How to Get Started In 2 Rail O Scale

Here is a clinic detailing what to buy and where to find it to get started in 2 rail O Scale.
Note: I have observed that in full screen mode some of the audio can be choppy. In that case just don't view it full screen.

[@davidleopold4219]

Well done Terry! Please be aware that I'd be lost without your KZbin posts and what I read on the "O Scale Kings" website!

[@jamessbca]

Great job, Terry! I was in an extremely well known model railroad only shop a few years ago. I knew they must have some O scale due to their rich history. The guy working there (not the owner) told me they don't have any, and seemed puzzled by me asking about 2 Rail O scale. I wandered around and found a nice little 2 rail section that he didn't even know was there :)

[@2railoscale]

A few years back, I was in The Model Railroad Shop in Piscataway, NJ. The owners did not know that back in the day, their shop manufactured a series of O Scale kits (a la the early O Scale Athern kits)! Needless to say, they had no 2 rail O Scale when I was there.

[@luvindemtrains]

Terry glad to hear from you via the clinic. Prayers for better health are in order.

[@FlorentinoRebuildingCo.5644]

Nice.

[@MyBiggerProblems]

I’m currently doing two rail. My dream is a modern era proto48 layout. There’s a big problem though, I’m young. I mean it too, I don’t have a job. I have sources of income but O scale is expensive. The first car I got in two rail was a southern railway caboose I converted from three rail, just to see what it would look like. I loved it. My dad has a really big three rail O scale layout but he doesn’t really like scale because he can fit more trackage with tighter curves. I grew to dislike that and now I’m a detail freak, which explains why I love proto48.

[@Trainmaster909]

Appreciate the guide Terry! Nick B send me here after getting me hooked on O scale! I’ll be at Strasburg this year to get started, would love to meet you if you can make it,

[@2railoscale]

Remember, if you want to get in to 2R O Scale at the lowest cost - patience! Haunt the forums, wait for bargains. Get to a 2R show, if you can. Stay away from legacy equipment until you get oriented.

[@theeeMitchi]

In Europe there are some 0 scale starter sets. Great video.

[@2railoscale]

Thanks! May I inquire what an O Scale starter set costs?

[@theeeMitchi]

@@2railoscale Quite a lot actually - Lenz has got a digital starter set, setting you back some 700ish Euros iirc. Surely not a cheap start! The O Scale scene is relatively small in Europe.

[@DENVERRIOGRANDEMAN21]

Actually there is o scale 2 rail set by atlas long time ago but they are sold out Also I got First o scale 2 rail Hopper car from weavers

[@2railoscale]

Both Atlas and AHM had 2ROS sets in the 70s (I do mention this). I do not believe that either sold well. The Atlas cars were nice, but they had out-of-spec wheels and couplers. The AHM prototypes were bizarre. Shorty gons, low-height boxcars, 4 wheel bobbers; and for locos, an FM diesel, an IHB 3-cylinder 0-8-0; and Casey Jones' loco! Oddly enough, these were the exact same loco prototypes AHM had used to enter the HO & N scale markets years before. They had more success in HO & N; not so much in O. Some retailers broke up these sets for individual sale. I got my first 2-rail car that way.

[@DENVERRIOGRANDEMAN21]

@@2railoscale oh I see thanks for video getting me started with 2 rail I collect 3 rail as well but I planned to built a 2 rail out door

[@2railoscale]

@@DENVERRIOGRANDEMAN21 If you are planning an outdoor 2 rail layout, look into the Atlas track. It has ABS plastic ties which should resist being damaged by sunlight. You may also want to consider dead rail and never worry about track electrical contact. When you build your outdoor layout let me know, it may be a good subject for a video

[@robynwatts6578]

Atlas O DID offer a 2-rail trainset back in 2008 under their Trainman line. It consisted of a GP15-1, 2 freight cars and a wide vision caboose. Also included was a loop of 2-rail track (36” radius), but no power pack. Unfortunately, shortly after they came on the market, Sandra Kahn, the major manufacturer of Atlas O along with a host of other manufacturers, were kicked out when new owners took over. The GP15 sets had not been offered ever since. It is a shame as that would have been one of the easiest ways for someone to start in 2-rail O.