Hi timd
Well you have five feet more than me mines 30' x 10' .
Most of us started with a start set of some sort with me it was LGB so my opinion says no its not overkill others may disagree.
A couple of things worth knowing go with the largest curves use the largest curves you can fit in your avalable space, (some stock avalable is too big for train set curves) and when you can afford it get a decent controler and transformer say around 10 amps, the train set controler is good for the set but the first lighted car you add could be enough to keep tripping the breaker.
When you lay the first loop put in the switch or switches that will allow the track to expand as you can aford it.
I can see the problem is going to be getting you indoors
John Busby
Tim
Welcome aboard the hobby. If you have done any reading on these pages you will have seen that I say there are only two rule in this hobby. Rule 1: There is no such thing as "BEST", waht works well for me may not work at all for you due to climate and geographical differences. Rule 2: This is a hobby, HAVE FUN. Over the last few years there has been a large number of execlent issues and points discussed on these pges. I would highly suggest that you go back through the postings and absorb the good info here. Now it is time to go outside and play in the dirt! Enjoy.
Tom Trigg
Everyone has some idea of what kind of railroad, era of operation, and level of detail they will eventually want to get into. If you're just starting and have a mind towards a passenger set then by all means go for it. If gardening is your main thing then adding a train to add the animation to your garden is a great way to combine the two activities. Just consider that a train added to a garden is a little different than a train with miniture landscaping. Its all in where your focus is. Whatever you like is what will work best for you because you are the one putting the time and effort into it. Stainless steel track is highly recommended. "New bright" and other toys will not last outside so you need to consider brands like LGB, Bachmann, Aristo and others that are made for outdoor use. Wider curves usually means less derails so go as large as you can. Grades have already been mentioned. 3% is towards the upper limit but still within reason.
That said I have to mention the battery powered RC side of the hobby. I don't mess with track power and all the setup/wiring and maintenance that requires. (I've been there and done that on previous layouts.) I simply slide my loco and cars onto the track, turn it on, and enjoy. I have grandkids and neighborhood kids that love to run the trains. I can't be polishing track and trouble shooting dead spots all the time to keep the trains running so RC is great for me. If you don't have a ton invested in track power yet then you might want to consider battery power RC.
Rex
When I bought that set several months ago from Trainworld it had a box of R2 curves and a box of 1 ft straights, a reffer, a combine, with a free bonus passenger car. The power supply is only a 1 amp and it did not have power to send the loco up any inclines. I have a MRC 10 amp that works well with it. I use the 1 amp on my smaller layout.
It runs very well but it has no sound. It looks great in my garden.
Hi Tim
LGB every time, some folks may disagree. I've just finished a new layout in the garden with lots of inclines give me a couple of days and I'll have some pics of what we've done. I've got LGB track that I brought 20 years ago and that was second hand then! (that speaks for it's self) You can get in a mess with inclines, alas I'm no expert but I tend to go on the basis if it looks right it is right. LGB loco's will go up some fairly steep inclines,the steeper the incline the less wagons or coaches you will be able to pull. If your an avid gardener you'll know what looks right. All we done was dig out where we wanted the track to go compact it cover it with a weed barrier, laid the track and ballasted it with horticultral grit, Westlands coarse grit is the best but hard to get so I've use other brands and this works well. Hope this helps
Muttlydog
Welcome to the hobby. I started out like you 2 1/2 years ago. The LGB forney is nice engine to start with. If you look at the TrainWorld ad in the current issue of GR you will see they offer the same train set without track and power pack at a considerable savings. The starter set track is just a small oval of 4 foot diameter curve brass track and the power supply is on the just enough power side. I would take a look at stainless steel track. Ridge Road Station is having a close out special on cases of long straights (both brass and stainless) - http://www.ridgeroadstation.com/trains.shtml. A case of those and a box of curves (8 foot diameter or better will let you run most trains you may buy in the future) will get you a nice oval to start with. Also, look around at various power supplies (see this thread - http://cs.trains.com/forums/1471034/ShowPost.aspx). Do your homework and have fun planning!
-Brian
I am new to Garden Railways & to model trains in general. I have a 15' x 30' area with falls in the middle that I would like to place a train around with landscaping. What would be a good set to start. I would like to be able to add onto it now & in the future. To get what I'm planning, I may neet a 3% incline. I like the looks of LGB's Pennsy Steam Starter Set #72120. Is this overkill to start with? By the way I am an avid gardener & have always dreamed of having model trains & just recently found that I could do both together!
Thanks,
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