This post in Brass HO Trains is about setting up the basics for your model trains. The Brass HO trains and all other scale model trains have four basic components. The locomotive, the cars, track pieces and the power supply. The model HO trains can be powered by a transformer or power pack or a DCC system. A beginner can start off with an oval or circular track that is simple to understand and accommodate inside the house.

The assembling of the track might be a bit tricky. A simple oval shaped track that comes in the beginner’s kit would be a good start. We also recommend getting a book which can take you through the steps (HO Railroad from Start to Finish (Model Railroad Handbook, No 36)). One can find out one’s own easy way of assembling, like getting the curved pieces first, placing of the piers, etc. The feeder and the railer positions must be properly placed to ensure the power supply without the hinderances of the wires. Rerailers can be used at regular intervals so that the position of the wheels get automatically adjusted at frequent intervals. If the train set does not come with a railer, it can be obtained separately. It can be fixed into the rails to roll down a locomotive or car that smoothly gets adjusted into the track. Railing can be done by hand, but is difficult for smaller models like Brass HO trains.

It is important to set the throttle to minimum or zero and clear away any things on the rails before plugging in the power supply. To prevent short circuits, do not use any metal laying across the rails. Some power supplies have a circuit breaker that can be reset and others emit sounds when there is a short circuit and later reset themselves. Once the trains are railed on the track, rise the throttle very slowly and let the train start to move. This will be the minimum throttle. The maximum throttle will be the point where the train is moving at its fastest without compromising on the safety. For each model the minimum or the maximum throttles may differ.

The forward and reverse movements come next. It is different for 2-rail and 3-rail systems. For 2-rail sets, the switch works in opposite polarities of the DC voltage applied to the rails, causing the motor to reverse. For 3-rail sets, the transformers have a direction button and work on AC voltage. The direction button causes the drops in the electric current on the rails and causes the train to move forward or backward.

HO Railroad from Start to Finish (Model Railroad Handbook, No 36)

Brass HO Trains

Uncle Dave’s is a website that trades all kinds of Brass HO trains. Here one can find the latest additions of the company that are new productions and older models as they are authorized dealer for major importers of HO brass model trains. One can also reserve for future brass releases. Most important of all, they value your collection and buy the consignment from the collectors. Apart from HO model trains, they also stock and deal with buying and selling O, N, S and Large scales of model trains and train sets and geared logging locomotives from all scales. All models are handcrafted in brass and are fully assembled sets.

Several models are available that are finished in natural brass. The HO brass model trains are available in various models. The website contains information about the older models and also new releases. One can reserve the upcoming models online to make sure they get the train set for their collection. Apart from the train sets, many types of railroad structures, caboose, and diesel models are available. Some of the HO model trains include unpainted tank locomotive wood cab, can motor types that run on narrow gauge. The unpainted locomotive Brooklyn elevated railway, the HO steam engines are among the other engines available. Some of the coaches are also found here that are 48- or 56- seat coaches. Accessories like single track with 2 wood walkways and side rails, Brill 10 bench open trolley, Ex-troop kitchen car, ride control trucks, converted freight service with roof walk and end ladders, etc have gained popularity among people who collect the model trains.

The beautiful brass bridges for the Brass HO trains are the latest attraction. They are available in various colours such as steel gray, silver, black, oxide red and natural brass. The dimensions of the 60 foot HO scale bridge are 20 cm long, 2.8 cm wide and 2.6 cm high. The 80 foot HO scale bridge has dimensions of 28.6 cm long, 2.8 cm wide and 2.6 cm high. The Truss bridges are also available in Uncle Dave’s collection.

At Uncle Dave’s the brass collections are valued and bought by them. Cash is paid for individual pieces or any size collection. The retail price can be set by the collector and the set is displayed on the website, so that other collectors can get them, and if the model is not sold within 30 days, Uncle Dave’s buy the items.

The current new items of the Brass HO trains and other scales include Dynamometer car, Northern Pacific Fishbelly wood reefer and Gas Electric motor car, etc. Among the latest engines, the OMI union Pacific engine series. Southern Pacific class tender, Forney NY elevated and the PSC Southern Pacific series from the various manufacturers are imported and displayed.

Brass HO Trains

In this post Brass HO Trains talks about the Atlas Model Trains Company. The Atlas Model Railroad Company, was founded by Stephan Schaffan Sr., an immigrant from Czechoslovakia, in 1924, as a general machine shop in New Jersey.His son Steve Jr. was interested in building model airplanes and was friendly with a local hobby shop owner. With a drive to venture into new avenues of earning money, Steve Jr. took up the challenge of improving the model track parts when the owner suggested it.

Model trains were famous in those days, but the railroads and other accessories were not available. Steve Jr. created a “switch kit” that was an instant hit. This lead to the invention of stapling of rail to fiber track, rail joiner, pre-assembled turnouts and flexible track. The range of accessories encouraged the hobby of model railroading and Steve Jr. realized that he could make it a business. While the factory was built in 1947, Atlas Tool Company Inc. was officially incorporated as a New Jersey company.

The most popular products from Atlas are Super-Flex track, Snap-Switches, Custom-line Turnouts and more and was known for its reliability and durability. The product range has expanded since then covering almost every aspect of HO and N scale model railroading. There are about 40 freight car types in more than 550 paint schemes in the N scale and HO train sets are available in over 25 different freight car types in more than 265 paint schemes; not to mention the ever expanding future range of products. The N scale locomotives and HO locomotives are well known for their prototypical detailing, printing, reliability, excellent throttle response and also smooth running. The fantastic range of electrical components available along with clear and precise instructions also attract more people towards this hobby. An array of layout instruction books complete the requirements of the train collection hobby.

The new range of accessories for Brass HO train sets include Market place products like fruit stands, display rock and signs; stylish diner areas with interior tables, benches, window glazing; car wash construction with open bay office area, air filling station, etc; drive-through bank with drive-through lanes and ATM; Substation and Transformer. The train set products include HO track Cleaning Car, HO Ford Fairmont Sedan, HO Trainman sets, HO 40’ standard-height container and HO die-cast vehicles, all with new paint schemes.

The N scale products have also expanded into new models like N 20,700 Gallon Tank Car, N Trainman Cupola Caboose, Trainman sets, 50’ Single Door box car, N GP series of locomotives, 3560 covered Hopper and many others, again with new paint and number schemes.

The enthusiasm and high standard of Steve Schaffan is now about 50 years old, but has never come down. Atlas is still the leader in innovation and technology in model railroad industry with the train sets that come along with the accessories, and continue to produce quality, precision products that are durable, reliable and keep the model railroad collector coming for more.

Brass HO Trains

Derailment is a common problem that occurs in all the working model trains, including the Brass HO trains. The key is to identify the problem and the finding out how to fix it. The problems can be identified based on the performance of the train.

If the derailment is occurring at a particular place of the layout, there can be various reasons for this to happen. One of the cars might not have been placed perfectly on the track. There may be a switch at that place which is out of its boundary or popping up the track to cause the derailment. Any scenery or remodeling done at the particular spot may have caused some changes in the track.

If a particular car keeps derailing, then the wheels and the couplers need to be checked. The height of the coupler, magnetic part of the coupler that can be bent at a bad-angle, etc may cause the derailment. The couplers have to be lubricated using a little puff of powedered graphite Teflon. Usually, they do not need any lubrication unless the sideframes make noise. Oil is not recommended for HO brass model trains.

Dirt can build up on the wheels of rolling stock of Brass HO trains, or the tread part. The wheelsets have to be in gauge and centered on the axles. It is best checked while buying the piece. If they go out of gauge, they can usually be adjusted by twisting the wheel along the axle till they are in the right alignment. This has to be done very carefully though.

Sometimes the car in the front or behind the derailing car would be the culprit. If the car has not been put in correctly, then it can cause derailment of the next one.

The rail joints need to be aligned carefully and properly fitted to the next one. Bumps can be found that would result from something under the roadbed or track, or insecure nailing of the track. Using a filer to smooth the top and inside corner at the joints can be done if required.

Sometimes the freight cars can weigh less and fail to perform accurately. The weight of the car body has to be minimum possible and they need to be centered and secured to avoid sliding out of position. The mounting of the truck on the car needs to be done in a way such that they swivel freely. If there is stiffness, the wheel flanges into the railheads and disturbance occurs.

These little things, if taken care of immediately after they are identified, will go a long way in making your prized collection of Brass HO trains a thing to envy. A few minutes of adjustments that are made, even in front of the visitors, can lessen the number of problems that occur in future.

Brass HO Trains

The Brass HO trains are considered to be the “Gold” standard of trains among the toy train collectors. Being made of brass gives it an artistic appearance and the material is the choice of the craftsman when it comes to sculpting intricate designs. The golden luster and the overall appearance makes it look like it was made of gold. This, in fact, keeps the resale value very high.

Owing to the nature of the material, detailing and designing can be uniquely done by the craftsman. This would make each product unique and different from others of the same category and the HO train set could have an accurate representation of the prototype.

Brass being a non-magnetic metal, can be ideal to encase the motor and other electrical fittings and make it run smoothly. Older brass models are known to have had open-frame motors and poor gearing, but they have improved in time.

On the downside, the HO brass model trains can be very expensive. The niche for these trains is small, but the passionate collectors would go to any extent to get their favorite models. Vintage models stand out higher in terms of the price as they are very rare in the market. While they stand out when it comes to resale value, the collectors take pride in guarding their prized possession. The prices for these brass trains are always $2000 upwards and one starts to think if they are worth collecting.

Another major disadvantage of collecting Brass HO trains are that they have to be taken care of and need to be maintained properly. Time and weather cause blackening of the surface and if they are not properly cleaned and protected, they would require polishing. Too much polishing is harmful to the models. Investing money is not the key to owning a beautiful collection investing time and effort as well is required to maintain them.

The collectors vary in terms of the purpose with which they collect. Some consider it to be an investment and would plan to sell them when the price has doubled or tripled, or in auctions, while most of them collect them out of pure passion.

However, it is up to the collector to decide what is important to him. Whether the appearance, resale value, the cost of the collection, the cost of the layout and accessories, maintaining the power supply and the related expenditure or the effort they put in to build the layout and scenery or the cleaning process involved in maintaining the luster of the brass, it all comes back when the Brass HO trains collector displays his collection and makes heads turn.

Brass HO Trains

In this article Brass HO Trains talks about the history of HO Model Trains and how they can be traced back to the period soon after World War II. The Japanese craftsmen were producing exact replicas of the trains using high quality brass. The Americans who were stationed in Japan noticed these and got their favorite train models made using photographs. These model trains were accurate to the scale and were completely hand-made.

These brass trains were made in the HO scale, i.e., 1:87 the size of the real trains. The OO trains, which were double the size of these HO trains, were more popular in United Kingdom, where they were developed in response to the economic pressures of the depression.  Though HO trains were invented in the 1930s, they gained popularity by the year 1950s, when the interest in model railroad as toys was taken over by hobbies of collecting realistic items. Also, the brass O scale trains were found to take up too much space. Importers like Max Gray, Westside Model Company did the job of getting the Japanese manufactured trains to the American market.

One advantage of using brass was that it is non-magnetic and thus enable the motors to run smoothly. The crafting and sculpturing is also more easy in brass. Most of the models were hand-made and hand-soldered. The brass models were bought by people because they can operate them and make them run on the tracks and scenery that are constructed using similar scales, rather than just displaying them on display cases. It required a lot of effort on the part of the worker. As the demand grew, the HO brass model trains started becoming more expensive.The models that were once $50 to $100 now come in at $10,000, not to mention those that are sold in auctions at about $30,000.

Original versions of the brass trains were not painted. The grills, wheels and other accent parts were however, nickel-plated. As the demands of the market grew, some trains were painted in graphite and black to make them look realistic. Sometimes, water stains and rust marks were added here and there to make it look all the more original.

Gradually, the interests were also setting in to get collections from particular manufacturer that made the Brass HO trains. So, the collectibles were based on the road or train company name that they are collecting.

The manufacture of the train models continued in Japan until the 1970s, after which they were made in South Korea. The new manufacturers had a lot to improve, which they did, until the modern day Brass HO trains are now being made and collected as a hobby and interest. A collection of the brass trains would not bring in much money as such and people import them only out of interest, to be appreciated and enjoyed by his fellow collectors.

Read more at Brass HO Trains

Where can I sell my HO Train set?
This is a question that pops up quite a bit at Brass HO Trains.  As you move onto new eras or give want money for new locomotives.  In this post we look at some of the options for selling model trains.  And not just HO Model trains but also other scales (i.e. N Scale, O Scale etc.)

Here’s our list in order of what we think is easiest to the hardest:

1) Sell your model trains to a Local Hobby Shop

A local hobby shop is probably your easiest option. This way you are able to show the physical items to the buyer and discuss their values etc. HO electric trains, HO brass model trains and more can be traded in a local shop.

Pros:

• It’s close.
• You get the cash immediately.
• You could do a trade in.
• Your buyer can see and feel what you’re selling.

Cons:

• None that I can see.

2) Put a posting up on a Train Forum and ask for buyers for your Model Trains

This is easier however the issue you might have here is that the buyers are not near you. So you’ll run into issues about the buyers want to see the quality of the trains etc. However alot of forums allow posting of images straight into the forum so you can put pictures up that will answer alot of questions.

You will have to register but it’s free to do so.

Here are some forums.

• http://www.modeltrainforum.com
• http://www.trains.com (look for forum)
• http://groups.google.com (search for model trains)
• http://groups.yahoo.com (search for model trains)

Pros:

• Wider audience.

Cons:

• It might be tricky to find someone in your area.
• You might have to ship it.

3) Sell your Model Train on eBay

You could sell your mama on eBay!

eBay is huge has lots of traffic and is well trusted.  You can’t go wrong here and at Brass HO Trains this is the route we’d go. Why it’s good for an online option is that people have a history of their sales and buys so you can see if someone is dodgy before you make the sale.  And it’s a tried and trusted system.  However it is still an online option and you are also faced with creating an account and putting pictures up.  Have a look you can get Athearn HO Trains, Bachman HO Trains, Brass O Scale Trains, Marklin HO Trains and many more.

Pros:

• Huge audience.
• Tried and trusted system.

Cons:

• Have to ship it.
• Have to register and put a post up.

4) Find a Local Model Railroad Association

Another option we suggest at Brass HO Trains is to find a local model railroad association (i.e. a club) in your area and contact them. This might involve a bit of legwork as you’ll need to call them then go to one of their meetings and see if someone is interested. Or, depending on the association’s website,  you could post something on their site.  The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) has a list of associations broken down into areas that can be found here:

• http://www.nmra.com/regions/

Pros:

• You can meet the buyers face to face.
• No shipping issues.

Cons:

• You have to track down a buyer.  There might not be buyers looking for stuff.

5) Put a posting on the NMRA’s Website

The NMRA are a big hub in the Modle Trains world. They band associations together and put out publications.  So there’s a strong community here.  Putting something on of their classifieds will get you noticed. Both members an non-members are allowed to post however non-members have to pay.  Members can post free adverts up to 50 words.  There’s more on it here: http://www.nmra.com/membership/publications/srclassified.html

Pros:

• Big audience.

Cons:

• It’s not as easy as creating an account online and doing it all yourself.
• It’s not free.

Hope this helps!

http://www.brasshotrains.com

When a person incorporates a hobby into their life they are creating an ideal focus that can help them find more pleasure from their life experience.   A unique hobby opportunity is found with the chance to collect HO brass model trains.   HO brass model trains are replica trains that are 1:87 scale of regular trains with an incredible amount of detail which helps to bring character to the model.   An even better feature of HO brass model trains is that these small collectibles are fully functional, allowing the train or collecting enthusiast  the opportunity to develop their own train environment uniquely designed around their creative ideas.

When you look at these HO brass model trains, the best advantage for most collectors is found with the size of the train.   In the past most train model collectors were stuck with the model train collecting option of OO brass model trains.   While the older OO brass model trains have the same detail and clarity there exists a large issue with the size.   OO brass model trains are twice the size of HO brass model trains which can quickly increase the size of any collection.  

When you incorporate the demand placed on the size of your created environment required to run your OO brass model trains you can easily see how HO brass model trains are a greater opportunity for collectors.   In the past many collectors of OO brass model trains would have to dedicate entire rooms or basements to the creation of their environmental models.

The second feature related to the benefits of HO brass model trains are found with the large amount of availability found with this collection.   The older OO brass model trains are often outdated and not as appealing as the HO brass model trains which limit their distribution and manufacturing companies.  

When you look at HO brass model trains two premier model train making companies rise above the rest and are Broadway limited HO trains and Marklin HO trains.   With Broadway limited HO trains and Marklin HO trains a collector will be able to select from an incredible variety of HO brass model trains that incorporate older train styles and the more modern models.   Although, the greatest advantage of buying Broadway limited HO trains and Marklin HO trains is found with their wide distribution and availability in regards to parts and accessories.

The opportunities that are available with HO brass model trains create a great chance to create your own unique hobby interests.   When you focus your HO brass model trains collection around brands such as Broadway limited HO trains and Marklin HO trains you gain access to a wide variety of purchasing options and repair opportunities.   To learn more on the hobby of HO brass model trains collections visit www.brasshotrains.com.

Welcome to Brass HO Trains,

HO Scale is a type of model train.  It is a reference to the size of the model in comparison to the actual object that’s being modelled.  This ratio is 1:87.  So for any item found on the real train the model train’s item will be 87 times smaller. So if your train is 87 feet long then the model is 1 foot in length. The HO scale is the most popular and thus the easiest to find parts. As an example here’s a list of the more popular items and brands in this range: Athearn HO trains,  Bachmann HO trains,  Locomotives HO,  Broadway Limited HO trains, Marklin HO trains, Lionel HO trains and electric trains.

Join us on this site to explore all the toys in this space