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Model Railroading 101
I am new to model railroading, I purchased a Bachmann Ez track set from a hobby store. I have made some purchases on Ebay and at other hobby outlets, some good some bad. I read your magazine cover to cover many times, as I am retired. Most of the articles are so advanced for me, it is hard to see myself doing these things. get some articles for us new people to get ahold of.
i forgot to mention in earlier comment, thk u to neil - the editor- i no longer have my wife, blessed dear one, but making a want/must do list is great advice. i had to make two trips to hobby shop in the rain cause i forgot what i needed to buy. saw a friend and lost it ,went home and oh well!!! i have a list now and and reading my mrr book. thk u a great tip.
to MR. MORT KENT IN N. DAKOTA, if u read this, u like me new to a layout, enjoy this great model railroad maga. thoroughly it may be advanced skill for us but start first by laying track run your train and do not worry about skill of these experts. they started sooner and learn more as played, if it was not for their notable advise i would not know the “5” w,s how to start. your already one he right track ha-ha u own a train set, the rest will come to u and it just will get better. i have been at about 5 months and cannot stop. i love it to learn /play i cannot learn enough. i learned now MAKE A TO DO LIST , U WILL NOT GO WRONG . keep playing the rest will come to u.
thk u got to back to my mrr reading. lot of bucket rain here in oregon CRTABOR.
I have been in the hobby for more than forty years & still getting used to the new products.
Dear Mort Kent,
Having been in your shoes and not too far removed from that point I suggest you invest in some how to books. A magazine will not go into enough detail even if they do write about something your interested in. There are countless books available through ebay, amazon.com and MR. Most of the books are very good and as in anything sometimes you’ll get one that leaves you cold. On the whole, very worthwhile.
Respectfully
Paul Foster
I would recommend locating a club in your area, if possible and consider joining. You’ll have a broad base of knowledge to draw from and maybe some hands on experience to boot. Phil
como puedo obtener revistas en español?
I have to say your articles in MRR are very exciting and get you thinking and cannot wait for the next issue. But at the same time can really be confusing? Maybe I’ve missed some of the articles that answered my concerns as a beginner but grew up with my dad building a railroad in our garage. Any advise on some articles, books, advice getting started? Thanks!
My suggestion to NEW PEOPLE starting a layout is to look for a local club and join.
Club members are a wealth of information and are more than willing to help others.
Also you meet a lot of new friends.
Ed B. NVNTRAK
I have been receiving and reading your magazine for some time and think it is great. I am starting a HO layout and thinking about going DCC. I would like to know since there are so many DCC systems on the market where can I find rating information (similar to what you could get abour appliances) on the different systems that are available.
Several years ago I bought a book at the book store titled The HO Model Railroading Handbook (revised edition) by Robert Schleicher. I read that book cover-to-cover and wound up duplicating a 4x8 track layout. Built the benchwork and all (which he explains in the book). I currently have added on to my layout and is now 8x8. Since I retired 3 years ago, I am having a blast with this hobby. I go to my local hobby shop weekly, read as much material as I can get my hands on, and of course, am an avid reader of MRR. I really like the artistic part of creating the scenery more so than running the 2 trains I have on the layout. If you want to get started in this hobby, buy the book I mentioned (it is probably available on Amazon). It may seem outdated compared to today`s books but it really gives a lot of basic information to get you started in building your own layout.
I have a question concerning the drawing at the beginning of this article. What kind of wheels run on ties? The rails are under the ties! What is the railroading terminology for this situation? Ha! Ha!
It’s good to see these terms explained. Any chance you could build a Model Railroad Wikipedia or Dictionary and make it available through your website?
I agree that a local club, if found, is a valuable resource. I’ll admit to some prejudice on this issue as I’ve been in ours for 17 years and am the current president! I also read the handbooks by the iconoclastic Mr. Schleicer (sp?) and found them helpful. That said, this MR 101 is helpful and I would like to print out copies for newbies if I may.
I enjoy your magazine and have been a subscriber for over 20 years. I have seen several track plans that I would like to build. Why are there no parts lists with the track plans. I would like to take advantage of the track sale in the walthers catalog.
David, clearly the guy in the illustration’s a beginner who needs a lot of help! 