is their any where online i can get free info on layouts i am just getting started and dont have a clue where to start
http://www.modelrailroads.net/Model_Railroad_Links/Links_and_Directories/
http://1stplacehobbies.com/
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/hoscale/index.html
Maybe some of these will give you a start.
dwRavenstar
this site dude
Getting started takes a lot of learning before you know which questions to ask. Some early decisions
- What space do you have to work with
- What Gauge do you want to work in
- Do you want to specialize in scenery, opperation or watching trains run. It takes a large layout to do it all
- Are you in a hurry or are you the type that can spend a year before you run anything.
After that is decided, then 1000 other questions become relevant.
I found reading Model magazines helped me focus. Good luck. See you here again soon.
Your Local Hobby Shop, or LHS, can help you out if they are really knowledgable about model railroading. Kalmbach, the company that kindly provides the space for this fine forum, also publishes numerous books on all aspects of the hobby. The investment in their material is well worth it. (No, I don’t work for them. I just appreciate them.) Art Hill is very right about defining your space, and knowing beforehand what you have to work with.
After a while, give a try to the numerous free layout design software programs you can download from the web. There are some payware programs too, if you really get into it and want the high-end features they offer.
Planning is a very important step, but don’t be overcome by “analysis paralysis.” Sooner or later, you need to head out to Home Depot and get the benchwork materials, and actually start building something. That is when the fun starts. And, best of all, it never stops.
Welcome aboard!
Try the NMRA ‘Introduction to Model Railroading’ pages at:
http://www.nmra.org/beginner/
Don’t forget your local library. Even i they don’t have it on the shelf they can normally get anything you need. I have also found that roaming the stacks can be beneficial. Near the book you are looking for there is often one that is more helpful or more interesting that you had never heard about.
Good luck
I started my research about three years ago, but then I’m a slow learner… This forum is the very best place to read about solutions to any problem that you can imagine. Even if you don’t immediately understand the response, you will in time. The people on this forum will give you a strait and honest answer. These folks have made the mistakes and are willing to let us profit from them. I try to read each thread daily. I can’t tell you how much I am learning.
Once you have formulated your questions… ASK. No one here has ever flamed anyone for a question. Even the completely obvious ones that I ask. This forum is a great source of information and a wonderful place to check you ideas.
Search the WWW with any possible string that you can imagine. Since I have space constraints - I am working with N Scale. I started by searching on “N Scale Layouts” and “N Scale Trackplans”. That should keep you busy for a while.
I also subscribed to Model Railroader Magazine. Again, this is a great place to learn from the best. Read the articles, even if they don’t pertain to what you think you’re doing. Again, the idea is to gain information. I learn a ton form the O Scale modelers… I just reduce it several hundred time… I think the fun in this hobby is discovery. I learn something every time I read this forum, every time I read an article in MR Mag, every time I repeat a search on the www.
Cheers.