THE BEST ... THE WORST in O Gauge - State Your Opinion!

I can see the moderators shutting this down very quickly.

That said, best Postwar engine would be the 675 / 2025 PRR K4. Good looking, well detailed, and a great puller. Absolute worst would be the plastic-motored Scout, a true POS if ever there was one.

I don't own any TMCC at all.

How about a thread that just talks about THE BEST.

Stu

Thanks, Art, for getting it started! Hope they don't shut it down--there's already enough grousing and complaints on the forum about current manufacturers and their products that make this little thread look harmless. Plus, I like learning about the products of the past--helps me learn what to focus on finding--or passing up--at train shows.

The best thing for the hobby in general and O Scale specifically is the NMRA standards that were established early on for all scales.    This gives mfg the information they need to make their stuff compatible with all other mfg if they want to.     In 3-rail that does not always seem to be part of their business model.

The worst thing for O scale was mfg starting with 1 1/4 inch gauge track for O.    This scales out to 5 ft wide.    the prototype is 4 ft 8 1/2 inches.    While 3 1/2 inches does not seem like much, it makes all our stuff have the wheels too far out.   On steamers, the cylinders have to widened and this shows up on some models.    This was done so early on, and their is so much stuff there, that a change is extremely impractical.

Yep...I can see this thread developing some problems....  We have enough negative comments so I am not sure if everyone is going to interpret what "the worst" means in terms of the OP's definition.  The mods will watch this one....

The very best aspect of this hobby is interacting with a wonderful group of people both in person and on this forum.  Model railroaders in general and O gauge modelers in particular are fabulous.  I am so grateful to be a member of the group.

I like to run trains using command control.  The worst part of the O gauge hobby is having to master and wire the layout to accommodate competing command control systems.  I wish that we had a standard similar to DCC where all the command systems could run the locomotives from any manufacturer.  There are work arounds but they don't always work well.  

The second worst part of the hobby are the claw couplers.  I wish that everything came with Kadee compatible couplers.  Kadee couplers are so much more reliable than the claws that it should be a no brainer.  Someone could figure out how to make an automatic Kadee compatible coupler if that is desired.

Overall, O gauge model railroading is the best hobby - period.   NH Joe 

The BEST:  Pride Lines Hiawatha.  John Davanzo was a master tool maker.  Runs like an Audemars Piguet watch.

The WORST:  Lionel 1862/1882 General.  Never had one that behaved well.  I'll attribute that to the pick up rollers and 2 position e unit.

Lou N

artyoung posted:

I can see the moderators shutting this down very quickly.

That said, best Postwar engine would be the 675 / 2025 PRR K4. Good looking, well detailed, and a great puller. Absolute worst would be the plastic-motored Scout, a true POS if ever there was one.

I don't own any TMCC at all.

You nailed it on the 675/2025 K4's, I absolutely love the couple I have.

Good.  New stuff is a lil much for me. Menards is really filling a niche   Love online auctions and train shows  

bad.  Nothing at all bad about trains.  I’m from central Illinois. I can find local lines...The rock, tp&w, c&im, Illinois central, but they are single engine Mpc era trains.  I just wish they were better runners.   If I could just find a dual motor frame to drop my favorite cabs on, I’d be a happy feller.  

Models:

"Classic:" Lionel 736 Berkshire. The best, hands down.

Scale: The Lionel N&W Y6b.

Worst: the insane amount of room O scale takes, especially all my toys in boxes. My bride agrees.

Best is horizontal motor 2343 f3 (not a steamer but still the best )

best steamer 675/2025 with Baldwin drivers(early ones)

worst probably scout but do not have one

Ok, I’ll bite the bullet, my favorite Steam Locomotive is the VisionLine Big Boy, with all the features most anyone would enjoy.  It’s scale looking, great whistle, great wheel slip effect, smokes great, all the sounds are fantastic. 

I cannot think of any trains I that are in the Worse category. I love them all. I prefer the scale look the best, over the toy look.  

I really think this is a cool thread, and folks from all ages should chime in, it’s a great Hobby, fun for everyone.  Happy Railroading 

Love those 225/2025 Pennsy locos. Good smoke, great whistles and good pulling power. Only Lionel I cannot abide are the Scout sets.

I would say best and worst track system is fastrack. Easy to set up, switches work flawlessly, and never had a derailment that wasn't my fault. It's just a little too loud.

I have to go with two separate sub-categories for the "Best of Post-war" listing.  The first would be the best running steam locomotive and like some of the others who have posted I have to agree that the early 675s/2025s can't be beat.  They run smooth as silk and are silent runners as well.  Even without magne-traction they are good pullers to boot.   In terms of the best looking I cast my ballot for the 746 Norfolk & Western Class J Northern.  It oozes nothing but class and in my opinion was by far the sleekest post-war engine Lionel ever made.

I have never owned a Lionel Scout locomotive but after everything I've read about them I'm glad I haven't so the scout gets my vote for the worst.

I have some command control motive power but not enough to offer an informed opinion.  To some extent I envy the guys who can because there are some magnificent looking engines out there. 

When I was getting back into OGAUGE, I stopped into an OGAUGE display in Williamsburg(it’s gone now) The guy was still setting up and let me in to see even though he wasn’t open to the public. We talked about an hour while he showed me around. Showed me six new out of the box locos one of the big players had manufactured in Mexico. Each had pieces hanging off from missing screws that fell off in the box. It was after that I discovered MTH locomotives, and K-line passenger cars and stuck with them. No, their not perfect, but I’ve only sent one MTH loco back right out of the box in 23 years.

The best: 3-rail O-gauge still allows for ultra-simple track wiring (no such thing as reverse loops, or wyes, in an electrical sense).

The worst: 1-1/4" track gauge in O-gauge means .073" (approx. 1/16") too wide for 1/48 scale fidelity - Heresy, by God!   (The world is coming to an end - arghhhh!!!!).

Fortunately, as much as I like scale and prototype fidelity (), I think I can still live with 3-rail and 1-1/4" gauge as far as O-gauge is concerned, thank goodness.  

Best....Room for every aspect of the hobby.

Worst...Lack of standardized electronics.

Best VL Hudsons worst consistent kinematic coupler performance.from. piece to piece. 

One of the best?  The value that was K-line, the KCC and their catalogs.

The best is when something works and the worst is when it doesn't.

The best thing to happen to our hobby is Joshua Lionel Cohen kick starting our hobby and where it has come in 120 years.

The worst doesn't really matter , all aspects of model railroading have a silver lining.

For me, my favorite Post War loco is the pre magnetraction 726 Berk with Baldwin wheels.

Modern era would be the Lionel AC 9 fabulous out of the box.

Worst Post War 600 series SW Switcher not the 622,623,624 or the 6220 and 6250.

Mikey

For me; the best is MTH. I was an American Flyer guy until I found MTH in 1996. Now, I also have an abundance of Lionel rolling stock, 2 Legacy locomotives and a Polar Express for my grandson.

In the best column, I’d have to put the variety of engines and rolling stock currently offered... it’s like the old kid in candy store - almost too many choices!!! Growing up in the late 50’s/early 60’s, your choices were pretty limited (you can have any color steam engine, as long as it’s black!!!).

On the worst side, I’d have to say it’s how far removed we’ve become from real trains. I always find myself envious of the stories I read on the forum from folks who were lucky enough to see so many train lines. Growing up in Brooklyn, my only real train experience was the NYC Subways (which were pretty cool to a young kid).

Best is LC+ steamers with detail: affordable; great basic operation (sounds, smoke, pulling power and easy and simple remote mode operation); user friendly; and the key is to get those, like the Erie Camelback steamer below, that have great detail:

The reason I limited the LC+ to its steamers is they are all metal with heft that give them greater pulling power than the LC+ diesels.

The worst: cheap Lionel in the 1970s era (I forget what that era is called). I have one set of D&H diesels made in that era that look very good but can only run a short time and can't pull anything. I think Lionel manufactured it as cheaply as possible.

Best - 3rd Rail / Sunset / GGD products.  No question for me.

Worst - I can't afford all of the above products that I find to be the best.

Though I liked the Lionel Postwar engines the best to me was when I got my first Lionel lion-chief+ engine several years ago. The ability to use remote control, bell and whistle sounds and the recorded messages were a revelation.  And I got a very good price for the E33 rectifier while everything worked flawlessly. Thanyou Lionel

JohnF

The worst thing in three rail is the lack of a universal electronic system, as all the scale sizes, including O, have.  My solution is easy: l avoid both...cheaper than converting to two rail.  Although there are a number of models long available in two rail, never offered in three, which lack of variety is another bad thing.  

The good thing was the trend to scale plate, and away from toys.  Although that does not mean that small engines shouldn't be offered, but that more should.  I don't know how to make that work profitably in 3rd Rail's business model, though.

The Best:  The heft of an O scale train.   They look so impressive rolling by.

               Runner up:  Modern sound systems.   Love the deep throaty steam chuffs and whistles.

The Worst:   How much space a layout takes.

Bob

The BEST: Speed Control! I love switching Operation and Speed Control makes it a pleasurable experience.

The WORST: Crash-Couplers! Crash couplers make slow-speed coupling moves impossible. So I invented car-stoppers enabled by Tortoise switch-machines and now it's all good  :

This post has started with a very subjective question. It is said that one mans food is another mans poison so how can we answer the question of what is the best and the worst? 

The best for me is DCS/TMCC/Legacy/LionChief. Being able to control trains from any point on the layout was a game changer for me. 

The worst is the extinction of our local hobby stores.

geysergazer posted:

The BEST: Speed Control! I love switching Operation and Speed Control makes it a pleasurable experience.

The WORST: Crash-Couplers! Crash couplers make slow-speed coupling moves impossible. So I invented car-stoppers enabled by Tortoise switch-machines and now it's all good  :

Hello Geysergazer,

That's an interesting system you have there. 

Is that manually operated? 

What precautions have you taken to avoid a potential major derailment with the stopper left in the upright position? 

=================================================

Thus far we've have a very civil discussion on this thread and it's sooooooooooo refreshing.

In terms of best, that's a tough question to answer as there are so many wonderful products out there.

But Sunset/3rd Rail is above them all. 

Some of the simply most beautifully crafted equipment with smooth running systems around. 

I believe it is largely due in part to Scott having an engineering degree.  He understands manufacturing and design.  He can put the pieces together and come up with a solution should there be an issue. 

His dad before him set the stage for success by being customer driven and trying to deliver the best product possible. They came up with a drive system that works.  This is important as none of us need expensive shelf queens.

Another great line I really miss is K-Line!   I liked what they had as they were offering items that were completely new.   But looks like Menards has begun filling that niche. 

Worst:  Hmmmmmm,  well I've never owned any of the 1970's - 80's era equipment as they looked like junk sitting new in the box. 

My vote is the overall cost of the hobby - way too expensive.

I have to agree the best is probably the ease in setting up track due to the three rail arrangement.  Although it would be even better if there was an affordable dead rail system.

The worst is the lack of standards for command control.  The two primary players, MTH and Lionel, have gone in different directions.  Coupling the two requires an investment in technology that is not at all related to model trains.  Out HO brethren have a standard, we would do well to adopt one as well.  

Dennis LaGrua posted:

This post has started with a very subjective question. It is said that one mans food is another mans poison so how can we answer the question of what is the best and the worst? 

Good point, but I think most people are tolerant enough to live with other people's subjective opinions about any number of things, not get upset if they're different than one's own, and sometimes learn from other's opinions. I have, in fact, learned a lot from many of the comments left on this thread.

I agree with Rob above, the extinction of the local hobby shop is one of THE WORST things for hobbyists of many stripes, trains included. Subjective though it may be, some of THE BEST memories I have are of hobby shops, like the one near me as a kid that sold Maerklin HO, had awesome displays cases of Minitanks, rockets, Matchbox, military dioramas, and more. That magic is long gone.

Allegheny posted:

geysergazer posted:

 

Hello Geysergazer,

That's an interesting system you have there. 

Is that manually operated? 

What precautions have you taken to avoid a potential major derailment with the stopper left in the upright position? 

=================================================

 

Kazar, here is a link to my Topic about the car-stoppers:

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...85#90547142152123785

In this pic you can see the brass plunger is operated by a Tortoise switch machine:

I've had no problems with forgetting  the position of the car-stoppers. It is pretty hard to leave a stopper in the "up" position because the train can only move one car length before being stopped plus there is never a reason to raise a stopper without a car being over top of it. Just for extra safety I could use the Tortoise built-in auxiliary switch contacts wired to panel lights to indicate stoppers in the "up" position. Hmm. Could even install the indicator lights at trackside beside the car-stoppers. I kind of like that idea.

Dennis LaGrua posted:

This post has started with a very subjective question. It is said that one mans food is another mans poison so how can we answer the question of what is the best and the worst? 

I like the question being open-ended. That way each of us can be on our own favorite hobby-horse.  

The best is anything Erie Lackawanna   The worst is anything Santa Fe  Especially those ugly war bonnets