I was recently thinking that we should have list of websites for beginners who are just getting started in the hobby.
In repsonse to a post that was a made, the reason this database wil be superior to Google, is that we will have feedback, info, and perhaps even ratings. For right now, I am simply making a list. As soon as I feel that all catgories have been touched, then I’ll start upgrading it. Luckily for us, those people that have posted websites already have a little bit of text to describe the site.
I’ll start off with all the ones I know, listed in no particular oder:
Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society www.atsfrr.org
Russell Crump’s www.atsfry.com has many SF historical records for sale, but some are available free on-line.
www.trainboard.com a forum in some ways like this one that has discussions by scale, layout planning, railfanning, prototype railroad-by-railroad, and a place for occasional sellers of surplus rr stuff.
www.railimages.com allows an inbdividuals to upload model rr and prototype pictures to their own web space which can be posted from there to this and other sites. And even if you don’t post your own pictures, you can browse through hundreds of modelers pictures, and SEARCH tens of thousands of pictures for the name of a train, a town, a real or imaginary railroad, etc.
Lists go out of date as fast as you type them. Google is the most awesome resource on the planet. Learn how to use it effectively and everything is there for the taking…
The National Model Railroad Association website link page is my favorite.It has over 3,000 links to hobby sites .Here is a link to it http://cwrr.com/nmra/
http://www.railpictures.net/ - to get your model closer to the prototype when detailing http://www.irm.org/ - Illinois Railway Museum - a very interesting collection and with great modelling potential
Here’s a couple of non-US sites too:
www.railfaneurope.net - all kinds of stuff, from photos to articles on paint schemes www.railcar.co.uk - a website devoted to the must-missed 1st generation diesel railcars used over here - history, details of preserved examples, you name it they have it!