I'm new to these fourms

[Anonymous]

Im new , Im 18 i have loved trains since i was 5 years old. I'm actually doin research now for my own model railroad. I'm just in the research stages now tho. Its gota be small tho like a 8 x8 or some thing.

[TrainFreak409]

[#welcome] TRAINFAN2005!

This is an excellent forum to ask questions in, and learn everything you can about your hobby.

Have fun!

[FJ and G]

You can do a lot in an 8x8, depending on how many decks deep it is and perhaps if you open the 8x8 up a bit to perhaps a 3 x 12 or something. I think you'll enjoy it. If you get a layout much bigger than the one you propose, the trains disappear from view anyway, unless you follow them around.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the train forums and best of luck with your layout. You'll be able to build something great with that much space. The best thing is to look over picturesof other people's layouts to get ideas. See as many as you can. There are some great track plan resources online too.

[Anonymous]

Check out this site [http://www.thortrains.net/].

[locomutt]

[#welcome] trainfan2005,

This is a great forum to have questions answered,there are some
very good,knowledgeable people on here.
You'll be surprised how much you can get on an 8' X 8'.
Good luck,and remember one of the best and biggest things about this
hobby;is to HAVE FUN !!

[cnw1995]

Welcome! On this particular forum, we discuss 'toy trains' or all types: O gauge, Standard gauge, O scale; by all manufacturers: Marx, American Flyer, Lionel, MTH and K-Line, 3rd Rail to name a few.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the forums! Great to have you here! I'm 18 also and have loved trains all my life.

[brianel027]

Hi trainfan.... just remember it is possilble to build a layout and buy trains on a budget. Youcan also have a lot of fun WITHOUT all the extra electronics, bells and whistles too. Sure if it is within your budget to go with one of the digitial command systems, all the more power to you. There are more choices today than ever, but remember those choices don't mean you will have less fun or have trains that aren't as good.

Some folks forget that one of the most endearing elements of this hobby for decades was the simplicity and ability to fix things yourself and to tinker with things yourself. There is an element of thought in some circles that you can't have fun running trains without digital control, sound and speed control. Nonsense!

Despite what some think, I've always had layouts that were simple in nature, inexpensive in materials and high on creativity. Whenever I did train shows, folks were always impressed with the ingenuity and simplicity I applied to the layouts. I found kids were just as impressed with accessories that operated from the pull of a string that utilized gravity or simple counterweights as they were with electronic wonders.

So go for it, have fun and ask questions here. Thor's web site, as mentioned above, is a priceless reference and is possibly the very best single website for a beginner to go to.

Don't let all the high legal drama of the train business get you down either. Unfortunately most of us seem to have opinions on what is going on, me included. Despite the appearance of some possible low ethics practiced by some of the train companies, this is still a wonderful hobby and there are folks on this forum with some higher ethics who are always willing to answer questions and help out a fellow train enthusiast!

[Anonymous]

Welcome, be sure to check out the TAMR [;)]

Regards,
Chris

[Anonymous]

Welcome, trainfan! You picked a good place to help in your research and exploration of this great hobby.

[Anonymous]

Here's another good train website www.modeltrainjournal.com