Is there any big time HO guys here? My father has been into it since I was a kid(and he), and has some amazing work. He currently just started cutting wood to build at least a 800 square foot layout(has rooms full of trains but hasnt had a real layout in 15 yrs(full 2 car garage). Im trying to get him into this website as I am an avid RC guy on here and met alot of good people

Now that's a huge layout!!! I would love to see progress pics as he goes along through the construction!!! There's only a few rail heads in here on a regular basis. I hang in slotcars most of the time as that's where the majority of my hobby time is based on, but I do mix HO scale trains with the slot cars. I long for the day when I can have a real house with a real basement and can do something even semi permanent. I rent the downstairs of a house and have a hard time putting any effort in detailing the table as I know one day it'll have to be torn up.

I have about 70 SQ feet of table to play with in an L shape configuration. The highlight of the table is a handmade 4 lane slotcar/ 2 track RR Xing that is automated. I'm having issues with the photo sensors for the crossings in night mode, and sadly my favorite operation mode is nighttime. I also make custom lighted slotcars (head and tail lights) for the nighttime running. I've made a feeble attempt to rectify the situation with infrared LEDs, but I think the wavelengths were wrong. I'll figure it out eventually, but until I do, the rest of the table is in a stalemate.

Is there any big time HO guys here? My father has been into it since I was a kid(and he), and has some amazing work. He currently just started cutting wood to build at least a 800 square foot layout(has rooms full of trains but hasnt had a real layout in 15 yrs(full 2 car garage). Im trying to get him into this website as I am an avid RC guy on here and met alot of good people

I am into HO also but I have started to put Radio Control in them and run the them on batteries. No track wire.

Think about that.

He should really go DCC he would love it with the sound stuff that is out and it makes running trains easy. I prefer NCE

...No track wire...
I don't understand. What's the problem with track wire?

Digitrax for me! Get it from Charleston Digital Trains. They have a lot of DCC and ship ASAP!

I love HO. I also have a lot of stuff in boxes. It started with a 1800's era steam layout, that my father built for my brother and I when we were little. Then we each wanted our own, so my father helped me build my own smaller(8X8) platform. I have just started looking here because I am building an HO scale Noah's Ark for a friend to use as a traveling display. It is about 70" long. I am only about 1/4 to 1/3 started.

I'd love to see progress pics of your father's layout!:cool:

Regards,

Scott