I am a begnner and need help with my layout. My space will be 12ft x 6ft. As of now, most folks have suggested HO and I need all the information I can find on this:
What kind of trains, remote controlled switches,track etc
Please tell us more about your space- also, what kind of modelling you prefer. Do want to sit in the middle and watch trains go all around you, or will switching at local industries be more to your liking? Check out the section on this web page for layouts in the track plan database-
http://www.trains.com/mrr/default.aspx?c=subex&id=114
that will give you lots of ideas to think about. Then come back and give us some idea of the space you have to work with, where walls and doors are, etc so that we can help you tailor your plans to your space. Then tell us about the time and area you would like to model, Do you want steam engines or diesels? Mountains or cities or waterfront areas? Any specific Railroad you want to run, or do you want to make up your own Railroad? I may not be the next one to answer you but there are hundreds of great guys on thes site who will be happy to help answer your questions. Welcome and have FUN!
I once caught a train in my pajama's. How it got in my pajama's I'll never know... (sorry, Groucho)
Welcome to model railroading and these forums.
As suggested above, there are many things you will have to decide on before the folks here can be of much help to you. I would suggest going to the top of this page to SHOP and then click onto Books. There are books for beginners and many others which may help you. Check with your local hobby shop (LHS) to see what they have for beginners. The more you read the more questions you will have, but it all leads you toward building a layout that will fit what you want to do.
After you get some idea of where you want to go, come back with more questions and I'm sure there is someone here that can come up with an answer for you.
Have fun,
I would look at the Heart of Georgia (HOG) layout and the Apple Valley originally designed by Jim Hediger, Senior Editor at Model Railroader. I know the last is a table layout but it has a lot to offer still... I also set you a PM
ratled
Modeling the Klamath River area in HO on a proto-lanced sub of the SP “The State of Jefferson Line”
hi, welcome
Some sides to explore and one book; the last one is a must though the trackplans are a bit outdated.
Byron Henderson's checklist for potential customers and so much more; read it and read it again: http://home.earthlink.net/~mrsvc/id13.html
Lance Mindheim http://www.lancemindheim.com/%20
One book: "trackplanning for realistic operation" by the late John Armstrong (amazon.com)
Paul
My layout space is 12' x 6'
At this time I am planning a 1/2 dog bone layout with the 12' section being app. 3' wide and loops on both ends and from what a local hobby shop told me, utilizing a 24" radius.
They also strongly recommended using Homasote for the table top. I joined the Tri-State Train Club in Mineral Bluff, GA. The club is building a layout and they are using ordinary building styrofoam (pink) for their table top material. ( on top of plywood, of course) Which is best?
My other question is which is best, controlling trains, or controlling the track?
I have not decided on an era as yet and am open to suggestions for the HO
moneyman My layout space is 12' x 6' At this time I am planning a 1/2 dog bone layout with the 12' section being app. 3' wide and loops on both ends and from what a local hobby shop told me, utilizing a 24" radius.
A 24" radius will not fit in a 3ft wide space. For a given radius, the space needed to turn a half circle is two times the radius plus 4" (in HO). The radius is measured to the center of the track; the extra 2" on each side is needed so the track and trains don't hang over the edge of the board. If you only have 3ft, the biggest loop that will fit is 36"-4"=32", which divided by 2 gives 16" radius. The LHS advised correctly - a 24" radius will run a lot of modern-era rolling stock that will not run on a smaller radius. Deciding what radius you can live with is a tough, but personal call.
There is no absolute best. Homasote and foam have different advantages and disadvantages. You should decide which factors matter the most to you, and make your choice on that basis.
A different way of asking which is best - DC or DCC. Again, it's a personal decision that is ideally based on which advantage or disadvantages are more important to you. IMHO, DC works quite well for a small home layout provided:
Again, it's a matter of personal preference. You don't have to pick an era. One advantage of picking a particular era is it makes it easier not to buy so many trains. You only buy those that are appropriate for your chosen era. Another advantage of choosing an era (or eras) is that it helps you match your layout to your vision of what you want it to be - and helps others understand and appreciate your vision if your layout is consistent as to era. If you read Spacemouse's (http://www.chipengelmann.com/Trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html) article (already linked by earlier poster) you will understand the importance of your - not my - vision of what your layout should be. Others more articulate than I have said that model railroading is an intensely personal hobby. And so it is.
Fred W
...modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it's always 1900...
If you can, go to a trains show with layouts that include different scales. See which appeals to you.
With your space you can do any scale. In smaller scales there is more railroad and more scenery. In larger scales the trains have more "presence" and you can have more detail.
Don't be afraid to start with one scale and later switch to another after you have some experience.
ENjoy
hi moneyman,
TMHO the era is very important; if you choose the 50's the longest cars were 50 feet and will do very well on a 24"radius main with #5 switches. When modeling modern freights you have to cope with a foot long cars in HO (89 feet in reality) and they require a much larger radius: 30" in the yard and 36" on the main. And #6 switches or even #8 when a crossover is involved. You will notice your space is very very tight indeed when modeling modern times. Even a 24" radius is allready big for your dogbone. The donut shaped HOG seems a better approach. But I am going way too fast now.
On the webside of the LDSIG (Layout Design Special Interest Group) is a section special for primers.You can also find a table with ratio's between the length of your longest car and the radius needed. They do not take in account however the different kind of railroads; in urban or mountain area's way smaller radii were used in comparison with lines through flatlands. Locale, era and the kind of railroad must be known before starting the disgn. An urban branch in 1950 is quite different from a heavy used main through the flatlands in 2010. A logging RR high in the mountains in 1930 is quite different from the BNSF through Abo country in 1980.
How to start: Make a drawing of your room with all the obstacles, like doors drawn in. And post it please! A good design starts with the room, the footprint of your layout and a good look at the possibilities versus your wishes.Your givens and druthers.
It is not only about what you like but also about what you can get in and in which way.
I forget to mention other reading material; I advice you to get as many Model Railroad Planning and Great Model Railroad magazines as you can. Both are yearly published by Model Railroader and contain very different layouts. Do not look at the size (only), try to think also about how these railroads are operated (how trains can be run) and how you feel about the scenery and overall looks. This is far better study material then the trackplan database; because the idea's behind the layout, their build and the way they are operated are covered as well. 102 trackplans is also nice to have; for the very same reason.
I love the Miami Down Town design by Lance Minheim in the 2009 MRP, but realising there is only the "once a day local switchjob" to run, gave me second thoughts. His design is still awesome, but not my ultimate design. Only thing important however is, it is Lance's ultimate design. Finding out what you fancy, can be done by you only.
The other Paul is right; in your space you can do any scale. In O-scale you can have just one very small 1930 station with cassette staging, but with a awesome lot of detail. While in N-scale you can build a state of the art modern multi-train (two or three) 2010 layout. HO seems a bit of a middle of the road approach, not bad for a start, unless you can decide about era, locale, kind of RR and scale.
The most important design factor is the radius; and the radius depends on the four points mentioned above. You do not have to decide now; but if you can come up with an idea or a question like: "I would like to have a pike in a rural area in 1980 with two stations and some staging. Can this be done in my space in HO?" it is possible to focus the discussion. The result can still be: "no, this is not what I like"; no harm done because one idea usualy leads to the next one.
BTW if you have questions, please ask. It took me years to understand #6 switches, code 70 track cassette staging, dogbones and donuts etc. To much railroad-slang some times.
Have fun, keep smiling