hey guys. back when i was younger i use to be into trains. now im a bit older and im rediscovering the hobby. its been a while since i been in the train market and im fresh out of layout ideas! how horrible it is i confess! im trying to make the layout be more modern. or at least recent (1950’s - present) and maybe a little sceanic but still have the industrial flavor. any ideas and what rail line i should research? or have any ideas or tips on how to make a quality layout would be GREATLY appreciated
[#welcome] dlester to the forum! I’m not able to help out that much being I’m in the almost in the same boat as you. Start off like I did and get some books or magazines check out your LHS for books on layouts and track plans. This fourm has been a great help to me, the people here can help you with so many things.
dlester, welcome back to the hobby!
You might want to start out by examining your childhood days. Were there any trains near you? Did they interest you? What was it about them that got you interested?
Then pick up a copy of John Armstong’s “Layout Planning for Operations”. Pay close attention to the ‘givens and druthers’. Work on that for a while.
Then pick up some layout plan books. Doesn’t matter which ones in particular. You can get used copies on eBay for little money. Build a small library for your future reference.
Once you’ve identified where your interest came from and what you would like to have, finding a layout will be easier for you.
Once you have some plans in mind, start reading the hobby magazines (if you aren’t already) for ideas on benchwork, scenery, equipment and so on.
This is a slow process. Get as much enjoyment out of it as you can. The hobby is so broad that it can accommodate anyone’s interest.
Most importantly, have fun. What’s the point of a hobby if you’re not having fun?
Go for it.
Best of luck and keep the forum posted.
Darrell, rather chatty tonight, but being quiet now…for a while
What stirs your interest? Is it a long string of intermodal or coal? Is it a GP38-2 working the local industries? Amtrak? The older passenger trains? Once you discover what really trips your trigger, you have a starting point.
By the way, here’s another one of those [#welcome] signs.
Feel free to ask any question. You will find an amazing variety of knowledge among the members, who are more than willing to share what they have learnded.
Tom
Hello Daniel and [#welcome] back to the WGH!
Do you have any memorable moments or situations from your previous railroading days? If so, what [scale, prototype road, era, region etc.] were you doing at that time? That should give you a pretty good indication where to start from.
Welcome, dlester!! Another thing you might do is check your local hobby shop (LHS) for a bulletin board…see if any clubs have a card or announcement up about meetings. Find out where the club is and go meet your fellow , local RR modelers. Train swap meets are always fun, and a good place for more ideas, more information, more ways to spend your money…
[8D] When I was growing up in the 1940’s and 1950’s I loved trains, everything about them. I even took large cardboard boxes, cut out the end and lay the ends on the floor over lapping to make walk ways from box to box just like passenger cars. Put small chairs in each box, and a small table in one for the dinning car.
What’s your favorite era, or is there a time that is your favorite, or a time remembered. I love both steam and diesel, expecially passenger train.
[:o)]Check out modelrailroad layouts on the web, lots of links. Certainly subscribe to Model Railroader Magazine, layout plans each month, and of course Kalmbach has several books on layout planning.
[:D] I even pick up a copy of Classic Trains, great ideas for modelrailroaders.
Of course video tapes such as Allen Keller Productions, take a look at Rick Rideout’s layout, you can get a copy of his layout off the web.
[#welcome]
Robert
WTRR
Hub City Division
If you want to see what other people have done here’s a page of links http://www.cwrr.com/nmra/Layout-HO.html
Second subscribe to MR and buy some of their back issues (or maybe your local library has some).
Get some of John Armstrong’s books especially “Track Planning for Realistic Operation”.
Railroading has changed alot over your time frame - 1950’s to present, you might want to narrow that down a little.
Finally [#welcome] to the forum
Enjoy
Paul
[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]
Welcome back to the fold. All the above are great ideas. As far as scenery and ideas, I think we all have this thread book marked
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36405
when i was younger, i had the ho starter trainsets on a 4x8 piece of plywood in the garage. i couldnt really get iNTO the layout because of space limits and my dogs seem to like to like the tracks while the trains are going. maybe they just like that spark of electricity, or maybe they just like the hobby too and thats there way of helping…testing the track. when i was younger i lived in jersey so amtrak and conrail were the major lines. now i live in south florida so i constantly see FEC (florida east coast). i understand the 1950 - present seems like a large span, but i figured i would keep it general like that so maybe some of you modle RR pro’s can give me an idea. i would like to keep the layout freight, but maybe a commuter line can grace my 8x12 span. thanks for all the help guys and go ahead and keep the good times and the ideas rolling! chooo chooo
answer the following questions:
what do you do?
what do you like?
what are you good at?
what amuses you?
what interests you?
how much room do you have for a layout?
what scale?
any fond childhood memories that need to be preserved with a layout?
…
after the pages of notes that you now have, come up with a basic idea, and grow from there…
benchwork, trackwork, power source, and available finances will provide more details for your hobby railroad.
have fun, planning, building, operating…
I went through the old mags and collected pictures that I liked. I then strung them together, worked out the connections and had my layout. The routing problems were solved by laying it out full size on the floor with blue masking tape. I did leave an open edge for inspiration.
I find that my best inspiration comes from either some railroad related magazine, or this forum here.
I have a large collection of train magazines, dating back to the 1950s (funny how I’m only 16). Whenever I need some inspiration or ideas, I’ll pick out a few, and flip through them, looking at the pictures, reading the articles, typical magazine stuff. Some hobby shops will give away free magazines, maybe one around you does. If so, look through their collection, and pick out some good ones.
And on this forum, so many members post picture after picture of just awe-inspiring work. I wish I could start my layout right then and there, but I don’t have the money to do so yet, so I can only look at the pictures and dream, with ideas building up in my head. If you have an idea, write it down in a notebook or something so you don’t loose it.
And, of course, [#welcome] to the forums![:D]
Suggest you look at the “Realism” topic… and be warned!
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR HOBBY?
Research?
layout building?
Modelling?
(Above two are NOT the same)
Electrics?
IT?
running trains?
Switching?
Painting models/weathering?
All these and more?
specialise?
Try to contact several clubs…find the one that suites you… some are talking shops… that may suite you…why not? others will be hives of activity…might be more to your liking…how do you know until you look?
GET PLENTY OF 2ND HAND MAGS…cheapest way of “scoping the scene”.
Be prepared to change your mind.
Don’t try to do everything… spend a good time working out what you want… then spend time planning…don’t expect to get it right first time. If you can start with a few cheap bits…learn… scrap that and sell the bits on and use the experience to develop what you really want to do.
you wouldn’t expect to produce an award winning garden first shot…
ENJOY YOURSELF!