The HO Model Train Is Half By Name Alone
The HO model train has emerged as a great alternative to the O (or zero) model trains. The name was derived because the scale used is almost exactly half of that which is used by the O scale. The scale was first used in the 1930’s and was very similar to the OO scale trains that are still popular today in Great Britain. To this day, the HO scale is shunned by most modelers in Great Britain because they believe it to be inferior. This has not stopped the British 1:87 Scale Society from forming in 1994. They have published their own quarterly journal complete with news and information about the hobby. This proves the ability for the scale to hold on even in the face of adversity.
The most common tracks used today for the HO model train is a nickel-silver alloy track because it produces a great conductor for electricity. The track used historically has been a brass track, but it has the disadvantage of being vulnerable to erosion. Erosion makes the track harder to run the train on causing the modeler the costly process of replacing the entire track. Another track, which is produced less, but still popular to use, is the stainless steel tracks. These tracks are expensive and more difficult to find, but there are those who swear by the metal as being superior.
Electricity is the fuel used by every HO model train because of their size. The method of delivery for electricity has changed over the years in order to allow the modeler more control over trains. The first methods of transference were a simple direct current and a toggle used to be able to reverse direction. Reversing the polarity of the current allowed the conductor to be able to reverse the direction of the train. In this model, the speed of the train was determined by the amount of current being pumped into the track itself.
Controlling more than one HO model train was a feat overcome by creating multiple blocks of power supply throughout the track. In order to control the train, you would have to toggle the switch on the particular part of the track the train was on at the time. As time has gone by, computers have made it very easy to control multiple trains on the track without having to flip and toggle switches. The ease of use has increased the pleasure for those who enjoy the hobby of train modeling.
One of the biggest reasons the HO model train has increased in popularity over the years is because of the price. The HO scale is one of the cheapest models to buy because of many different factors. First, the laws of supply and demand mean as more people demand the HO scale trains, the less the manufacturers have to charge. The manufacturers do not have to spend as much time making the trains as smaller N scale models because of the larger details. Being a smaller model than the O scale allows manufacturers to use less material to make the models themselves. This all translates into a lower cost for the consumer, which allows the popularity to grow to those who might not normally buy into the hobby.
Best Regards
David Blackburn
www.ModelTrainsAdvice.com
