o scale Archives - The Silicon Underground

Scale vs gauge: Not quite interchangeable

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 11:00:35 +0000

Wondering about scale vs gauge? You’re not alone. It’s a common question, and I’ll try to provide a simple answer. The two terms may appear interchangeable, but they aren’t quite. Gauge is the distance between the two rails, or the

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Bachmann vs Lionel

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 12:00:13 +0000

Comparing Bachmann vs Lionel is a contrast between two very old, established names in electric trains. Lionel, in one form or another, has been selling trains since 1900. Bachmann, the largest seller of trains in the world, was founded in

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O scale Christmas village choices

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 12:00:15 +0000

If you’re looking for an O scale Christmas village or O scale holiday village to go with a Lionel train or similar train of another make, you’re in luck. You have two good choices. The biggest names in Christmas villages

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Department 56 vs Lemax

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 11:00:49 +0000

Department 56 vs Lemax is a battle between the two biggest names in holiday villages. There are a lot of similarities between the two brands, but the differences may matter to you. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering

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Marx vs. Lionel

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:00:42 +0000

In the 1950s, Marx and Lionel took turns being the biggest toy company in the world, largely riding on the popularity of O gauge trains. Neither company particularly liked the other, but both owed some degree of their success to

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Lionel 675 history

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The Lionel 675, 2025 and 2035 locomotives are three of the most iconic and sought-after engines Lionel produced in the postwar era. They depicted the Pennsylvania K-5, an ill-fated 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive that was intended to replace the iconic K-4,

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How to determine scale of an unknown toy or model

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:00:38 +0000

A frequent question on train forums involves a particular diecast toy car, usually available for a limited time but at a good price, and asking if it’s suitable to use in a particular scale. It seems not everyone knows how

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Easy model corrugated or wooden fences for train layouts

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:00:38 +0000

If you want model fence for your train layout, there’s an affordable solution sitting in your hardware or home improvement store for providing easy model corrugated or wooden fences for train layouts. 16-gauge or 18-gauge brads for automatic nailing guns

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Creative sourcing for O and S scale train layout figures

Dave Farquhar — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 11:00:26 +0000

Hobby shops frequently carry a decent selection of figures for O and S gauge layouts, but if you look at the magazines long enough, you start to see almost all of them have the same figures–and they’re probably the same figures

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I don’t think this basement layout abandoned since 1967 is necessarily a tragedy

Dave Farquhar — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:48:15 +0000

A query appeared on one of the train forums and has slowly spread through several discussion groups I’m aware of, regarding a 2-rail O scale train layout, built by a hobbyist in the 1950s and 1960s, who died in 1967.

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