what should i do

You are obviously on the internet so try the dealers listed above. Many have great websites. The for sale forum here also has great offerings from forum members.

Good luck and enjoy.

Rod Miller

I will be brutally honest.  You should put your hopes and dreams on hold if money and space are issues.  Should you, on the other hand, prefer to cling to the impractical, tell us more about your specific interests and objectives.  Maybe we can help.

What, me worry? 

For small space HO would be a good choice. HO also has some less expensive items than O. You can buy engines that are 'DCC ready' and are fairly inexpensive. You could add DCC control and sound as you can afford it. With the DCC ready items all you do is get the right DCC module and it just plugs in, very easy. From what I have read anyway. Might not be a bad option, something to think about anyway? The HO stuff has tons of choices as well. much more than O. There are some really fantastic HO layouts out there too. Some amazing stuff so a lot can be done with it.

However, I know what you mean about HO, I have tried to talk myself into it a couple of times for the above reasons and more, but I just can't do it. I do have space for O, but it is much harder on the budget. I could get a lot more HO for what I have tied up in O, but again I like O and no matter how hard I try, I just can't talk myself into HO. I use Atlas track and switches in O gauge for my layout, just compare the costs of the Atlas O gauge track to their HO track and switches. Makes my wallet ache.  

paigetrain posted:

i really want to go into o gauge and you guys know my layout plans -that are probably never gonna happen

i don't really like ho because i struggle with small trains

for me o is the "perfect scale"

the thing is i don't have a lot of money or space

also hobby lobby (the only place in town that carries trains in my town ) only carries ho and n

the nearest all train shop is atleast 2 hours away and i can't order either 

sometimes i'm tempted to give up

get a very cheap basic RTR in  O gauge  use the track and transformer that comes with it and enjoy you can always see if someone will allow you to make payments on a set when its paid in full it be yours! use your imagination can do wonders with a very simple oval of track. simple scenery from  mother nature get creative learn how to make paper mache [sp] tunnels its cheap and newspapers can be gotten free if you ask a neighbor or? nicely

leave the layout you'd like for now on a back burner.

we all pretty much started out small and from it our wants became reality in time until the next layout idea popped in our heads.

only my 2 cents worth of thought

O gauge does NOT have to be an expensive hobby, although you can certainly make it one!  There are dozens of older, used sets on eBay and Craigslist everyday.  I have seen some of these sets sell for $50-75, including a basic transformer.  If you are limited by space, you can use Fastrack which has an integrated road bed, made to go right on the floor, or build a small platform that will stow away under a bed when not in use; heck, even the back of a solid core door will work just fine.  Don't let some of these post and pictures intimidate you, everybody starts out somewhere small.  

Also, although hobby lobby does not carry O scale, they DO carry scenic products which apply to all scales.  They do usually stock trees suitable for O, and you can use a coupon off the website.  I have also had success getting "bristle brush" pine trees from Walmart at Christmas time for a dollar or two apiece.