue is space. What I can do HO in that room, I would have to make a more simple plan that still operates in O gauge. Maybe the older O scale stuff was 'bombproof' as has been stated above. Also be wary of the difference between O scale and O guage I certainly wouldnt want my dog picking up and running with the following items, yes O scale is bigger and sturdier but bachmans later offerings are loaded with detail and still delicate.

Check out micromark. I really dont see how it is more expensive than HO and these prices can still be beaten. Expense, space and time involved are all relative to what you want to achieve, until you are absolutely sure of that, read, investigate and learn everything you can before jumping in and making the all to familiar expensive mistakes. Will it be Civil War era, or s?

Or does it matter, as long as your models give an impression of the Old West, even though they be models of too recent prototypes? In both scale O and HO, the suppliers of true 19th Century models tend to be very small firms that don't advertise in Model Railroader - but they do exist. Some focus on Civil War era, others focus on later. The Yahoo EarlyRail group is a great source of information.

SMR makes beautiful locomotives in scale O and O gauge, but at high prices. In HO, the 19th Century models tend to have cheap drive mechanisms because of the price point of the models. In HO, there is often difficulty in making good locomotive mechanisms and very fine scale details due to the tiny size of the prototypes when compared with the behemoths that came out in the 20th Century.

And Lionel and MTH make some 3 rail locomotives and rolling stock - but again accuracy to 19th Century varies widely. Which brings up the other benefit of the tiny size of the prototypes - 19th Century O can fit in nearly the same space as a s or later HO layout. Cars are half as long as their s brethren. Finally, as others have said, narrow gauge is an option.

Colorado narrow gauge got its start in the late s. But by , narrow gauge was shriveling in the prototype world - although one would never know it from the model world, which focuses on narrow gauge. It's easier to build models of better documented later equipment for those fastidious narrow gaugers! I model in HO because of the greater availability of items I can buy that are not only RTR, but also detail parts and kits of the type I want to feature on my layout.

If I was starting out like you at 64 and with an already well developed involement in another hobby or interest that will influence or be part of model railroading, then I would opt for O. Depending on where in the Ol' West you see your model railroad running there are some modeling advantages in choosing O or even narrow guage O.