Im a noob - here's my train :)

[Mr_Ash]

The engine is from the Bachmann Durango & Silverton freight set, comb & pass I got seperate they are lighted off track power, the Passenger car (2nd car) I added LGB lighted caboose lantern's that I wired in with the cars lighting. I don't have any track laid outside yet just a 10' by 8' oval in my living room. When not in use what you see below sits on the fire place mantel where my sisters kid cant get to it, rest of my cars (3 box cars, 1 gondola, stupid bobber caboose and MOW aristo caboose/cleaner) in a closet 

And here is where im starting outside, tracks going where the hole is once i figure out what im using, had to fill in there below the track box i want to put some buildings in there down the line and it was a few inches lower then the area around it. the brace is cause its been raining I didnt want all that loose dirt filling my hole back up 

 

[Dennis Paulson]

Welcome to you , and it looks like you are off to a good start , and as you have already started to do , please take and post pictures along the way . We wait to see what your minds eye vision of your railway will be .Share the joy 

[Coogler Rail Line]

Howdy!  I am somewhat new also.  Just be aware, this hobby is very Addictive!

[GearDrivenSteam]

That's some nice equipment to begin with...hell, it's nice to to keep goin with. I like the Bachmann stuff. Opinions vary, but for the most part, I think all pretty much agree it's good stuff. Great work. Keep us posted.

[Mr_Ash]

just whipped this up on MS paint as my track plans are at home on paper (im at work) but basicly the red line is the track route im working to get done for now with a basic layout of my backyard, the garden in back with the stone wall still needs to be built, nothing growing there now just need to lay all the stones inplace and get a bunch of dirt

Depending on what we do with the mower shed (has a 2' hole in the roof) I might loop the track all the way around the yard or if we take the shed down I might just do a turn around loop at that end

the yellow stuff with numbers are proposed buildings

1) Passenger/Freight depot's

2)Saloon/Tavern (whats a town without a bar?)

3) Livery/Barn

4) General Store

5) Building under construction (prob scratch build this)

6) Water Tower 

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Thats very nice, seeing my own psycotic ideas (I get alot of em, like placing motars in cans and lightin em) but I would make the loop around the shed (or put a pond there) with an  "exchange track" (a stub track that will make the cars go somewhere) and a wye just outside the town to turn that ten wheeler. Hmmmm....      I think i'll alter that pic but it'll hafta wait till monday when i'm at school. (great use of my time, eh?)

[Mr_Ash]

Well I was thinking since the back garden hasnt been built up yet I would allways make a tunnel or a valley or somthing and have it loop around back through there before the tree by the shed.

Ill more than likely just run it the rest of the way around the yard though, I dont plan to get much more than upto and maybe around that first tree before it gets to cold this year, Id like to get as much done possable as fast as I can but I know i cant rush these things lol im taking my tome reading lots of stuff on the web while im at work and doing things for the most part and I hope the right way lol

Would be nice to get it going all the way around the yard though, then i could have 2 trains out at once and have them pull into the town/station and switch off. I was also thinking about doing a lil silver mine along the back garden somewhere maybe they could get there own track and a lil switcher loco, thats ways off though  

[John Busby]

I was also thinking about doing a lil silver mine along the back garden somewhere maybe they could get there own track and a lil switcher loco, thats ways off though

Hi Mr_Ash

First off

CAUTION garden railways grow if not controlled like a noxious weed but you get that. 

That sounds like a good excuse for a train load of Bachmann tippers and a stamp mill with a rail siding to unload the tippers into the mill

Keep us posted as to progress.

regards John

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Thats a good idea, please feel free to get some more pics when you build, its interesting.

[Mr_Ash]

Well dang yall seem about as interested as I am as far as seeing whats ahead, Ill be sure to take lots of pic's of what I do from now on hehe sry for not taken pic's of the LGB lighted latern install on that passenger car wasnt much really just make a couple holes and twist a few wires

I was thinking when i was working outside last week on that trench "I should document this!" but what do I do? wake my ole man up and be like "Hey dad take a pic of me digging this hole in the yard!"

 dad "wait now what are you doing"

 me "Digging a hole...."

 dad "for..?"

 me "roadbed......"

 dad "..."

 me " didnt you get the memo?"

 dad "what memo..?"

 me "Yeah... you were saposed to get back to us by sunday.... the Railroad went ahead and requisitioned your land..."

dad "..." 

me "Ill make sure you get another copy of that memo"

Im going to be kitbashing a D&RGW Drover Caboose like the LGB one from a Bachmann Jackson Sharp combine soon (cant deside on red or yellow still trying to match paint) ill be posting pic's of that when I do it

[vsmith]

I'm curious, but why a point to point layout? Why not keep going and do a full loop?

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

  

Ill more than likely just run it the rest of the way around the yard though, I dont plan to get much more than upto and maybe around that first tree before it gets to cold this year,

Sorry, Snoq. Pass beat ya to it!

[Mr_Ash]

I'm curious, but why a point to point layout? Why not keep going and do a full loop?

I am, just not planning on getting it done all at once

somthing like this

 

[Snoq. Pass RR]

S&G, beat me to what????

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Nothin, just thought i'd keep you guessing

[Mr_Ash]

This week sucks sofar I havent been able to get any more work outside done its been to cold & rainy

Running the train around the 10' - 8' oval in my living room is only so much fun.... though I shouldnt complain running the train for a lil while when I get home from work with the fireplace going sure is relaxing im glad the fireplace is gas and I can just turn it off lol

So how good are these Bachmann 4-6-0 Engines? From what Im reading the ones you buy seperate from the sets have more metal detal stuff, metal side rods and a diffrent motor?

What about the ones that come with the set's?

I mean aside from the cosmetics wich one is better and why? Will the one I have now last a while if I take care of it? As far as running them outside is one version better than the other?

Im just curious... I was planning on getting the other Bachmann Durango & Silverton passenger set and also the seperate D&RGW 4-6-0 so I could have 3 engines with matching paint jobs and diffrent numbers... (having the D&S engines handle freight service and the D&RGW haul mixed....) Thats down the road though.. I am going to pickup one of the bachmann D&RG 4-6-0  wood version though I really love the looks of the wood burners, This one will be my next engine think im going to order it next week if i have enough cash left over after I pay my bills

I'll have to replace that lame plastic wood stack with some real stuff though  

[John Busby]

I'll have to replace that lame plastic wood stack with some real stuff though

Hi Mr_Ash

It would be easy to cover up the plastic load of wood with real wood.

regards John

[Mr_Ash]

The plastic wood is stacked up so high though lol id rather just pop it out (if it removes same as coal version) fab an new incert/botom to keep the inside sealed and stack up some real split wood (like 1" branches split 4-6 ways) it would look much nicer. I need to do somthing with the coal engines too that plastic coal looks way to  much like shiney molded plastic lol.

[Train 284]

Hi Mr_Ash,

 

Looks like you have a great start there. Keep it up. As with you, I had to negotiate my right-of way with my parents, but it has all worked out and I have about 130 feet of track and expanding to about 200+ feet by next year.....or at least I hope so.

 Just a comment on your expansion in your latest track plan. Watch out for the WYE in the bottom right corner. That is gonna require special wiring if you are running track power. Otherwise you will run into some problems.

 Overall, the Bachmnann locomotives are good quality. I would recommend however for your next locomotives purchases, to forgo buying more train sets and buy the locomotives seperatley, and get the Annies with more detail and better drives. The have D&RGW paint schemes.

[GearDrivenSteam]

Anytime you have to find yourself "negotiating" with your parents, try this: Appeal to their senses. Let them know that there are MUCH worse things that you could be doing with your spare time, and that in the long run, them giving you some back yard is probably better on them than say....I don't know....bailing you out of jail for DUI. That might get their attention.

[Mr_Ash]

Hi Mr_Ash,

 

Looks like you have a great start there. Keep it up. As with you, I had to negotiate my right-of way with my parents, but it has all worked out and I have about 130 feet of track and expanding to about 200+ feet by next year.....or at least I hope so.

 Just a comment on your expansion in your latest track plan. Watch out for the WYE in the bottom right corner. That is gonna require special wiring if you are running track power. Otherwise you will run into some problems.

 Overall, the Bachmnann locomotives are good quality. I would recommend however for your next locomotives purchases, to forgo buying more train sets and buy the locomotives seperatley, and get the Annies with more detail and better drives. The have D&RGW paint schemes.

Yeah I have been thinking about the WYE... and the 2 sidings also... since i suck with electriconic's im going to be plain and simple about it and wire each siding & the section of track in the WYE between the mainline and the station siding all with seperate power supplys. I did this with my old HO layout and it worked fine, just use rubber connectors or whatever for those sections and have them each wired up seperate. Just need to pay close attention to whats set at what so your matching speeds when going from one section to the next

My next to engine buys for sure are going to be the more detailed Annie's, both D&RG first the wood version then the coal "bumblebee" one second, main reason behind wanting the Durango & Silverton passenger set is so I can have 2 coaches with "Durango & Silverton" road name insted of the D&RGW ones sold seperate, that and my current engine would be getting a backup. Im going to use the D&RG engines for passenger service and the D&S engines (from the sets) for freight & MOW

Plus thats another sets worth of crappy bachmann track to play with in the house  

[Train 284]

Sounds good. Trust me the Annies are well worth the money. You can get them form St. Aubins in Las Vegas for $100 plus whatever it costs for shipping, which is a really good deal.

 Regarding the different roadnames, it is very easy to make up some decals for your locomotives, coaches and freight cars, etc. and re-letter them for the Durango and Silverton. I recently got started in doing this, and it only takes you a couple times practicing with the wet slide ( I think thats what they are called) decals and you will have it down. Try finding someone with an ALPS printer to get you some. I am fortunate enough to belong to a garden railroad club, and one of our members has an ALPS printer. I can get a sheet of decals for $1 to cover the cost of paper.

 If you cannot find someone with an ALPS printer, I would recommend purchasing decals from Stan Cedarleaf from MLS. They are little more expensive depending on what you want, although unlike me you can get a wide range of colors and even logos.

http://www.trainweb.org/pcsrr/indexx.html

[Mr_Ash]

how well do those decals hold up vs the elements?

I allways thought dry transfer would be better for outdoors

[Train 284]

how well do those decals hold up vs the elements?

I allways thought dry transfer would be better for outdoors

 

They hold up just fine. If you spray them with a UV resistant spray like I do, they will last forever, so this is nothing at all to be worried about.

 Personally I hate dry transfers, hard to keep them straight, I find the water slides so much easier.

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Lets see here...

 

   ... Bachman has made the tenwheeler for eons (yes I can't spell, live with it) and on each one they improved there product. Its not hard to difererncate, 1st is the green and silver ATSF plastic everything, 2nd red and silver ATSF with metal drivers, 3rd wassomething to do with the gearbox, 4th was the many stilles, and then (I think) is the annie which has better evrything. Almost all came in sets, so you would have to tell us when you bought em. They all work and for radical bashes 1 and 2 are great becouse there only 15.00 +s&h on evilbay wile fixer upers are the 3-4 range. For the wood just undo the screws inside the tender releasing the plate, and fab another from stirene and glue real wood to it. 

[Mr_Ash]

 

Thats exactly what I was planning on doing for the wood tender! Do I need to treat the wood with anything first?

Also the Engine I have (Durango & Silverton (D&RGW bumblebee colors) coal 4-6-0 #179 is pretty new I guess, It came with the D&S Freight set. Its same set they currently have listed on the Bachmann web site.

They had a simmiler set out before (seen it on ebay) that had a D&RGW engine (same colors) engine #177 which is kinda funny because the current D&S Passenger set has engine #177 only now its lettered D&S

I want that D&RG wood burner annie so bad but I think im going to have to put it off for another 2 weeks, didnt have as much cash left over after bills as I thought I would and I really need to buy some R3 curve track, 3 switches R/R/L and figure out what to do for road bed first

[Train 284]

I know how you feel, you want to get a new loco, but you should put track down first. lol. Been there before.

 

Any new pics on your progress? 

[hoofe116]

Welcome, Mr. Ash.

This is an extremely friendly board.

Les W.

[Mr_Ash]

I know how you feel, you want to get a new loco, but you should put track down first. lol. Been there before.

 

Any new pics on your progress? 

Havent really made any yet weather has sucked last couple weeks and when it hasnt i get stuck watching my sisters kid 

I need to try and find a diffrent transformer than the stock bachmann cheepo one that came with the set he keeps wanting to run the train at full speed and keeps trying to flip the direction switch

Im off work tomorow and its saposed to "Be in the 60's!" (stupid news) we shall see lol but in the morning I plan on  hitting up a couple places tryen to find somthing to use for road bed. after that pickup some bags of dirt and get back to work in the yard I still need to level out the ground next to the tracks where the buildings are going and im going to start placing the stones for the garden in back. I got a feeling my back is going to be hurting tuesday lol! Ill take pic's though

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

You probally want to spray sealer over all the wood. To solve the Transformer problem go battrie/RC. It illimates track cudductivity problems and you still have (depending on batteries) 3-4 hrs of run time then just recharge and back out. Is the loco highly dietaled (w/ nobs readable guages and it came with a tag on the front number plate)? All anies had that tag on the front. Don't worry about it, buy the track and make a layout, I'm going the other way and it sucks.