0 (historically speaking it is 0 and not O as in the early model railway days model railway scales were numbered 0,1,2 etc through to 6.) is the greatest of scales. Models have size and a true mass that can be felt and experienced. It has been replaced as the most popular scale as technology improved and scales got smaller. But it is still a very special scale for many modellers. I’ve wanted to build in 0 scale since I can’t remember when. I bought my first Slaters (UK manufacturer of high quality kits) 0 scale wagon kits in my mid 20’s. I’m now in my 60’s so you can do the maths.
In England, it was a niche scale until only recently when Danish manufacturer Heljan and English manufacturer Dapol started to introduce reasonably priced, ready to run locomotives and rolling stock. This produced a huge boom in 0 scale modelling. I think you can buy a model of almost every popular class of diesel locomotive in 0 scale in the UK now. Heljan carries 74 different diesel locomotives in its range. Dapol carry 89 small steam locomotives suitable for shunting layouts. If you can’t find something to tickle your fancy you must be a very fickle modeller indeed.
In England, it was a niche scale until only recently when Danish manufacturer Heljan and English manufacturer Dapol started to introduce reasonably priced, ready to run locomotives and rolling stock. This produced a huge boom in 0 scale modelling. I think you can buy a model of almost every popular class of diesel locomotive in 0 scale in the UK now. Heljan carries 74 different diesel locomotives in its range. Dapol carry 89 small steam locomotives suitable for shunting layouts. If you can’t find something to tickle your fancy you must be a very fickle modeller indeed.
Contrast that with the USA where 0 scale is almost dead. Sure, Lionel O gauge is extremely popular. But it’s not 0 scale. Lionel are “Toy Trains”.
The problem with Lionel is it's three rail. Now I’ll put this next statement in caps so there can be no misunderstanding of this.
TRAINS RUN ON TWO RAILS, AND ANY MODEL OF A RAILWAY SHOULD RUN ON TWO RAILS AS WELL. ANYTHING ELSE IS A TOY.
Have you ever watched a Lionel Union Pacific "Big Boy" go around some of the roadbed track curves in their system? It's hilarious, like a cartoon.
Lionel do make some very nice looking stock. Stock that is actually highly accurate with quite beautiful details. I’ve looked at some close up. They are exquisite. It's such a ridiculous contradiction. Why go to the lengths of this level of detail when you can’t get the basic fact i.e. the number of rails right.
I talked with a Lionel dealer at a show, telling him how impressed I was with the detail, but that the fact there were three rails stopped me from even considering a purchase.
“Well, they are making the centre rail less noticeable now” he said.
Less noticeable? It shouldn’t be there at all.
This Christmas we had friends over to stay. One of them, who is not a model train enthusiast, saw our Lionel Polar Express under the tree. I enjoy our toy train under the Christmas tree, but this person wanted to know why this train set had three rails. He couldn’t grasp the idea of why a train set should be so inexplicably wrong. I couldn’t explain it to him. It’s just the way that Lionel do things. Locked in the past.
“But all your other trains have two rails don’t they?” He enquired.
I told him he was right. All other manufacturers saw sense in the past and developed 2 rail systems.
Lionel have killed 0 scale in the US. Their market dominance means that other manufacturers have to fall in line if they want to sell trains. Have you tried to buy 2 rail 0 scale in America? It’s difficult.
Atlas do have a good range of rolling stock and some nice locomotives that you won’t get any change from $500 from. But if you want to buy a small switcher like an SW1500, you can forget it. It’s only available on the used market and quite often for silly sums of money. Making it impossible for the cost conscious modeller to buy them.
A popular question amongst those trying to step into 2 rail is. “Can I convert 3 rail locomotives into 2 rail? Some can be done easily with replacement wheel sets. But you still have to remove the center pick up and rewire things. For other conversions you will need access to a lathe and a workshop.
While there are very nice 2 rail items of rolling stock available. If you are on a budget you have to search the second hand market for old stock from Weaver, Intermountain, Red Caboose and Atlas, and compared to modern stock the quality though very good, is not to todays high standards.
So, there you are, 0 is a tremendous scale with such great potential. You only have to look at what has happened in the UK to see that. But in America, you might as well give up.
If only someone like Heljan could be persuaded to produce an accurate scale model of a lightweight switcher like the Plymouth MDT or WDT, like their English outline products, to test the market. I’m sure they’d find that there is, like in the UK a need for quality scale models in 0 scale.
I will never understand why so many American Model Railroaders will accept the three rail system when it is so blatantly wrong.
The problem with Lionel is it's three rail. Now I’ll put this next statement in caps so there can be no misunderstanding of this.
TRAINS RUN ON TWO RAILS, AND ANY MODEL OF A RAILWAY SHOULD RUN ON TWO RAILS AS WELL. ANYTHING ELSE IS A TOY.
Have you ever watched a Lionel Union Pacific "Big Boy" go around some of the roadbed track curves in their system? It's hilarious, like a cartoon.
Lionel do make some very nice looking stock. Stock that is actually highly accurate with quite beautiful details. I’ve looked at some close up. They are exquisite. It's such a ridiculous contradiction. Why go to the lengths of this level of detail when you can’t get the basic fact i.e. the number of rails right.
I talked with a Lionel dealer at a show, telling him how impressed I was with the detail, but that the fact there were three rails stopped me from even considering a purchase.
“Well, they are making the centre rail less noticeable now” he said.
Less noticeable? It shouldn’t be there at all.
This Christmas we had friends over to stay. One of them, who is not a model train enthusiast, saw our Lionel Polar Express under the tree. I enjoy our toy train under the Christmas tree, but this person wanted to know why this train set had three rails. He couldn’t grasp the idea of why a train set should be so inexplicably wrong. I couldn’t explain it to him. It’s just the way that Lionel do things. Locked in the past.
“But all your other trains have two rails don’t they?” He enquired.
I told him he was right. All other manufacturers saw sense in the past and developed 2 rail systems.
Lionel have killed 0 scale in the US. Their market dominance means that other manufacturers have to fall in line if they want to sell trains. Have you tried to buy 2 rail 0 scale in America? It’s difficult.
Atlas do have a good range of rolling stock and some nice locomotives that you won’t get any change from $500 from. But if you want to buy a small switcher like an SW1500, you can forget it. It’s only available on the used market and quite often for silly sums of money. Making it impossible for the cost conscious modeller to buy them.
A popular question amongst those trying to step into 2 rail is. “Can I convert 3 rail locomotives into 2 rail? Some can be done easily with replacement wheel sets. But you still have to remove the center pick up and rewire things. For other conversions you will need access to a lathe and a workshop.
While there are very nice 2 rail items of rolling stock available. If you are on a budget you have to search the second hand market for old stock from Weaver, Intermountain, Red Caboose and Atlas, and compared to modern stock the quality though very good, is not to todays high standards.
So, there you are, 0 is a tremendous scale with such great potential. You only have to look at what has happened in the UK to see that. But in America, you might as well give up.
If only someone like Heljan could be persuaded to produce an accurate scale model of a lightweight switcher like the Plymouth MDT or WDT, like their English outline products, to test the market. I’m sure they’d find that there is, like in the UK a need for quality scale models in 0 scale.
I will never understand why so many American Model Railroaders will accept the three rail system when it is so blatantly wrong.
Ian, Having grown up with Uncle Lionel and Uncle Marx, I do understand the dilemma quite well. And it is rather pervasive. I would mention that I did look up a video about the Lionel Big Boy. Oh my! However, and unfortunately, one would need a massive radius curve outline for any 0 scale Big Boy (or Challenger, or others) to not have somewhat comical "visual" problems. It is a definite situation for which there is no easy solution. "Lionel Announces a change to 2-rail system!" Ummm...probably not in my lifetime...
ReplyDelete