Welcome to all newcomers to O Gauge
This page has some suggestions about starting in O Gauge. What
track is available, what locos, coaches and wagons could be considered
by a beginner to get you going quickly.
It is worth remembering that for a given room space you need
less O Gauge stock than you would need in the smaller scales.
So while O Gauge at first sight may seem to be expensive per item,
the fact that you need less quantity of stock makes the overall
cost about the same.
For the quickest way to a working layout, you can buy ready made,
although choice is rather limited, or make your own. The sections
on the right try to suggest what to look for in selecting the
different items you need for a layout.
For the least cost outlay, scratch building should be considered.
The larger scale makes it much easier to make quality items, both
in rolling stock and buildings. There are numerous sources of
material. Plastic sections and sheet are readiliy available from
model shops, Eileen's emporium and John Flack stock lots of metal
sections, wires etc. If building rolling stock there are wheels,
axle guards, buffers and couplings for all major railways available
from the various O Gauge stockists. First class mail order facilities
mean that you can get hold of anything you need very quickly.
The superb Duchess loco built from styrene sheet by Paul Heard.
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Track
Finding good track is one of the easy bits. There are a couple
of manufacturers of plastic sleepered track ready made in flexible
yard lengths, namely Peco and C&L. Left and right hand and Y points
suffice for a simple track layout. More advanced layouts can be
made by making your own track using readily available components,
easily glued together. Also use the classified adverts which come
each quarter with the Gazette; there is usually at least one advert
for second hand track which would be very economical. For more complex
track arrangements such as single or double slips, MarcWay offer
a custom build service at reasonable prices.
For details of the various track standards associated with 0 gauge,
please see the "What is 0 gauge?"
page.
A scene from 'Napier Street' by Nigel Bowyer showing the intimate
detail possible in 7mm scale. The entire layout is only 10'6"
long.
Locos
For the beginner, Lima make a couple of ready to run locos, one
of the Fowler 4F 0-6-0 tender loco, and a type 33 Diesel. Couple
one of these to a small rake of Lima mark 1 coaches and an instant
train is available.
Lots of small companies or individuals offer ready to run locomotives
from £350 to many thousands. You only need to scan the adverts in
the Gazette to find them. This may be quick but is hardly economical.
Most people move into O Gauge because they want more detail in the
stock they own. This is best achieved by building your own locos
from kits. For a beginner choose something simple to start with.
If it is a steam outline engine, then choose a simple tank engine
first, with main drivers only, and no outside valve gear. Preferably
select a kit which has the boiler, smokebox and firebox ready formed
in resin or cast in whitemetal or pewter, limiting the amount of
soldering of etched parts. Once practised soldering etched parts
is not difficult, but it is a skill which needs to be learnt and
this takes time and dedication. Find someone who knows already,
and learn from them. It is so much quicker than using trial and
error.
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An example of a simple loco kit which uses cast resin components
from Just Like The Real Thing |
Wagons
There is an excellent range of plastic kit wagons from manufacturers
such as Slaters and Parkside Dundas. They are easy to assemble and
paint, and look very good when complete. They come with all required
parts so there is no need to trawl the shops and trade for extras
like wheels, couplings and buffers.
 
Wagons built from kits from Slaters and Parkside Dundas
Coaches
Here there is rather less choice as far as low cost kits go. There
are some plastic kits available but they are much more complex to
assemble, more expensive and harder to complete than the wagons.
Various etched kits are available, but some skill is needed to build
and complete these kits. (see the comments above for locos). Most
recently some resin cast kits have become available. Some of these
are superb; the level of detail is exceptional.
Summary
The best advice is to start small. Decide first on what you would
like to model, be it pre-grouping, post grouping, nationalised or
whatever. Choose simple prototypes first. It may be wonderful to
have a express 4-6-2 pulling 10 pullman coaches, but consider whether
you would ever complete the stock and do you have the skills. Build
the skills slowly; visit the Gauge O Guild shows and talk to the
demonstrators. They have great advice to impart. If you can, join
a club and ask advice. When you think you want to buy a kit, open
the box before you buy and inspect all the parts. If it all looks
too much work then it probably is, and maybe you'll never finish
it. Say your apologies and tell the seller that you'll buy one when
your skills have improved !
But most of all, persevere. There is nothing more satisfying than
finishing a model to the best of your ability, placing it on a layout
and admiring it. For the next model, consider how you would make
it better. Be inspired by what others do and use their standards
as something to aim for. Buy the best tools. They are worth their
weight in gold. Enjoy what you do; it's a hobby after all.
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