[Katakuri2011]

Hi everyone. Although I have little knowledge of model trains, my uncle in the United States has spent his retirement developing a model train set.

He's been asking me about gauges and train engines to use over there ever since I sent him a Hornby magazine I picked up at Tesco. He seems to believe that Hornby's OO gauge is equivalent to American HO gauge?

Additionally, as he uses a DCC system, could I buy him an engine in the UK that would function with his system in the US? Does the voltage or anything like matter? I've seen a few engines that are labelled as DCC ready; does this indicate they will operate well or would they require conversion?

Any assistance or suggestions would be much valued. I appreciate it.

 

[dwb]

HO and OO have the same distance between the rails - 16.5mm - so models from both scales can run on the same track.

In terms of size, HO scale is 1:87 and OO is 1:76, so a OO model of the same loco will be larger but UK trains are smaller than those found in the US and Europe by about the same amount, so running OO and HO models alongside each other doesn't look too bad as they end up being about the same size.

'DCC Ready' means the model ships with a DCC socket which is fitted with a blanking plug so that it will run on a traditional DC layout straight out of the box. DCC users have to remove the blanking plug and replace it with a DCC decoder with a plug which matches the socket. This leaves the choice of DCC decoder - there is a huge range available - to the end user. I think that works well in your case as it allows you to send a DCC Ready to your uncle and he can choose his preferred type of decoder.

David

 

[kiwionrails]

G'Afternoon Katakuri, and welcome to the forum!

<SNIP>
He's been asking me about gauges and train engines to use over there ever since I sent him a Hornby magazine I picked up at Tesco. He seems to believe that Hornby's OO gauge is equivalent to American HO gauge?
<SNIP>

Short answer; yes, HO and OO are functionally interchangable, as-in they will operate on the same track.
Longer answer; HO is 1:87 scale (3.5mm:1ft), whereas OO is a 1:76.2 (4mm:1ft) body on a 'narrower-than-scale' chassis. This was done historically due to the smaller body sizes of UK prototypes than their US/European counterparts that made it difficult to fit early 1930s-era motors, so the body was enlarged to provide sufficient space.

<SNIP>
Additionally, as he uses a DCC system, could I buy him an engine in the UK that would function with his system in the US? Does the voltage or anything like matter? I've seen a few engines that are labelled as DCC ready; does this indicate they will operate well or would they require conversion?
<SNIP>

To operate on a DCC system you will need a 'DCC Fitted' locomotive. - This has a DCC Decoder (small computer chip) pre-fitted from factory.

A 'DCC Ready' locomotive will not work on DCC without a decoder first being fitted. - The 'Ready' part of 'DCC Ready' is stating that there is a convenient socket provided to fit a decoder.

^^Edit: wot dwb said! ^^

I hope the above helps, and welcome to the hobby!

Best Regards,

Cameron.

 

[34C]

...He seems to believe that Hornby's OO gauge is equivalent to American HO gauge?...

Unless your uncle is specifically interested solely in the Hornby brand, there's quite a choice of brands offering OO product.

Before you buy anything. it's worth knowing that Hornby's range is a minefield. It has both 'legacy' toy product with design roots in the 1950s, and good quality models designed and produced more recently, and everything in between; and little help in sorting the good from the poor. The competitor brands don't have such a long legacy, so what they currently sell are generally good designs. Worth asking here before you pull out the credit card!

The source of currently manufactured OO models is China, from the very same factories that built their fortunes on selling into the North American HO market. The result of this is that the more recent OO designs are based on technique developed for HO, and it is all interoperable. (I have product from eight current OO brands rolling about on my layout, and the only reason I don't have product from a dozen or more brands, is that some have yet to introduce an item that interests me.)

And another thing, couplers. UK OO product is supplied with a tension lock coupler. US HO nowadays typically has a knuckle coupler, based on a design pioneered by Kadee. Most OO product comes with an 'NEM pocket' to take interchangeable couplers, and Kadee conveniently produce couplers to fit in these pockets. The reason for mentioning this is that the knuckle coupler is the best off-the-shelf coupler available, and if your uncle has experience of these he may well find the tension lock a pretty flaky item by comparison.