Since there are so many new folks joining MRR everyday I thought it would be a good idea for everyone, especially the veterans, to expand on their experiences while building their railroads. I know there are veterans here that have experienced many of the things us beginners will encounter so I am asking all of us to help each other to expand on some of the areas that each of us have or will encounter while we are building our layouts.
I have built a “temporary” layout that has three loops and 4 switching areas. I use the four loops to run individual engines and some consists.
What I really want to let other new enthusiasts to know is about the need to have clean tracks.
With the advent of DCC being the latest and greatest I purchasesd an NCE Power Pro R system. As good as the system is it cannot transmit information to any loco if the tracks are not clean. I learned this the hard way thinking that the DCC system was screwing up. In actuality the track and loco’s pick up’s were not clean enough to receive information from the DCC system.
There have been several threads on here about a “GLEAMING” Process to keep the tracks clean that a I have yet to try. Several people have given it good reviews. I will be giving it a try while assembling my permanent layout.
On another note I have tried the CMX Clean machine to clean my tracks. Here is what I can tell you about the clean machine and cleaning the tracks by hand.
By hand I use Isopropyl Alcohol on a cotton cloth and go around the layout cleaning all tracks by hand. I still get black streaks on my fingers after the cleaning.
Using the CMX Clean Machine with the same Isopropyl Alcohol, I do not get any black streaks when rubbing the rails after cleaning. Also I want to note that the locos were having problems with flickering lights before I used the CMX Clean Machine but after a couple of passes with it the engines lights did not flicker at all.
Bill, you are so right, clean track and wheels is so very important with todays state of the art. Lenz and others are working on electronic solutions that can help to overcome dirty track, but in the end, there is no substitute for clean. My personal preference is simple metal polish. One cleaning by hand lasts for months on end.
When using the ultra sharp brand new #11 blade to trim flash, do so away from your thumb. Or of course keep doing it and build up the scar tissue… I am divided on which way I am going
As far as cleaning track I will stay with my method…A good cleaning then I will spray on some Radio Shack Channel Tuner Cleaner twice a year with touch ups as needed with a bright boy.
As far as lessons learn experience is still the best teacher…Why? You learn as you go and not have to listen to forum experts that may or may not know other ways that are far better.
For the newbies I say this.Beware the “experts”…They have a way to complicate the easy and overstate the obvious.
Do not use “green” lumber to build your layout. It will warp! Use seasoned or even better, treated lumber.
Give life-like and bachmann standard line locos a wide berth. They are well worth avoiding. Bachmann spectrum and Life-Like Proto 1000 and Proto 2000 are Ok.
Do not attempt to go about the hobby cheaply. Buy good stuff. Otherwise, you’ll just end up discouraging yourself.
Don’t just plunk your track down and expect it to be good. It won’t be. You need to take your time and work out the bugs as you go along.
Do yourself a favor and don’t use Matte-Medium to secure your ballast and scenery. A 50-50 mix of white glue and water works much better and you won’t destroy your track and structures when you take them up to use on another layout.
On couplers, I suggest you use Kadee’s. There are some couplers out there that look like Kadee’s but don’t perform as well. Go with the top dog.
It is vitally important that your track be clean at all times. You can get away with a little crud with DC, but when it comes to DCC, clean is the word. Even a little dirt can cause major problems. I suggest using the GLEAM method to clean your track. It works.
When given advice by a modeler with vastly more experience, take it. Some of the things modelers have come up with may sound a bit off the wall, but they work.
Do not, under any circumstances, try to strip paint off your models with brake fluid. I’ve tried this, the results can be heart-breaking.
Hey, folks, that soldering iron is a HOT SUCKER!!!
or, how about…
Don’t take a lot of time to get your track tuned just right on all those curves, and then go back and bust it all up with a cutting disk where you need gaps. Plan the gaps ahead of time, cut them with a rail cutter, close the gap to look good, and THEN spend the time getting silky smooth track. I read about that one… I did!
A carelessly planned project will take three times as long to complete as you think it will. A carefully planned project will only take twice as long to complete as you think it will.
Overall, a model railroad is not even a project. It is a journey with a beginning, but most of us enjoy it so much that there is really no end to it. Your layout will never be complete. At some point, it will reach a stage where it is “presentable,” and then it will get to where you are proud of the whole thing, and you no longer feel you have to apologize for any of the rough edges. You will learn to do things you never dreamed you could do so well, and you will find tasks that you just can’t master, no matter how long you work at it.
And yes, you can glue your fingers together with Superglue, and soldering irons are hot.
Never get super-glue on your fingers and stick them together. If that happens, pulling your fingers apart can be very hard.[:O]
Never drop your engines and cars. Make sure you’re holding them in a way that makes them hard to drop.
Always use nickle-silver track, not steel or brass. Steel track can rust, and brass track gets an unconductive tarnish. The nickle-silver track can’t rust, and any tarni***hat may happen is still conductive.[:D]
If you’re building a Bowser steam engine kit, or pretty much any complicated kit, take your time. Rushing it can cause improper assembly, glue in places you don’t want, and broken parts.
That’s all I’ve got for now. If I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to post it.[:D]
Never give up on that dream layout. Even if you don’t have the space right now, keep active by building small dioramas or kits. Before you know it, you’ll have picked up more knowlege many of those “old timers” took years to obtain. Take it from one who knows. I spent 10 years waiting (apartment living) before moving into our new house.
LISTEN to theadvice of your LHS and elder members of your club. Even if you dont belong.
Keep those Bachmann, Lifelike and Tyco other low end trains for when the Grandkids are learning how to operate the layout. And those same trains will fill a yard nicely as playwarn as they get. Use soft materials for your scenery. An air chisel makes a real mess when you change your mind.
One of my first “flashing lightbulb” lessons was that you may very well be able to get eighteen gallons in an eighteen gallon tank - but its not always wise to do so.
My first layout was a 4X; 4X is 48 inches - Atlas makes a 22" Radius snap track curve (remember this was 1963, track was brass, and I don’t even remember there being any flex track on the market - there may have been, I just don’t remember it) - 22+22=44 - plenty of room.
I had one locomotive, an old Varney F3 (for sentimental reasons I still have it even though I departed HO more than three decades ago), I was an E-4 in the Air Force with two kids and if anything happened to that Varney I would have been up that well-known Creek.
It almost did, right down at one end - my only loke came to rest precariously perched with the front truck hanging over the edge of bottomless canyon. I almost departed model railroading right there. That 22" radius track came up - 18" went down in its stead. I never forgot that lesson; to this day I leave a safety gap between track and layout edge.
When building benchwork use screws or lag bolts.Because you may have a problem installing under table switches for turnouts which may require moving that piece of framework over a notch or two. And other lesson, never tell you wife how much the stuff costs…i had to build a bigger dog house.
Cheops’ Law - Everything takes longer and costs more! (Rob’t Heinlein, “Notebooks of Lazarus Long.”)
Make haste slowly, or, as a carpenter would put it, measure twice, cut once.
“Good enough” isn’t. If trains derail, find out why and fix the problems. They will not cure themselves.
When wiring your layout, label every wire and every terminal, and keep detailed schematics in a reference book. When glitches develop, you will be glad you did.
Make sure your trackwork and electricals are up to standard before adding scenery to an area. The only thing more frustrating than having constant problems in a beautiful setting is tearing up the scenery to fix them.
