I am just returning back to model railoads. I had a couple of simple train sets as a kid. I aquired a train set the other day and wanting to start a layout of somekind. I have 4 engines (1 is a dummy) 4 cabooses, and 9 or 10 other cars so far. It is ho gauge. The room it will be going in is approx. 9 by 10 with a closet in one corner (in the corner) and the door right next on the next wall (in the same corner as the closet. I have been to 5 countries.
I was thinking of something along the lines of northwest Portland Oregan (pearl district area) fading into an Ireland landscape. Any ideas or suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance. I am in the learning things so far forums, for just being here a couple of days
This is a good time to make haste slowly. Model Railroading is rather like chasing a degree. You WON’T be able to write your PhD thesis two weeks into your freshman year. Be aware that you will learn a LOT as you progress.
A few suggestions:
Consider your first layout as a place to experiment, try new-to-you ideas and learn new skills.
Check the shop block in the header for useful to you NOW publications. Consider them as textbooks. You won’t need the, “everything there is to know about (fillintheblank,)” books until you determine where (fillintheblank) fits in your scheme of things.
Be aware that a lot of the things you read on this forum are entered by people who take a lot of basics for granted. Don’t get confused by the discussions about the pros and cons of advanced control systems between people who have engine terminals bigger than your layout space.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! If you get ANYTHING right the first time you try it, consider yourself lucky. (I’ve been a model rail for seven decades, and I still screw up!)
Don’t live with your mistakes. Once the error has been identified, fix it. This applies especially to trackwork. Model railroading won’t be fun if your trains don’t stay on the rails.
KISS lives. Don’t try to put too much into your first layout. Save the accurate model of that puzzle palace terminal throat or the multi-layered wedding cake of hidden track until you develop the skills needed. (By the time I reached that point, I was drawing Social Security.)
Get some track down as soon as you have a place to put it, even if it’s only the loop that came with a train set. There is nothing like having a place to watch wheels roll.
You don’t say where you are living, but that’s sometimes helpful, as people can suggests local shops which might help you out.
I would suggest looking for train shows to go to. Each issue of Model Railroader magazine contains a page of ads for the big shows. There is a web page here that gives a better listing. (I’ve got an issue here with IE6 (thanks, corporate IT) and can’t locate it.) Or, you can do it on your own and Google “Train Show (your state)” to find listings. Train shows are a combination of display layouts and dealer tables. The layouts are a great way to look at a lot of different options - gauge, scale, era, industries, etc. It is a nice way to look for ideas and see how others have done clever things with their layouts.
Don’t buy to much stuff until you know what you are going to build. A train show is full of temptation. Great stuff, mostly, but you don’t need modern well cars if you end up modeling logging operations in the Northwest in the 1930s.
I live just outside of Palm Springs, CA. I got everything as idevidual pieces but with alot of track a few bridges etc. I am looking for a few shows in southern ca to go to. Im looking to get network with others so I can hopefully learn.
WEll, to catch up I would check out Kalmbachs book listing and see what books you might need to buy. If you want to go DCC, they have a few on the topic.
Reading here on this and other MRR{model railroading} forums can catch you up. There is a search engine for this forum on the right side called “search our community” that can be helpful if you know what key words you need to use.
Feel free to post questions here. Some questions will undoubtedly be repeats often asked and some people will get a bit snitty about answering them, but just ignore them. No question is a dumb question. We are here to help!
There are forums here divided by topic…be sure to read for appropriate answers in the appropriate forum and ask questions likewise. A DCC or Electronic question should be posted in that forum, not really here in the general forum, for instance.
There is STILL a heavy arguement going over the virtues of DC and DCC. I personally choose DCC when I got back into the hobby 4 years ago as I liked the idea of less wiring and blocking, and of controlling the locos and not the track current. Just my opinion, others will vary.
Foam board is the newest lightest weight construction material for layouts. Homasote can be hard to find, but so can foam boards in warmer climes. Some use 2 inch foam as a base over an open grid, others use a 1/4 or 1/2 plywood base to mount the foam onto as well. If you plan to use undermount switching machines, then the ply-under method is best as you will need something to mount the undermount switch machines to.
Don’t be affraid to try a “starter layout” such as the ever venerable yet often maligned 4 x 8 to get your feet wet in all aspects of layout building.
Be aware that what you have may be “old technology” and you will most likely finding yourself upgrading to newer better stuff, whether DC o
If you want to, you certainly can make a layout where a train will run through a series of scenes or dioramas from several countries and/or several eras strung together head to tail, but in my opinion the end result “sampler layout” seldom will look very convincing - no matter what trains you run, they will tend to look out of place in at least some of the scenes.
Also, if your desire is mostly to watch trains run (rather than switch cars at industries) I think it is much harder to convincingly model trains running for hundreds or thousands of miles than it is to model trains passing by or through a few places from the same general area, with your layout having some overall unifying theme.
Next thing to think about is train length and number of trains running at the same time. Try to figure out how long your trains will be - and plan your siding lengths based on this. A layout made for just one train moving at any time, and trains consisting of an engine and three 50-foot boxcar is a very different layout than a layout made for three trains runni
A big [#welcome] to the hobby from the other side of the Big Pond. You will meet friendly and knowledgeable folks in here who can give a lot of valuable advice.
The hobby has changed quite a bit over the last decades. Quality has improved, new means of train control are available (DCC), as well as a whole array of new materials and techniques for building a layout.
I can only recommend to start with a fairly simple layout - just something which is fun to build, fun to operate and fun to try your hand on. Just to get acquainted with materials, techniques and terminologies.
There is a video series on how to build such a layout. I find it highly recommendable. You can watch it here .
Hi “bakerboy”, welcome back to Model railroading and to the Forums, Go for DCC (radio controlled, if you can afford it). I have a 24’x24’layout, after four phases of add-ons over a period of 8 years. Many old engines draw too many amps, and should be discarded. Go for nickel-silver track and get rid of old brass track,(which has high resistance). All rolling stock must have magnetic knuckle couplers. Many old cars do not! I happen to be a scenery buff, and rarely run trains on my multi-switch layout. Be sure to use “bus wires, feeders, and boosters”. You will, soon, want to post a scale diagram of the room and photos of proposed layouts’ You must first establish a free account with a Host such as Photobucket. When you Post a photo there, there will be several “options” below the photo. Click on the IMG option. then click on the Edit (upper left corner of screen)/ Click on “Copy”. Now, go to the Forum. where you want to add the photo to an existing text, (or start your own Thread". You can either use Paste or click “ctrl V”. A lengthy “photo code”, will appear. Then scroll down to, (and click on) Post. Your text and photo will soon appear at the end of the given thread. To Edit any your Post, you click on “More”, and then on the EDIT(in the box). Bob Hahn
Thanks everyone. This is.all great advice and gives me things to think about. I will take is slow. I will put in a few train switches so i can get experience of wiring them up and all.
I am going to build a simple layout with the things i have. One is to get the pratice of doing a layout and second is to save up for a few newer things like the dcc controller. I do have other questions but I will post them in the appropiate areas.
First off, Welcome to the forum. You sure picked the right time to get back into the hobby. With today’s advances in DCC, Track, Scenery, ETC… One can now build a layout that was only possible for the pro’s to build when I got started back in the 70’s. With that said, I echo some of the advice already offered. That is, take baby steps until you feel confident enough to meet your desired expectations. I often see a lot of new comers with grand plans for building basement size empire layouts without the experience one obtains through trail and error. You can avoid many of these pitfalls by reading, observing, and asking the right questions with some of the “old timers” you’ll find here and other forums. Remember, part of the fun of MR is the journey, and not the end result.
PS
I just noticed you’re located in So. Cal. Next time your in the Fountain Valley area, stop by for a layout tour.
