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I've been modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad since 1989, and every December I watch the same scene unfold: someone buys an O-gauge train set, tears open the box on Christmas morning, and then realizes the oval won't fit between the tree stand and the couch. The magic dissolves into frustration, and …

I've lost count of how many times someone at a train show has used "O gauge" and "O scale" like they mean the same thing. They don't. And if you're about to drop serious money on locomotives, rolling stock, or track, understanding this distinction will save you from expensive compatibility headaches …

I still remember tearing into my first Lionel set back in 1989. The box promised magic. What I got was a tangle of wires, a locomotive that stalled on every curve, and a growing suspicion that I'd missed something obvious. Thirty-five years later, I've learned that most setup frustrations trace back …