I too just started. The best advice I recieved was to get some track down. Build a practice layout, best advice I ever recieved. Here is where you make misstakes (I made several) and encounter problems. This way when you go to build your layout you will know what to do and not do. If you can make it go to the National Convention in Denver. Go on the tours of peoples layouts and ask questions. I went to Chandler AZ last year and learned a lot. I also have learned alot by reading this forum.
JIM
Dusty:
You already have a good response going.
(Q1) I also made the jump from HO to N and now (7 years ago) to "G"(arden). In the garden the "scales" run G, F, ½", adnausium. Entirely too many to keep track of, I'm a strong believer in the "IILGRI" principle (If It Looks Good - Run It). Given that different shops would build the same car a little differently, in real life a 40-foot car may well have not been 40 foot long, but rather somewhere between 38 to 42 ft. (Ralph gave a splendid answer here as did Brian and his chart (and I love charts)) Working in the garden (or LS indoors) will cause a rivet counter to go bonkers on night one. To work in large scale you must have a bit of flexibility.
(Q2) This may sound strange, but I wish that I had a better understanding of the USDA Climate Zone Map. I live in San Diego county, think desert. I kept buying all these wonderful plants every time I was out of town, only to find out later that the plant/tree could not survive in my climate. I enjoyed "analog" while in the smaller scales and made the choice to stay analog in the garden, therefore all that learning curve carried over from the smaller scales, only the wires, rails, and soldering gun got bigger.
(Q3) You are HERE!!!!!!!!!! This book talks back when you ask a question. When I started out, I lurked around these pages without registering for a year. During that time the wife and I would try different layout configurations on the concrete patio. We used duck tape to form the outline of the area the GRR was to be placed, and to outline where the pond (Koi) was to be dug. I experimented with several tunnel configurations with cinderblock; the track makes a 90-degree left turn under the waterfall. (That is the ONE thing I would advise anyone, do not turn in the tunnel unless absolutely necessary.) We read different ideas on how to do many things, i.e. roadbeds, we went to the dirt and tried different methods as discussed here, little 4 foot sections, until we found the method we liked. This forum and a year of "experimenting" on the patio served us very well.
(Q4) Retailers: Any of them in our magazine, I typically use the following
Colorado Model Structures http://www.coloradomodel.com/ Small company, well-designed buildings from "track house" to roundhouse, all very well priced. He sells kits and parts, so you can design your own buildings.
Larry G Scale
Internet Trains http://www.internettrains.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc from Z to G, from slot cars to glues and smoke. CAUTION: If you sign up for e-mail notices, you WILL get them, 3~9 per week! They are fairly close to me and when I order on Monday, the goods are at the front door on Thursday, else I have an e-mail telling me that what is not in the box is on back order. I love the excellent service (They even questioned an order as some of it was duplicated just 2 weeks prior, they wanted to make sure I really wanted it and had not forgot that I just bought some. That's what I call excellent customer service.) and I love to hate all the e-mails.
(Q5) Best advice:
(A) Click back, one page from here, so that you are on the "Topics" list page, scroll down to the bottom, find the button "More Options". Click and clear the date filter and topic filter to "show all". Then go back in the history of this site and read. When you get tiered of reading, go outside and play with the trains, then read some more. There is a super abundance of information on the site. There are quite a few "arguments" (heated discussions really) why each of us prefers one over another. Some of the best discussions have revolved around track, brass vs. stainless vs. aluminum / track power vs. battery. I think you get the idea. You will also find a few threads that are just pure fun, like the war between the robber barons and how we assaulted and destroyed each other's empires. All pure fiction but it was fun.
(B) Don't turn in the tunnel; ensure access to the interior of the tunnel does not exceed one "arms length".
(C) Remember the IILG-RI principle, after all this is a hobby and hobbies are supposed to be fun. I've seen GRRs that have an almost authentic looks old west town and the just ten feet down the rails there is something that looks like it was just snatched out of Starwars, to include Luke, Princes Leah, Hans and the wookie.
(D) I will repeat what I said near the beginning, this hobby is not for the bean rivet counters.
Tom Trigg
Ok hold on to your hat while I try to explain the weird and wonderful world -that is the Garden Railway Hobby....
1: This question -has no real answer. It is normal in the US to use 45mm track for both Std and Narrow gauge. The former at 1:32 and 1:29 scales while the latter are at; 1:24, 1:20.3, 1:19.1, and 1:13. In the UK we use both 45mm and 32mm track for narrow gauge work. The most commonly used scales are 10mm, 12.5mm, 15mm, 16mm, and 22mm. These can of course occur on both 32mm and 45mm track(!)
2: How much simpler it is than the smaller scales and gauges to build your own stuff.
3: Cyril Freezer -"The Garden Railway Manual".
4: This depends... There are, (it seems), three types of people playing with their Garden Railways.
The first one is the person who buys his rolling stock and track from dealers and manufacturers.
The second one is the type that takes parts of old locos and rolling stock and makes something new from them.
The third type is the one who makes everything themselves from raw materials.
Take some time and examine the prices and your own personal abilities and then decide which of the three you are...
5: THERE ARE NO RULES. It is your railway and YOU decide what it looks and feels like. If you want a GG1 with pink and purple flowers painted on it -then go ahead and do so!!! The most important thing I can tell you is not to be afraid to have fun.
regards
ralph
The Home of Articulated Ugliness
dustygI'm a long-time modeler in HO and N scale, strongly considering a move to some variety of backyard RR. For those who have made similar transitions, I have several questions: 1. I'm a little confused on the whole scale issue - using the same track to represent both narrow and standard gauges? Is 1:24 commonly used for standard gauge? 2. For those who have moved outdoors, what have you learned that you wish you had known when you were getting started in large scale? 3. At the risk of starting a fight, which book for beginners would you recommend? 4. I have no retailers physically close to my location. What's your best recommendation for an online store? 5. What's your best piece of advice for a beginner? Thanks for any and all assistance - Dusty
I'm a long-time modeler in HO and N scale, strongly considering a move to some variety of backyard RR. For those who have made similar transitions, I have several questions:
1. I'm a little confused on the whole scale issue - using the same track to represent both narrow and standard gauges? Is 1:24 commonly used for standard gauge?
2. For those who have moved outdoors, what have you learned that you wish you had known when you were getting started in large scale?
3. At the risk of starting a fight, which book for beginners would you recommend?
4. I have no retailers physically close to my location. What's your best recommendation for an online store?
5. What's your best piece of advice for a beginner?
Thanks for any and all assistance -
Dusty
1 - I am doing now what you are proposing scale-wise. 1:29 is the more popular SG scale with trains from AristoCraft, USA Trains and American Mainline. I have a number of early diesels and rolling stock in this scale. I also run 1:24 ( and 1:22.5) narrow gauge steam. You can get locos in this scale from Aristo (AristoClassic C-16), Bachmann Big Hauler 4-6-0, old LGB, and Hartland Locomotive Works. Rolling stock form all the above plus the USA T American series cars (like the woodside reefers).
Scott Lawrence has a great scale guide graphic -
2 - There are a few things to sort out initially. Different ways of doing things and even more opinions on things like track versus battery power, stainless track versus cheaper rail, track support - gravel, concrete, ladder, etc. , ground level vs. raised beds., etc. etc. Do your homework!
3 - There are some good books out there but I got just about all my info from online fora and articles and GR mag. Lots of good info on the GR site here and others like - http://www.btcomm.com/trains/. Also personal websites and blogs -
http://www.grblogs.com/index.php?blog=25
http://www.jbrr.com/index.html
http://www.mdlsrs.com/MarylandCentral
http://4largescale.com/
4 - St. Aubins is good, so is Ridge Road Station, TrainWorld, Nicolas Smith, and RLD Hobbies.
5 - Flex track and a Train-Li dual rail rail bender and rail clamps!
Have a plan but be flexible about it!
-Brian
Dusty,
I've never done HO or N so I may not be the best one to give advice but here goes anyway.
1. Scale runs a whole range. !:24 seems to work for buildings. !:22 was the old LGB. !:20 seems pretty popular now days or you can go down to !:32 and still be able to find GRR stuff. It all runs on the same track.
2. Just starting out I would have choosen SS track and battery power to keep life simple with less maintenance and hassel with electrical problems.
3. The book for everyone in our sport starts with GRR magazine. I haven't looked into any books because everyone does their own thing anyway.
4. I've had pretty good luck with St Aubins.
5. My advice is to get some track down and trains running as soon as you can. Once down then the ideas will come and then you can really get dirty. Plans change all the time so for the first outdoor layout, plan on taking it down several times.
Good luck and most of all have fun.
Rex
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