First HO was in 1959, it went up with the house-in smoke. So, here we are, looking into getting back in the Caboose and working my way forward. Retired and have a 21’x40’ room to dedicate - HVAC and all carpeted. Where does one begin on this trip?
What’s DCC? Better I’m certain but have no idea.
TIA,
Nick
Welcome aboard! [#welcome]
I’d imagine we’re similar in age. My HO trains went up to the attic in the late 1960s, and I resurrected them early in this century. I’ve upgraded most of my rolling stock to metal wheels and Kadee knuckle couplers, and I’ve bought a lot of new equipment, too.
DCC is Digital Command Control. Your old HO trains ran by putting DC voltage on the tracks. The higher the voltage, the faster the trains ran, and the polarity of that voltage determined the direction of travel.
Fast forward to the present day. Each locomotive has a microcomputer on board, and the DCC base station sends signals to the individual engines to give them commands. As we sometimes say, with DC you run the track, but with DCC you run the trains.
Only a few DCC systems operate from a fixed base station. They either use wired hand-held throttles or a radio link to give us completely wireless throttles.
Those on-board microcomputers, called decoders, are getting more elaborate all the time. Many have on-board sound systems with both automatic sounds, like motors or chuffing, and manual sounds like bells and whistles controlled from your throttle. There are also stationary decoders, which can be used to throw your turnouts from your throttle.
Thanks to the NMRA, DCC is highly standardized, so any DCC-equipped engine will run with any DCC base system. So, you are not locked into a particular manufacturer, and can pick and choose to find the engines and decoders that you like.
I’ve been using DCC for years now, and I think it’s one of the best thing that’s ever happened to the hobby.
Hi Nick,
[#welcome]
Sounds like you have lots of room, but maybe need to get up to date with some developments in the hobby.
DCC is digital command control. It’s a standard for control adopted by the NMRA and is the preponderant non-DC method of power control in the hobby. For the most part, you can take a decoder-equipped loco from your layout, take it on vacation to Europe, and run it on your friend’s layout over there, for example.
There is another forum here that delves into all facets of DCC and other power options, so plenty of detail on it and a good place to ask questions and learn. It seems complcated at first, but once you understand the basics it gets better. And a lot of people still rely on DC, so if that sounds more to your liking, it’s still doable. But don’t take anyone opinion on the matter as the last word. Try 'em before you decide to buy them or reject them.
Back to what to do with all that space. I suggest two things. Consider first what your interests are, say a specific prototype or industry you want to model. It could the Pennsylvania RR or logging, for example. That helps narrow things down a little.
Then, don’t try to fill all that space at once. Build something small to start with, like a module that you could later incorporate into a bigger layout. There you can practice with different techniques, materials, and even different scales and/or gauges.
In the meantime, as you develop your comfort with these various topics, let the track planning begin. Definitely don’t build the first thing that comes to mind, even if you circle back to it later on. That’s an enormous space by many standards, but if you halfway fill it and then decide it’s just not working for you, it can be discouraging.
Thanks Mister Beasley, good information.
WOW! Thanks Mike. Pretty interesting stuff. The area I live in and within ear shot of the house, has a nice switch yard (KCS, BNSF and UP) and additional lines going East West. I live in De Queen, AR. A small town of less than 7000 but at the foot hills of the Ouachita Mountains and heavy logging industry. I have given thought to incorporating it into the layout. Not certain which gauge to choose or how much of the space to use as of yet.
Well, my adventure begins.
Do you live in a heavily populated area? If so, then there are likely to be one or more local hobby shops (LHS) nearby. Those are good places to meet other hobbyists. For most of us, it’s important to make friends in the hobby. You can learn a lot from others, and the fellowship adds to the fun. It would be a good idea to join the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) and become active in regional activities.
As to what you will build, you probably ought to do a bit of self examination to decide what railroad(s), eras, types of equipment, types of operation, etc. appeal to you the most. You may also decide on a favorite scale.
There are many ways to go, and all of those ways have their advantages. Look around and learn all you can from every source you can find.
Good luck!
Tom
Nick,
I highly suggest buying a copy of “How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork, 2nd Edition” by Linn H. Westcott. It’s the classic in the field as not only does it get into construction techniques, but also design. The book is no longer in print, but can be found secondhand online with ease.
Paul A. Cutler III
As I understand, or I guess, for some period of time my posts have some degree of latency due to the established approval system Tom. Sadly Tom, I reside in a very small town of less than 7000 - Sadly, only for amenities. We chose this area because of the wonderful people and friends we have made over the last twenty years. We are nestled in the foot hills of the Ouachita Mountains and love every minute of it.
I’ll look into NMRA Tom, however, doubtful that any clubs are within earshot of less than 50 miles.
Thanks!
Nick
LIONS are contrary beasts. LION does not use DCC, he cannot even spell it. LION uses DC, but it is not “plain old vanilla DC”, it is of the LION’s own marvelous creativity. The layout of him lives in a 24 x 27 classroom above the library, him has three leveles and 14 scale miles of track. Him models subway trains. LION has always liked subway trains but built passenger and commuter railroads until inexpensive plastic subway equipment became available, then him rebuilt the entire world.
Well guess what. It is just as boring to “scrape the wall” with a model subway train as it is to do so under the streets of New York City. Besides how can you model a subway with only one train running. And this is why the LION ignored DCC. There is only one LION and 8 trains running. LION has not 8 heads, and so fancy controls will do nothing for our nice soft LION.
LION built an automated amalog DC layout. The track does indeed control the trains, and resistors built into the tracks control the speed of trains as they enter of leave the stations.
Ach! all well and good, but that will not help you at all. Click around to look at other people’s layouts. Or look at the LION’s layout. steal a few ideas from each.
If passenger trains are your cup of tea, those 85’ long cars will require broader curves (30 or 36" radius) Train sets come with 18" radius curves. Big steamy locomotives also require broad curves, but if you are switching a ware house district, you may need sharp curves to wiggle in between the buildings and the piers. But then you will also need smaller locomotives.
If you find a layout that you like, do not hesitate to write to the owner to ask about it.
LION lives out here in the middle of nowhere, and most of the layout of him is built on the cheap, cobbled together from found lumber and parts. Ah, but the thing works just fine, even if the editors of MR would blush to publish such rubbisn. Aye, but LION only
Thanks Paul, on its way as we speak.
I’m also a fan of this book. The other must have is “Track Planning for Realistic Operation” by John Armstrong. I’ve read it so many times that I could probably recite it for you. [:)]
One other thing you should consider for a space that size is getting professional help with your planning. There are several folks in the business that can provide you with quality plans that will meet your goals and still be build-able. They don’t come cheap, but with what you’ll spend filling that space it would be far less expensive than having to start over a couple years down the road.
Nick,
[#welcome] To The Forums.
If You are a subscriber, look at the black bar at top of page, ‘‘Get Started’’ in there You will find about everthing You need to learn and read and see in video’s and ''How To’s. There is a title ‘‘Model Railroading 101’’ that explains DC/DCC what it’s all about, how to wire and so forth. For the price of a subscription, video/paper I find it hard to believe You will find all that info in one place, no need to buy all kinds of books to do the same thing.
I also am an old Model Railroader, born 42,started S-scale and switched to HO 50/51 era. never had all that info back then, stayed in HO.
Enjoy You’re retirement, going on 15yrs for me.
Have Fun.
Take Care! [:D]
Frank
BTW: I stayed a DC 3 cab control user, but do run DCC/wsound sometimes for the Grandkids.
Thanks Carl, it’s on the way. I have in fact contacted Bryon Henderson regarding proper layout design and space utilization. A bit of sticker shock was associated with his reply however understandable - I also do AutoCad and building CAD Blocks is very time-consuming so it makes sense - do it right the first time.
Welcome back to a great hobby. A couple of comments that may be helpful: Check out the National Model Railroad Association’s website at NMRA.org for some help in getting started. They offer a fair amount of good information as well as an organization of many helpful experienced models willing to lend you advice and even a hand in your own layout. Second, as you start to plan on a layout keep one rule in mind - don’t build so wide that you can not reach something from the edge of the layout while standing comfortably on the floor. This limits a layout to about four feet in width if accessible from both sides or two to two and a half feed wide if only accessible from one side. Have fun.
I’d suggest trying one of the track-planning software packages. I use XTrakCad, a free download, but there are others and I wouldn’t begin to assert which one might bet “best.” Of course, if you prefer graph paper, that’s fine too, but the key is to think about what you want and try it out on paper or “on glass” first. That will help you avoid impossibly steep grades and impossibly sharp curves.
Up in the upper right corner of this page there’s a hot spot called “Resources,” which will give you a drop-down menu where you’ll find “Coming Events.” Use this to help find train shows in your area. A train show is a great place to look at operating layouts and talk to club members about their approach to the hobby. If you’re unsure of whether you want steam or diesel, mountains or cities or the 19th, 20th or 21st century, looking at what others are showing can give you ideas.
One of the world’s best train shows is coming up in a few weeks, the Amherst Model Railroad Club’s show in West Springfield, MA.
http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com/
If you can make it to this one, you’ll find enough to keep you busy for several days.
Nick
Seems like everyone has already posted answers to your questions SO I just wanted to say Hello and [#welcome]. You will find many regulars in Jeffreys diner. Pop in and order a drink and sandwich and hang out for a while when you have a chance.
YGW
Hi, Nick,
Welcome to the forum and back to an enjoyable hobby. I got back to the hobby recently with my grandson’s 4x6 layout, which became practice for my 3-yr old current (and smallish) HO layout… Your available space is a great benefot.
I’ll offer up some other books, all from the MR “Shop” tab above (more than one may save shipping costs), that I found very helpful to info gleaned from the forum:
on benchwork, unaware of the Westcott classic, I ordered “Basis Model Railroad Benchwork” by Wilson
on DCC, "The DCC Guide (first edition) by Fiehmann
on trackwork, “Basic Trackwork for Model Railroaders” by Wilson
also on trrackwork, the special edition, “How to Build Realistic Track” is a compilation of supplemental articles that make it a worthwhile addition
on Scenery, I have two, by Frary, Sassi
On DCC, there are several key websites, especially useful when getting into details but the first one often mentioned is: wiringfordcc.com
On layouts, I got particular benefit from the 2012 MR magazine series on the Virginian layout, which covered cookie-cutter benchwork, track basics, DCC basics, scenery, etc. There are complimentary videos on these and other MR project layouts, and I got lots of good insight from these, scenery techniques being a particular example.
EDIT: An additional point on using the forum. On searching for old threads that might be of interest, note the search the community box in the right column. It isn’t the best at pinpointing most relevant threads, so it’s often suggested to do a google search “cs.trains (subject)” to supplement that for good older forum threads.
And note under your name box that “your discussions” is a list of theads where you start or participate, and “favorites” is a list of other threads you can flag (click the “make a favorite”&nbs