2. HO has a ratio of 1:87 approximately, with a slight
variation from the European variety to the
American. Most manufacturers of this scale use
the 16.5 millimeter gauge track.
The HO originated in the 1930's, but was not
popular at that time. It had new life in the
1950's, during the heyday of model trains. Most
of the trains built since that time have been of
standard to good quality, except in the 1970's
when Tyco Toys and Life-Like produced an
inferior product that ran on the 16.5 millimeter
track. These under detailed, oversized, and
cheap additions are not highly sought by
collectors.
3. The size of the HO affords a modest setup in a 3
foot by 8 foot area. This might be a little
cramped for the hobbyist wanting a large
setup, but it is a large section to take out of a
small room. It is not something that could be
setup in a normal size bedroom and left to
operate long term without dismantling
repeatedly.
4. The reason for the popularity of this size is that
the scenery is larger and more detailed than the
other popular size N scale. For instance, the
figurines for people in the N scale are tiny and
indiscernible, where you do have some amount of
detail when they are twice as large.
HO trains, for the most part, run on the two rail
track and have DC power. This affords the
operator to slow the train or speed it up by
adjusting the voltage to the rail. A flip of the
switch reverses the polarity and changes the
direction of the train. This works well, even in
the most simplistic of setups.
5. There are a few variations to track gauges
between suppliers that bear mentioning. If you
see notations like "Hon3" and "HOm," this means
that the track is not 16.5 millimeters, and it
won't work with your train, unless you bought
one of those in the beginning. Most suppliers
know what track you need based on the model of
train you have. If you are walking in a hobby
store to purchase track, take a section of your
existing track with you.
6. Suppliers for scenery in the HO scale include
Bachmann, Walthers, Cooch Enterprises,
Model Railstuff, and Vollmer, just to name a
few. You can find train trestles, roads, bridge
abutments, trees, rocks, and just about any
kind of building you could want. If you are not
the type to build your own scenery, you will be
able to get almost everything you want.
Resources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKUhHcnBkYY
http://ezinearticles.com/?HO-Model-
Railroads---The-Most-Popular-in-
Size&id=3238614
