Like to start a GRR...Your big chance to talk me out of it!

[Dick Friedman]

vsmith -- nice postcard of the Mt. Lowe Railway!

Mr. Miles -- continue your research with reading magazines and the web. A starter set from Aristocraft or Bachmann is an inexpensive way to start, though I'd lose that Bachmann track!

Join a Garden Rwy Club. You can see others mist.. er, ideas, and avoid or adopt as you wish. You can ask questions, although you'll probably get more opinions than you can assimilate! And you can borrow their video tapes and tools (like rail benders). For a beer or two, you might even be able to borrow a work crew. And don't overlook the gardeners who inhabit garden rr clubs.

[SteelMonsters]

4.What's the best way to keep my kids away from the layout? Electric fence,cattle prod,A lifesize scarecrow made up like John Carry.

How about a keyswitch?

Hook a relay up to the wires that power the track or put them in the engines of battery powered units. Or lock the locos away when you are too, they won't move anywhere without Mr. Key.

[ttrigg]

[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][swg]
John

Judging from the number of replies to your post I'm sure you get the idea that it is a fun, albeit expensive hobby. I'll just throw in my 2 cents.

a small area about 50 by 20..
For most folks 50x20 is LARGE!

I have a couple hundred stupid questions to bother you all with so here we go..
Read ALL the past threads on this forum. There is enough information here to fill a library!

.Because of my limited space should I go with an "O" scale setup over the "G"?
What limited space! In "O" you run the risk of picking up stuff that is not suited for outdoors. "G" (in all it's variations) is designed rugged enough to STAY outdoors.

Bonehead question #2.What kind of rope should I tie my wife up with while completing this?
Take that question to your local "Frederick's Store!"

2.What brand of train should I buy (What I'm really saying is I don't know what the hell I'm doing.)
Don't worry too much about brand, find a starter set that you like, i.e. Road name, era, etc., and along the lines of what you would like as a theme (logging, mining, passenger, boxed freight, etc.)

3.Should I get a starter set first..If so what kind?
I would get 2 (yes TWO) starter sets, a good one for you ($200+) and then go to Wal-Mart, they have one designed to go under the Christmas tree, made by Light Bright for $39 for the kids. It comes with plastic track and is battery powered (6 C-cells). It runs well on G track. The kids can play with it both indoor and outside. DO NOT leave this one outside as it is NOT weatherproof.

4.What's the best way to keep my kids away from the layout? Electric fence,cattle prod,A lifesize scarecrow made up like John Carry.
Give them their own train. See above

5.Where can I get trains cheap?
First, start with a $200-$350 starter set, then add on as your system grows. I'm still using the engine that came with my starter kit. Have picked up several more cars. Now that's a point I don't believe anyone has made yet! Regular cars are about twice the length as those that come in starter kits. Also have picked up a street car/trolly and a gandydancer (hand/inspecton car)

[Anonymous]

Personally I wouldn't want to talk anyone out of starting a hobby that I get so much from myself...

I would however recommend you try and find someone living locally who has something setup already. Seeing trains running round, and putting questions to the owner, is a pretty good way of find out more about what you want to do. Also you get to see how someone else overcame the same kind of problems you'll face.

Hope you make the right choice!

Clive


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/cetucker/gardenrail

[vsmith]

Originally posted by J.Miles[/i]

Well,I've got it my big head to start a garden railroad in our back yard...There are only 10 to 20 things stopping me,mainly the wife,kids(3 and 4) the dog
and a small area about 50 by 20...Thats small? I'd KILL for that much space, my tiny layout is only 5' x 9' !Most sane men would just go bowling or start a baseball card collection or something,not me I am just stupid enough
to risk divorce and bankrupsy to have a small train running around in circles
in the back yard. Ok its not that bad but close...I have a couple hundred stupid
questions to bother you all with so here we go...Because of my limited space
should I go with an "O" scale setup over the "G"? G, its WAY cheaper than anything I've seen in O
Bonehead question #2.What kind of rope should I tie my wife up with while completing this? whatever kind she picks out at the...uh .. adult toystore?
2.What brand of train should i buy (What i'm really saying is I don't know what the hell i'm doing.)What like WE do know what the hell where doing?[;)] get whatever strikes your fancy, look around the ads in Garden Railways mag, set your budget and get what you can afford. Hell I started with a $40 dollar locomotive, 3 $10 cars and a circle of track
3.Should I get a starter set first..If so what kind? Aristocraft sells a variety of great starter sets, LGB is great if you have small kids as the trains are more rugged. Both will give you the train, the track and powerpack to get started
4.What's the best way to keep my kids away from the layout? Electric fence,cattle prod,A lifesize scarecrow made up like John Carry. Dont, get them involved in the planning and buil;ding of it, get them invested in it so that they look out for it on their own
5.Where can I get trains cheap? Ebay but caviel emptor! Check the ads in GR
6.Will my trains melt in the hot florida sun? not really, but one piece of advice here and now before you laern the hard way , DO NOT USE THE STOCK PLASTIC WHEELS that come on most cars, if the starter sets come with plastic wheels invest in metal replacement wheels, as the heat of the sun CAN melt plastic wheels, they will also quicky leave a black film on top of the track that will stop electrical pickup and lead to more frequent track cleaning, I would keep the trains indoors or in a shed.
All kidding aside I am doing a great amount of research into this via the web
but there is a great amount to learn so anything you all can teach me would
be great.
Thanks,John Miles Cape Coral, Fl.

[Cthetrains]

Talk you out of it??..BAH..I'll help fund it..(as soon as I find someone to help ME help fund it)....living in an apartment is killing me....my layout is in boxes in my parents' basement..and will stay there for quite a while...*sob*

[Tom The Brat]

Welcome to the obscession! You're in good hands. (Take this from what it's worth, it's coming from the brat in an asylum.)

Because of my limited space should I go with an "O" scale setup over the "G"?
20 by 50 is a nice space for G. Some guys who do mine or logging trains have very tiny layouts.


Bonehead question #2.What kind of rope should I tie my wife up with while completing this?
Being a Red Green fan, I'd suggest duct tape.


2.What brand of train should i buy (What i'm really saying is I don't know what the hell i'm doing.)
Depends on what you like. JGB, USA, Aristo-Craft, Bachmann, Heartland, Aster... There's lots of quality stuff.

3.Should I get a starter set first..If so what kind?
Depends what you like. See question 2

4.What's the best way to keep my kids away from the layout? Electric fence,cattle prod,A lifesize scarecrow made up like John Carry.
Away?!?! Kids are a great train accessory.

5.Where can I get trains cheap?
Watch ads and online retailers.

6.Will my trains melt in the hot florida sun?
The Arizonans try melting them on their track, but don't succeed. Hurricanes can be hard on them. Bring them inside when one of those monsters comes sneaking around

[John Busby]

Hi J Miles
[#welcome]
The dog should not be a great problem apart from perhaps the odd permanent way inspection.
The best thing is to involve the whole family in the project I assume SWMBO is the gardener of the house hold.
When it comes to the railway looking right this is a key thing as both should blend together so that one doesn't look right without the other.
The kids will want to help even when they are more hindrance than help but that gives ownership and more likely hood of looking after it as they learn responsibility and how to do things
I would suggest looking at both Aristocraft and LGB for a start set bearing in mind the curves in a set are better suited to under the christmas tree than a garden railway
It would also pay to get the kids a train EACH when you think they are old enough
so they don't fight over them
as Captain Bob said get in touch with the local club.
#2 We will have none of that this is a family forum[:I][:D]
The only stupid question is the one that should have been asked and was not
regards John

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Weeeeel, I took a different route. I'd had the idea in the back of my mind for 20 years, and I was between wives (20 some years)at that time! Took a look at all the goodies in GR mag ads, talking on phone with brother (he's HO for 40 years, but leaning G), and decided to expose bride to be and get reaction.

Took her up to Morris Arboretum outside Philly, then my brother had arranged with several friends of his to get us looks at thier layouts (Ken Donahoe amongst others). By the end of the day, she was sold! A hobby we could do together! I could do the train part, and she could go the gardening.

Spent a winter and the next summer in planning. When time came to build retaining wall, she was right there handing me block faster than I could place them. 2008 block in wall, and she & I laid them in 3.5 days; Son & DIL, & Grands helped for 2/3 of a day!

Took a year to get 30 truckloads of fill inside, and get track laid for perimeter loop! Her reaction to first full run around the whole layout was great! She was more excited than I was!

NOW TO A COUPLE OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

I'd look in GR mag ads to find a starter set that strikes your fancy.

Although I'd run only aristo Stainless Track, it's really suit yourself because if you might someday go to battery ops, then you don't need cleanliness of the SS track!

Other than the track, I'd stick to the one manufacturer until you were more sure of yourself and what you are doing!

By all means, get the kids involved in helping with the construction. For one thing, if they know firsthand how much work goes into it, they will be more careful when they are around it. As they learn more about it, they become your helpers if you ever hold an open house. They can start by being your step & fetchit helpers at this young age! Yes, there will be accidents, but aren't they tolerable in the interest of education, togetherness, and helping daddy do something ? As you grow in the hobby, perhaps the starter set becomes thiers to run when they get a chance at the trains! My 15 year old step grandson and 12 year old step grandaughter are my best helpers, the 6 year old grandaughter really tries to help, and the day will come that she's a real help. (even she's very careful to stay off the track and play gently with the houses and figures) One member of our club has a loop on the patio for his daughter to ferry her beanie babys around on the railroad.

If you can get wife involved, so much the better, but if not perhaps you can negotiate that you are providing a border for her garden of posies! A living moving garden!

Once dogs have sniffed it over and barked at whatever they see moving on it a few times, they tend to leave it alone. Since I don't have cats, I can't tell you how they react.

I note that on both this and the aristo-craft forums, there are plenty of G Scalers with outdoor layouts in Florida; perhaps a member of the Florida Garden Railway Society lives near you and can tutor and assist you in your endeavours! Check them out , the address of contact should be listed in the back of GR mag.

Most important if it won't cause divorce is to get something started and running. You can build on it from there. I should have had something running long before I did!

Don't know how the clubs down there operate, but our club is as much a social hour for the wives as it is playtime for the hubbies. Sometimes those roles get reversed! Usually, we all share some good times and good snacks at monthly meetings. You may well want to investigate joining a GRR club.

Can't say enough about how much I've learned by reading the various forums, and for heaven's sake don't be afraid to ask seemingly stupid questions. There are no stupid questions, only those who forget when they were starting and think they are.

And thus ends the lecture by bigmouth!

[Anonymous]

JOHN
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS go to your nearest train store and get started in G SCALE
I got the fever for G SCALE 6 years ago and it keeps growing.,go to page two or three of general discussion, i have some pictures posted their of my GRR.under ben learned to post pictures . ben

[Kiwi Down Under]

You want a reason not to do it.
Who in their right mind would spend money on something for the dogs to s--- on, cats to we--- on, snails to breed on, weeds to grow between, and your silly enough to water them so they keep growing....

Once you accept that your stark raving bonkers, then you can enjoy the hobby knowing that the next stage in life will be in a straight jacket in a padded cell.

Need any more reasons?

Tony

[Anonymous]

Welcome to Big Boy's Toys!

I set up rather like yourself, whth no idea what or why I was doing it, except last year I drove a GWR Castle Class loco for a day and gained a deep passion to revive my boyhood dreams of having a train of my own. The only way was a G scale on a 40 x 16 part of the back garden.

Having great fun still building and still waiting for the grand opening, but the BIG change I have made after aquiring a starter set and then many purchases on Ebay has been to go digital after buying all analog equipment - which I have now sold.

The only piece of advice I offer is to think it through carefully before you commit to anything. But whatever you do don't exclude the kids. On my layout there is a small separate loop for my grandchildren to operate with their own wireless controller.

Whatever you do, enjoy it and dont stop contributing to this forum. They are a great bunch and freely give excelent advice when asked.

John

[markperr]

Don't sell yourself short on space. 20' x 50' is pretty respectable, even for largescale.

Your biggest decision will be what era you wi***o model. That will dictate primarily who you will buy equipment from, although most manufacturers do have some cross-over items.

example: USA trains and Aristocraft deal primarily in diesel but both carry larger steam engines like the pacific, mikado, and challenger.

LGB has much to offer in older steam and oodles in European rail offerings (for obvious reasons) but does offer large American Steam and Diesel. As a matter of fact, LGB is introducing the Amtrak Genesis, probably the most modern diesel offered in largescale at this time.

As for tieing the wife up..... best those games be played behind closed doors, if you catch my drift.

Kids... that one you have to play by ear, but I hear a dog's correction collar with remote set on stun works really well.

cheapest place to get trains is through the big mail order places whose ads you see in GR. Hands down. Mom and pop shops can't compete.

your trains will not mely in the Florida sun but beware of where you grab them to pick them up after a day in the sun. If they have any brass on them, those parts are liable to be hot.

Mark

[Gary Crawley]

[#welcome] John.

The first thing you should do is book into a hospital for a lobotomy (it helps to be mad)

Honestly welcome to one of the best hobbies going round.
I started with a dream, (looking at all those great layouts in GR magazine) grab a tape measure and go to your backyard and plan.
Get your wife and kids involved, (my wife loves the scale trees etc) it always helps to justify why you want a second mortgage for the engineering project.

As I said plan on paper as much as you can so you can make mistakes and modify before you start building.(saves money)
I did not buy a starter set as I saved and layed track as I could afford it with my one and only loco used to test construction etc.

I also have a small backyard so decided to model narrow gauge (Can have tighter curves) but you should try to make your curves as large as posible. There is a good selection of narrow gauge stuff to buy (D&RGR etc)

No matter how you approach your new hobbie there's always good people on the Forum to help you along the way, and also read lots of magazines for ideas.

As far as the children go they will be in high school before your finished. (just kidding)
And remember this is a living hobby, in other words it will forever change.

All the best for the future.
Regards
Gary.

[Puckdropper]

If it will cost the wife and kids, don't. OTOH, start small and get them involved!

> Bonehead question #2.What kind of rope should I tie my wife up with while completing this?

Look for something that won't fray or chaff easily. There's no sense in allowing her to free herself and come after you! (Like in the movies.)

> 2.What brand of train should i buy (What i'm really saying is I don't know what the hell i'm doing.)

I really like LGB as a company. I wouldn't hesitate to buy something they made that is priced reasonably. Take this with a grain of salt: I don't have anything but LGB yet.

> 3.Should I get a starter set first..If so what kind?

Take a look around at your local hobby shop. They'll have some stuff you can look at and maybe play with. My LHS (local hobby shop) has a couple starter sets in the $100-$300 range which look to be a good start.

> 4.What's the best way to keep my kids away from the layout? Electric fence,cattle prod,A lifesize scarecrow made up like John Carry.

Don't. This is an excellent opportunity to teach them to be careful and let them have fun while doing it. You may need a rule that says they can't play when you're not there.

> 5.Where can I get trains cheap?

Take a look through recent threads. There's was one with many good suggestions.

> 6.Will my trains melt in the hot florida sun?

I don't know. The closest I've been to Florida was when I changed a lady's tire who was from there.

[Anonymous]

Well,I've got it my big head to start a garden railroad in our back yard...There are only 10 to 20 things stopping me,mainly the wife,kids(3 and 4) the dog
and a small area about 50 by 20...Most sane men would just go bowling or start a baseball card collection or something,not me I am just stupid enough
to risk divorce and bankrupsy to have a small train running around in circles
in the back yard. Ok its not that bad but close...I have a couple hundred stupid
questions to bother you all with so here we go...Because of my limited space
should I go with an "O" scale setup over the "G"?
Bonehead question #2.What kind of rope should I tie my wife up with while completing this?
2.What brand of train should i buy (What i'm really saying is I don't know what the hell i'm doing.)
3.Should I get a starter set first..If so what kind?
4.What's the best way to keep my kids away from the layout? Electric fence,cattle prod,A lifesize scarecrow made up like John Carry.
5.Where can I get trains cheap?
6.Will my trains melt in the hot florida sun?
All kidding aside I am doing a great amount of research into this via the web
but there is a great amount to learn so anything you all can teach me would
be great.
Thanks,John Miles Cape Coral, Fl.