Hello all

[jugbutt]

Well My name is Wes Lofton A.K.A. Jugbutt!

I'm just getting started  in HO Railroading with the wife (Amy) and a couple friends.We want the 1968 era because we was born that year( the wifes idea)lol but i'm cool with that.

It's hard knowing what trains to go with but I'm learning. Hope to make a few friend on my travels here.

[Phoebe Vet]

Welcome aboard.

Perhaps you should check in over on the Model Railroad Forum.

[wjstix]

"The Sixties" are becoming one of the more popular eras. It was just before Amtrak started so you can still run railroad - owned passenger trains. In model railroading diesels often are relatively less expensive and better running than steam, and this was the first decade that was really 'diesel only'. The big mergers were largely in the future (Burlington Northern 1970, Penn Central 1968) so many of the railroads from the 19th and early 20th centuries were still around.

As mentioned, the Model Railroader magazine forums will have a lot of info. Take your time and learn about real railroads, and get at least a general idea of what you want to model (logging, mining, mainline, branchline) and what location and railroads interest you. It's very tempting at the start to buy "one of everything" to get started, but in the long run it's best to do some reading and background research.

[richhotrain]

Jugbutt, as the others have suggested, you will get a lot more comment and advice on the Model Railroader Forums, particularly the General Discussion Forum and then once you start building your first layout, the Layouts and Layout Building Forum.

This forum, the Classic Trains forum, is more about celebrating the "golden years of railroading."   It focuses on the Classic Trains magazine and covers the railroad scene from the late 1920s to the late 1970s.  But, it is outside the scope of model railroading and layout building.

Rich