I am very interested in model railroading.I bought my firs MR magazine two days ago and am excited to get started.But I dont know where to begin.I have absolutly nothing.Whats first.please help.
john
John,[#welcome]
What first?
Books, magazines, the internet and these forums. Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions, there are a lot of folks here that can give you advice. Most of all, don’t
let it overwelm you. It’s easy to try to do it all at once.
And have fun. Dave
Before you do anything, it is a good idea to have some kind of plan as to where you want to put your layout, and how much space you have to devote to it. Don’t just rush out and start buying stuff. Look at the magazines, search the web, get ideas. There are a lot of good beginner track plans that have been drawn over the years.
Next, how about a trip to your local hobby store. Take a look around and ask the people that work there what trains to buy.
As one who has worked in a hobby store, I recommend skipping over any boxed sets, and going straight to some quality basic equipment. Athearn has always made quality stuff. Get a basic engine, and a few cars to start. A circle of Atlas nickel silver track, and a few straights, a terminal section and a rerailer section make a nice oval to try your new train. You will need a power pack to make it go, ask for MRC, and have the person at the store tell you what the features are on the different models. I haven’t priced these components in a long time, but I think you should get away under $200 if you stick to the basic offerings. Of course, if you aren’t on a budget, more power to you.
Please don’t set it up on the carpet. The fibers will get in the gears and make a mess. A temporary table made from a sheet of plywood or styrofoam is a good way to go until you have chosen a plan. If you go with the styrofoam, get the pink or blue, not the white beaded type.
That’s my recipe for how to get started. After that, read more, ask questions here, and experiment, but whatever you do HAVE FUN!!! [8D][:D][^]
The advice on where to put your layout and figure how much room you have is important. However, no one will produce the perfect track plan for everybody. It depends on your “style” of operation. Do you like to just watch trains run? Do you like to switch individual cars or whole trains. Certain era of modelling or certain train line? I will be quite honest with you after making a layout, and I have made several different gauges of layouts, and started operating them I always found something I could improve or expand upon I didn’t realize in the beginning phase. You are only limited by your room available, your own imagination and the money you can spend. Reactions from non-hobbyists will be mixed. Just make yourself happy.
If HO is your entry into the hobby, communicate with hobbyists on the pros and cons of what you intend to purchase. The smaller the gauge, the more issues with derailing there will be to learn. CHEAP equipment in HO can be a very frustrating start.
It you have an idea of what you want to model, go to Walthers website or buy a Walther’s catalog so get an idea of what is out there.
Here are some manufacturers not distributed by Walthers (HO scale):
Branchline Trains http://www.branchline-trains.com/
Eel River Models http://www.p-b-l.com/erm/
LBF Company http://www.lbfcompany.com/
Red Caboose http://www.red-caboose.com/cgi-bin/e_catalog/catalog.cgi
Also, Athearn and Model Die Casitng (MDC)/Roundhouse will be probably not be distributed by Walthers for long.
There are also some decal manufacturers not carried by Walthers, however, I do not know they are still in business, I am sure someone here does know.
Champ Decals http://www.minot.com/~champ/
Hearld King
MG Decals http://www.mgdecals.com/homepage.htm
Islington Station Products http://www.tmrdistributing.com/islington.htm
Most companies listed in the Walthers Catalog have their own web sites.
^^^ do what he said.
when i first started i bought a magazine and found this forum right away. i think the night i got home from my friends house who had the layout i was on here reading. i went to a show with him and he helped me pick out stuff to start with. i bought a bunch of track for $20, a MRC power pack for $20 all from my friends friend. read a lot from magazines and off the internet. always ask questions no matter how stupid they are. i’ve been away from the hobby for 3 months now, doesn’t sound long but it is to me. i’m only 17 so if you my age and don’t have a lot of money, go to shows and find some deals, buy some new stuff when needed but try and go to shows and get stuff.
all i have for a layout right now is a 4x8 piece of plywood and sawhorses in a spare room upstairs. the room is like 10x12 so this takes up a lot. its about 34 inches off the ground, perfect height to me. all i have is a little depot for a building. i might try and get some stuff this week if i can.
just have fun with it, read a lot, and don’t back away from it. i wish i would have kept interest these last few months, but i had baseball, but i still had a lot of free time. i could have bought a ton of stuff and could have been building all summer long.
Where have you been Jim? I was beginning to worry. I saw an old post of your’s a couple days ago, and your signature photo was gone. Drop me an email, and maybe we could finally meet. Sask_Tinplater and his parents were in town a couple weeks back and stopped by the house.
Oh yeah, go down to the tracks around 6:30 PM or so, and wait for the Triple Crown roadrailer train. They started running today. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday eastbound.
MODEL RAILROADER MAGAZINE is contually running new layouts for beginner’s in sequential form - showing WHAT to buy, and HOW to build it - complete with instructions and pictures. (2) they collect these into a book. (See Kalmbach page in MR). Atlas also has a book out on plans. They want to sell track - the more the merrier (and ‘costier’).
You START by determining where you are going to build it, and buy the tools*. Equipment, you don’t have to worry about. It will always be there. The key requirement is to have something to run it on - whatever you select.
Lastly, keep it simple. You can add those mountains on your 2nd layout.
DG
*screwdriver, hammer, saw, drill.
Please don’t take this the wrong way Eric, because those are all good suggestions and companies, but not necessarily for a total beginner. I seriously doubt he has any idea what Walthers is. To him you’re speaking a foreign language.
John, Walthers is perhaps the world’s largest distributor of model railroading products. They also manufacture their own line of cars, buildings, decals, and accessories. Their HO catalog is basicly considered the product bible for this hobby. It is always a fun and interesting read.
I suggest that when you are at the hobby store you ask to see the counter copy. They will probably have some copies for sale, but it might be a good idea to wait until they mark them down just before the new one is released, then buy one. The information doesn’t change that much from one year to the next.
It is easy to get overwhelmed in this hobby. The idea is to start slow, and l
I’ve never seen this done out here. Then again, except for HobbyTown USA, I have only seen one sale at a train shop (except going out of business sales).
Over the years I have found one of the most valuable books I own to be “Track Planing for Realistic Operation” published by Kalmbach and written by John Armstrong. I believe this book is still being published by Kalmbach. John is both an expert at planing a model railroad layout and how the prototype operated. The book merges the two subjects into a comprehensive sourse of information for beginner and expert alike.
Highly recommend!
Maybe things have changed since I was in the business. 20+ years ago that was how we did it. How many people are going to pay full price for an old catalog when a new one is about to come out? On the other hand, many dealers may not re order the old catalog and have any sitting around for a few months prior to the release of the new one.
If I remember correctly though, Walthers offered them to the dealers at a reduced price a couple of months before, just to clear them out. Maybe Walthers has gotten better at judging how many copies to print, and doesn’t have overstock problems anymore, or the dealers are just keeping the extra money, and holding the price.
You can always ask to buy the old counter copy tattered and marked as it may be. Heck, it never hurts to ask if you could get a break on a new copy if they have any. If your local dealer doesn’t cut you any slack, check Walthers website. They might be clearing them out.
One last trick to try, if you go into the store and make a good train purchase near the end of the catalog year, then ask. It’s always hard to turn down a good customer, especially a newbie. Get the hook in good and deep![:0][:p][swg]
Hi Mark, long time no see!! This topic seems to be bringing all of the old gang out of the woodwork. If we keep yacking long enough Fergie will probably show up.[:p][(-D][(-D][(-D]
-find a spot in your house
-decide on how big your area is, and what scale would fit it.
-sketch some plans of how you might want the track layout to look
-purchase enough snap track to build your layout, a power pack, buy a nice kato or atlas brand engine, and buy some rolling stock (frieght cars)
if you live near a hobby shop that sells trains, go there and tell them what your’e telling us.
They will help you decide on what to buy and tell you how to set it up.
don’t try to make your layout look like the ones in the magazine, just start simple and by reading these forums and visiting this website, you will learn new things enabling you to make your layout look better.
already sent you an email. think i did that after i posted my message in this thread. i have a game tonight so i won’t be around at 6:30. might try and get out tomorrow. i never see trains heading easybound through town now. seems they are always going west. anyways i sent you an email last night sometime.
In the Atlas books and old MR’s you’ll find “shelf layouts.” That’s a train layout that runs along one wall of your room, or even more walls if you want.
I’m hurting for space in my house, so I made one room into a office/trainroom. My layout is 2’ wide and 12 ’ long ---- along one wall of the room. You’ll see plans that are only 15 and 18 inches wide.
There is, of course, no oval of track on my HO pike, but there is room to do alot of fun things and to learn. Switches really add to the fun of railroading. There’s room for some scenery. You can build some small, easy to assemble structure kits. You really should look at that Walthers’ book.
I picked two things that my sons and I like … coal mining and locomotives. So, one end of my layout is a coal mine tipple and the other end is a small locomotive repair/servicing area, and I have many tracks that end in different areas around these places —spurs.
Like others have said…start small. Have a train running as soon as you can so you can play.
Office/trainroom … how will I ever get work done?
Jim
John,
Welcome to the greatest hobby in the world!..the guys are right…the best way to start is to read as much as you can about the hobby before you start. Then start to plan…take a few months to plan your layout…make scale drawings, have things go through your mind over and over again how you want it and what you want for your railroad…things like …are you going freelance?, do you want to model a certain railroad?, what time period do you want to model?..how much room do i have?, what’s my minimum and maximum track radius going to be?, what type of train control am i going to use ( DCC or standard block wiring, or even common rail wiring?) …(I’ve even had brainstorms and drawn stuff on napkins in a restaurants before)…what kind of benchwork do i build?..what scale am i going to model in?..do i want a point to point, reversing loop? ,wyes? , dogbone?. or oval layout?, what part of the world do i want to model?..the questions are endless…once you have plans…go buy a power pack, a train engine, a few pieces of rolling stock, some track , a couple of turnouts and get to it!..it takes years to get good at this hobby but if you love it like i have (practically my entire life and I’ll be 45 next month) then the sky’s the limit… Chuck
I know the guys are going to get on me for showing you this because it is a big layout and a bit advanced for beginners , I’ve started layout #5 last March and this is as far as I’ve gotten so far…check out the benchwork…it’s a starting point
img src=<“http://community.webshots.com/user/bayouman1”>
if only my benchwork looked half as good as this did!
I would like to thank everyone who has contributed answers to my question.This was my very first time visiting this site,and my first topic to ever post.I never expected that kind of responce.Thanks to everyone for the wonderful advice and the pictures.I am more excited now than ever to get started.
glad to hear that you found our advice helpful. stay on these forums and ask lots of questions, and you will learn somthing new about model railroading every time you visit.
(and when your layout is finished, post some pics of it on this forum.)