posted on September 19, 2007 09:07:10 AM new
Hi all. I have sold on eBay for many years, but never old model trains. I have several boxes of them (and tracks & accessories), but they are several different sizes.
What I am wondering is, how do you determine what the Scale Size is for them, being that buyers will want/need to know that. Also, is the year they were made usually stamped on the bottom, like Matchbox Cars are?
posted on September 19, 2007 09:42:10 AM new
You're very smart to ask in advance for this information. I sold some cars from my husband's boyhood set, years ago, got the scale wrong. However, train collectors immediately informed me of my error, and I was able to change it. Were I to start over with model trains, I'd do a lot of reading on eBay and on Google before I began.
Someone here will help you with your scale question, I know.
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
posted on September 19, 2007 10:01:48 AM new
Had a huge stash once and simply looked on eBay for the model number and the category. I found just about everything that way.
This is a good time for model trains by the way. Buyers seem to want for holidays!
posted on September 19, 2007 10:07:01 AM new
From what LITTLE I remember from my puppyhood:
"O" GAUGE: large model trains, think LIONEL -- plus, if I remember correctly, "O" track has THREE rails?
I do know that OLD Lionel items are valuable...
"HO" GAUGE: is very common, and MOST children who set-up a model train set are doing "HO" -- "HO" is MUCH SMALLER than "O" and, except for rare engines, I can't imagine are valuable...
"N" GAUGE: is VERY TINY, and I knew few (if any) folks who did anything with "N" -- you'll recognize it when ya see it, because it be...TINY...
posted on September 19, 2007 12:40:15 PM new
From trains.com model railroad magazine see handy chart at the bottom.
Love'm don't own any!
Model railroading scales are described by letters such as N, HO, S, and O. This alphabet soup may seem confusing at first, but the letters are simply shorthand to describe the ratio of the model's size to its prototype, which is what model railroaders call the real thing a model is based on.
The chart below shows the six scales that are currently manufactured. By far the most popular is HO (pronounced aitch-oh). HO scale models are 1:87 proportioned, meaning one foot on the model represents 87 actual feet. An HO scale 40-foot boxcar is about six actual inches long.
The second most popular modeling scale is N scale. With a ratio of 1:160, it's a little more than half the size of HO scale. An N scale 40-foot boxcar measures just over three actual inches long.
Many model railroaders use the terms "scale" and "gauge" interchangeably, but they really mean different things. Scale, as we already learned, is the ratio of the model to the prototype. Gauge is the distance between the rails. Standard gauge on North American railroads is 4'-8½", but many railroads, especially in the 1800s, were built to narrower gauges. Three feet between the rails was the most common narrow gauge in the United States. To indicate narrow gauge models we use a small "n" and the gauge of the track prefaced by the scale. For example, an HOn3 layout is one where the buildings, figures, and trains are HO scale, but the rails are spaced three (scale) feet apart.
Read more about how to get started in model railroading. Scale proportions The term scale refers to the size of things on a model railroad relative to things on a real railroad (see chart). For example, in the most popular scale, HO, models are 1/87th full size.Scale Proportion to prototype Approximate length of 50-foot boxcar
posted on September 19, 2007 03:24:20 PM new
As I recall -
Lionel: O27 gauge, and the larger O gauge, both had three rails. Gauge models were not interchangeable.
Marx: O27 gauge, three rails, and similar to Lionel, with different couplers for the cars.
American Flyer: ? gauge, two rail track. This was a bit smaller than the Lionel O27 gauge.
Then the smaller gauges, such as HO, N, and smaller, which came later. And, the German gauge trains, which were and are larger than the O gauge.
Woo, woo, chug, chug, I can hear those engines now, and see the smoke coming from the engine, as it rounded the bend under the Christmas tree, headed to the small cardboard house village near the Manager Scene.
posted on September 19, 2007 05:46:33 PM new
been selling them for years now....feel free to email me. I mainly sell the HO scale(most common). Almost all turn VERY FAST. The older LIONEL are usually the money maker size.
