I am new to this hobby looking for advise where to start?
Research before you spend too much money . There is alot of good items and a lot of junk out there .
Try these sites :http://www.tonystrains.com/
http://litchfieldstation.com/
http://www.ncedcc.com/ncetest/nce2.htm
and many others
Joe
those three sites joe mentioned are all about DCC. DCC is short for Digital Command Control and its the new way most serious modelers control trains. Go to www.tonystrains.com and click DCC for begginners. It will explain it all to you.
The first thing you may want to buy is this book http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12197.html
You can order it from the website or you can probably find it in a hobby shop. It doesnt go into DCC, but it has lots of techniques for building your first layout.
Another great place to start is right here. If you have a question there are many people here who can answer it.
[#welcome]
There are a number of how to articles on the MRR site http://www.trains.com/story/story_list.asp?idMenuCategory=3&idMenuSubCategory=31
another good place to start is http://www.greatesthobby.com/
read and enjoy the various mags and have fun doing your research!
I guess the main thing is to ask yourself what does a railroad mean to you. What is it that attracts you to trains?. There are so many great model railroading products available and It’s exciting to start buying all sorts of train stuff. But then your focus on what you like might change.
My advice is to explore the world of trains. Find out what theme you like to model. The Old West, timber, coal, modern day freight and / or passenger trains or whatever. The choice is endless.
Here are some links to previous threads on Model Railroader Forum where other “Newbees” ask pretty much the same question. They are from my watch list going back about a year ago so the posters aren’t newbees anymore. It would be nice if they gave us an update on how they’re doing.
Newby seeking advise, direction, and wisdom
Know any good books for beginners
Beginner question about laying down track
rgorske,
[#welcome]
The best thing you can do is read, read, read. This forum is a good place to start, but I suggest you branch out a bit. You have to decide on what you want to do. What scale, what era, how big of a layout, etc. I suggest you start small. Something manageable and something you can finish, or at least see the progress on. I also suggest that you start with DCC controls, the cost is comparable to a good DC power pack, almost.
I used several different websites and books when I returned to the hobby 5-6 years ago. The Atlas books on track components and wiring were particularly helpful. One place to start is the WGH site. They give you a pretty good overview and a list of other sites that might be helpful. The WGH site and several others that I used are on the LINKS page of my BRVRR website. The link is in my signature. Once on site just pu***he LINKS button. [8D]
Whatever you decide, good luck. I am sure you will enjoy the hobby.[:)]
1st stop www.NMRA.com
you can see layouts in all scales, look at real trains, and see just about all of the models available in any scale.