In this post on Brass HO Trains we look at Power Supplies for Model Trains. There are various types of control system and power supplies for the model trains. Many of the manufacturers like Atlas, Bachmann, Kato USA Inc, Marklin, MRC are the leaders in the control systems. Most of the power packs are specific to the scales, but some may be used for more than a single scale model train. Control and power units for Brass HO trains are manufactured by companies like Model Power, Digitrax, MRC, etc.

The Model Power has two main models of the power packs for HO model trains. Electro is a fully filtered Micro controlled regulation pack. It has useful features like circuit breaker protection, Overload indicator light, Separate on/off switch, Super low speed performance and smoothness, no-screw terminals, Double insulated electric approved casing, etc. This model is powered to operate five trains at once and is compatible in AC and DC tracks. The second one is the Deluxe power pack that suits all trains and racer car sets. The unit is encased in a sturdy black plastic box and has forward and reverse switch and is UL approved. It also has a circuit breaker protection.

The Unitrack power pack from Kato USA Inc is used for the Kato Unitrack and locomotives. The unit can be used to control direction and speed, and has a circuit breaker with reset button and turnout control switch with swap-on socket. Products from MRC have features like pressure breaks, proportional tracking control, and monitoring of feedback from the layout to detect sudden changes in loads. One of the products, Control master, is a walkaround model that has hand held control with memory. The products give a 300 degree speed control for the Brass HO trains and other HO and N model trains.

Bachmann has come up with various control units for HO brass model trains. One such product is compatible with N, HO and On30 scales. This is used with DC operated trains and has features like plug-in wiring, power indicator light, direction control switch, and electronic circuit protection.  The model has universal track power wire for other track systems with convinient E-Z-Track track power wire. The other model, E-Z Command Power Booster is intended for indoor use and can be used for Brass HO trains, N, O or even larger scale layout. The unit is designed to run many DCC locomotives and the output voltage can be altered to suit the scale for which it is used. There are a lot of safety features like thermal overload protection, and also includes air vents and a fan. The E-Z Command DCC Controller system is a digital system that controls speed, lighting and direction of multiple locomotive in N, HO and On30 scale from any manufacturer.

MRC Tech 3 Power Command

Brass HO Trains

This post on Brass HO Trains is about Digital Control Systems. Today’s digital world has found its way to the Brass HO trains and other model trains, to make it more interesting, workable and easy to operate. The most popular control system is the Conventional 12V DC, but the Digital Command control is taking over the trend. This is because the digital systems make it possible to control all aspects of operating as a separate entity. It also uses minimal wiring, along the rails. Digital signals are sent along the rails and control most of the operations including the signals, turnouts, cranes, turntables, level crossings, etc.

The component of a typical control system include throttle, central unit, booster, locomotive decoder, stationary decoder, sound and funtion decoders, feedback bus and computer interface. Each of the component has its own function. The throttle controls the operation of the train and are also known as cabs. They are used to select the train to operate at a given time and also control the speed and direction of a train at a time. The Central unit, being the center of the whole digital system, gets the commands from throttle and sends the corresponding signal to the track so that the commands are executed by the respective parts of the track.

An integrated booster helps amplify the low-power signal that the central unit produces or limits the high current to more tolerable levels as in the case of Brass HO trains and other smaller models. In larger layouts, partition of the track into segments and each will be powered by its own digital booster. Each of these boosters is connected to the Central unit or to the next booster segment to receive the signals to be amplified.

There are two main types of decoders for the devices. The locomotive decoders are fitted inside the locomotives. It receives the command from the central unit via the booster and interprets them to the rails. Thus the changes in speed, direction, etc are sent to the motor to execute. The Stationary decoders are those that are connected to the fixed devices like signals, level crossings and turnouts. They are generally mounted under the layout, where they are less obvious. Many other types of decoders also can be placed for specific functions like controlling headlights, ditch lights and others. The PC sound cards are used as sound decoders. Many sounds of the trains starting and sounding horns are pre-recorded and they are synchronized with the movements of the train. Some decoders come as a single unit and perform the functions of the locomotive control, sound effects and also the function control.

The feedback bus is basically a sensor that keeps a track of the movements of the train and sends the information to the central unit. This knowledge helps the central unit to know when to stop sending signals and when the train has reached its destination, trigger a particular signal or close down a level crossing. Some of the central units are also connected to the computer of the collector. This way, the trains and their movements can be controlled with the help of the computer interface. The digital command control systems are one type of the digital model train control systems. However, in general, they are understood as a generic term for all types of digital systems pertaining to model trains.

Brass HO Trains

In this post on Brass HO Trains we look at celebrities who like model trains. As George Bernard Shaw said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” Model cars have always been a fancy for the young and the old alike. One thing about the hobby is that the modeller can do anything with whatever he or she has in the collection and keep the number same or add more models to it. With a whole lot of suppliers and importers, the collectors can make the display a detailed version, playful or just display whatever is available. The Brass HO trains have been the most popular and expensive hobby, but the other scales like O, N, G, etc have also been given importance.

There have been a lot of people who are interested in the railroad and model trains and the list also includes the various celebrities who have been into the hobby. Actors like Yul Brynner, Whoopi Goldberg, David Hasselhoff, Mandy Patinkin, Donald Sutherland, etc have known to be passionate about the hobby. Patrick Stewart was quoted as saying he is a big-time railway buff. Joe Regalbuto, the famous actor of “Murphy Brown” had his garden railroad featured in “Garden Railways” magazine. Micheal Gross, the actor of “Family Ties” is a passionate train fan and a railway historian, photographer and modeller. He always preferred train journeys to flying. James Doohan of Star Trek was seen in a TV Guide issue working on the brake cylinder of a coach in the L.A. area railroaders club; he also had a huge collection of model trains at home. The actor of “Different Strokes” is interested in Lionel trains, and does them as realistically as possible. The famous Walt Disney has a live steam and various other models and interest in model trains.

The famous television personalities like anchors of reality shows and newscasters have also been interested in model trains. Tom Brokow had been concentrating on Brass HO trains. Roseanne Barr, Jay Leno, Sally Jesse Raphael, Tom Snyder, Arthur Godfrey, etc. have been known to have great railroad collections. Jim Scancarelli, the cartoonist of the famed “Gasoline Alley” had his photos featured in Walthers catalog.

Various musicians like Roger Miller, Johnny Cash, Phil Collins, Roger Daltrey, etc have also shown interest in the model railroading hobby. The race car drivers who were interested in the model railroad include Danny Sullivan, Richard Patrese,  and Sam Posey. Micheal Jordan, the famous basketball player is rumoured to be a model railroader. Ed Dougherty, the pro golfer is fond of Lionel models and houses his collection in  a two-storey building behind his home. Joe DiMaggio and Roy Campanella are baseball players who like to collect Lionel model trains.

Brass HO Trains

MTS imports, Inc. has been a dealer of Brass HO trains for a long time now. It also has O scale Brass model trains and a few other non-brass model trains. The online store has a homepage that lists the upcoming models of HO brass model trains, apart from the currently available models. One can browse through the various models along with their photos to find out the right one to add to their collection. After deciding, the order or reservation form can be used to place an order, where the information on warranties and train shows are also included.

Among the currently available in the model HO trains, the Ferry truck Car with removable Trailers, Line car, Baldy Elevated cars, Bench Open Trolley, Center Entrance City Cars, Forney Locomotive and the Rail Diesel Cars available along with other models. The upcoming Brass HO trains include the San Diego SD-100 Light Rail Vehicle, BMT Bluebird articulated subway car, New York central series car, Pacific Electric Steeple cab, Liquid Chlorine Tank Car and the CTA 3200 series Morrison-Knudson Rapid Transit car are open for reservations.

A detailed listing of the HO scale models, O scale products and the Non-brass models are presented in a separate page of the website. All products are presented with their features like paint characteristics or colour schemes, number of cars or trucks, numbering or lettering details, powering features and so on. The pricing is mentioned in a separate column for each. Other information about warranty, reservation policy and ordering/shipping information, etc are all mentioned in a separate page.

Apart from the Brass HO trains and the brass O scale products, the non-brass HO and O scale products are listed along with the features and photos. These include model trains and subway car kits. The subway kits have one piece carbody and are available in custom assembly and painting versions.

Brass HO Trains

Modelrailroad.net  is a treasure of ideas, information, photos, books and all kinds of secrets about all kinds of model trains, including Brass HO trains. The site provides information about all kinds of websites and companies that deal with model trains and also online places like ebay and others. The collectors can have their own websites listed in this online directory and make it known to the public. The collectors can get ideas about others doing the same thing.

Many companies list their site in this directory. This information can be used to find and compare the various models of each company, their prices and suitability to their own collection. Also available is the information about the various layouts in the different scales like S & Z scales, N, HO, O, G and other scales. The layouts are from the various companies that manufacture them and have different themes. The layout themes set personally by the collectors are also listed here.

Books and videos that reveal model railroader’s secrets that are required to build, maintain and repair model train sets, step-by-step model railroad building instructions, tips for building and maintaining railroads trouble-free, etc are shown on the site. There are other books on DCC, track planning, model railroad, wiring, scenery, benchwork, and many other topics that are explained in simple and illustrative manner and are made available for the collectors to browse and buy. Various videos of layouts, rare collectible toys, etc and brass HO trains guide books can be found here. Companies offering books and videos are also listed here.

The Live Steam section lists the live steamers companies dealing with the steam and locomotives and also layouts for model trains of all scales. The listing includes a picnic spot with 1:8 scale modes at various locations that are open on certain days for the public. There trains can be ridden on with real steam engines. Companies that make custom railroad graphics, clubs that have the members to update their model railroad photos and videos and other such listings are given in this section.

The Model railroad clubs can list themselves in this site and also find others who are listed. A collector who is interested in joining a nearby club can find a suitable one here. The listing also mentions the interests of the members regarding the scales used, display methods and layouts.

The best part is the listing of the hobby shops and those that have mail order businesses of the model trains. The collector can go through the whole list of hobby shops and select a suitable one. The websites can be visited to see what kinds of supplies are available and how to contact them to order and get the desired models or parts of the model trains. These companies are usually importers from various manufacturers and one can find all kinds of products in a single shop or online store.

The latest additions of the listings are done in a separate section and mention the newest models and companies. The collectors, suppliers and other who have to do anything with the model trains can set up a website of their own and get it listed in Modelrailroads.net.

Brass HO Trains

The Brass HO trains are available in the form of Steam locomotives and are imported by the American companies from Korea. Each importer may get products from two or more manufacturers or each manufacturer may also supply to more than one importer. On the whole, the HO brass model trains have to be chosen very carefully.

A number of factors determine the quality, as well as the price of the HO train set. While getting model HO trains for you collection, ensure that the following features are checked.

A brass locomotive contains a wire for piping purposes and small brass detail parts that are soldered on. The recent ones have better detailing than the older models. So, if you want antique pieces, the finer details may not be appealing. The Sprung drivers have to be checked for quality as they are essential for smooth running of the trains, in spite of any slight variations in the trackwork.

The gears have to be closed. Open gearing on the drive axles are a thing of the past. Although the closed geared models come at a higher price, they are better when it comes to smooth running. Painted brass trains are not as popular as the unpainted ones. Custom painted or factory painted ones can give it a realistic look, especially if the painting is done to give it a weathered look. However, individualistic preferences are different.

A can motor can make the train run if AC is converted to DC and the current is supplied. But if the collector knows to re-motor the locomotive, it is not an important determinant in selecting the model. Combinations such as open-frame motor, can motor and flywheel can do wonders for the trains to run well on the tracks. The presence of the can motor makes it easy to add a flywheel.

Of all the accessories to store, the box in which the locomotive came will increase the value of the Brass HO trains. This may be surprising to some, but the real antique train collector values the piece and believes the originality only with the box.

Model HO trains can be bought at hobby shops, model railroad flea markets or eBay. Many importers have online websites where the collectors can browse through the various models online and order them. Lionel HO trains, Bachmann HO Trains, Marklin HO Trains, Athearn HO Trains are the different types popularly available in the market.

The eBay lists various companies that supply the Brass HO trains and other model trains in all scales. Accessories, tracks, scenery, buildings and other such items are also available, in various scales such as N, O, G and others. A collector may get all his trains in the same scale or have a diverse collection of trains of various scales.

Brass HO Trains

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