How do you cope with limitations? (space, modeling skill, funds, etc)
After seeing one amazing layout after another on line and in MR, I find the idea of creating my own layout very daunting. I always read about creating realism, which is something I would like to do, but I know that I'll never be able to create what I see, read and dream about. I could create a small switching or loop-style layout, but I know that operationally it will never fulfill my expectations of operating a "real" railroad. So ulitmately I have this on again / off again interest with model railroading.
What do you do to get past this obstacle, (which for me) keeps me from ever getting started and truly enjoying a hobby that I like? There's never seems to be a shortage of inspiration, but there's definitely a lack of everything else on my end.
Thanks,
Some people don't even have layouts. They just build locos and cars and concentrate on super detailing and weathering them. Some people (like me) have layouts that aren't that operational, but focus on scenery and detail. Not many of those guys with realistic basement empires did it on their first try. A 2'x8' switching layout can really be made to look great and be a lot of fun to operate if done correctly. Just do your home work and have a solid game plan in mind before you start. You'll find what your good at along the journey and focus on that. Skills are something acquired over time. They just don't "happen" for most people.
As loathar says, start small and think big. Build the trestle now. Make it all so that you can cut the bents to the right height once you have your "best bet" layout under way...you'll easily live with the length, but try for about 15" long.
Design something solid now, something modest but that you'd love to have. Then, build it in modules. Frame it all out in modules and stack them someplace where they'll keep dry and warp-free.
Or, just build the one, say your yard. Frame first, then do the surface, and then have at the tracks and scenery. Should keep you busy for six months to do a good job.
Or, give yourself the challenge of making a convoluted loop fit in a 4X8 space, and make it look more realistic than "cute". If you do a good job of it, there is no reason you can't insert it into a grander plan in 10 years.
And, if none of that is possible, hone your skills with laying out track...perfect track, including turnouts. Build handlaid turnouts in quantities so that you have really good ones for when the time comes. Take a nice plank or shelf and lay out a 3-track yard with caboose track and main running past. Throw in a couple of double-slips and see what they do for you.
But you should be doing something, and ideally building....contributing towards what will eventually be.
-Crandell
ccaranna How do you cope with limitations? (space, modeling skill, funds, etc) After seeing one amazing layout after another on line and in MR, I find the idea of creating my own layout very daunting. I always read about creating realism, which is something I would like to do, but I know that I'll never be able to create what I see, read and dream about. I could create a small switching or loop-style layout, but I know that operationally it will never fulfill my expectations of operating a "real" railroad. So ulitmately I have this on again / off again interest with model railroading. What do you do to get past this obstacle, (which for me) keeps me from ever getting started and truly enjoying a hobby that I like? There's never seems to be a shortage of inspiration, but there's definitely a lack of everything else on my end. Thanks,
I have IMO plenty of space, a layout room 12'x27' in my basement. What I do lack right now is the time and budget to do it justice. The question a modeler needs to ask himself is "Do I need to fill all that space in one shot, right now?" Why is a basement-sized empire the only way to modeling satisfaction?
I think you need, especially as a beginner, is to approach your goal - a large railroad - in managable chunks. You also need a way to acquire experience and skill to one day achieve your empire-building dreams. You say that "settling" for a small railroad doesn't do anything for you, but how about a small shelf yard that can grow with each passing year. Find a published plan you like and build a realistically-sized first section, say perhaps 2'x12' or maybe a bit longer.
This way you'll gain the construction, modeling and operating skill and know-how you need to grow the layout further, without being overwhelmed at the start. If for some reason you lose or change interests, you're not out a tremendous amount of time and cash that you would be with the all-in-one-shot empire. I'm working on one 20' wall to start in my home, maybe extending along the adjoining wall 12' to the right. I can't imagine doing anything more right now, and this leap from the armchair will be way more progress than I've done in the last 23 years.
For some inspiration, see Bruce Petty's website here (also featured in the 2006 GMR issue):
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/Ranch/1916/train.lay1.html
Bruce build his SP layout piece-by-piece, in sections. Don't let the quality of his modeling scare you, just think about how to apply his concept to your favorite prototype.
Good luck, and think small steps in getting started, but steps forward as progress nonetheless.
Time is not a limitation. Patience is a limitation. When you set a deadline, you make it harder to get the project done, and turn it more into something like work. One phrase we use a lot is "It's not a race; it's a journey." Enjoy the journey.
You'll find that learning patience will help with the funding problem, too. You can put away money and save until you reach a goal, or you can wait for an item to go on sale, or a train show comes to town with bargains, or someone else comes out with the same model for less money. Plan your purchases carefully, and you won't end up like many of us, with boxes of unbuilt kits in the workroom, and shelves of engines that don't fit on the layout. We all buy too much.
We all think we're limited by space. It's hard to have good operations in the kind of space most of us have. If Ops are really important to you, find a club and join it. Large club layouts are suited to operations, on a scale few of us could hope to duplicate at home.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Working within limitations is a challenge. Each one that you list has possible solutions.
Space: the obvious way to get more railroad is too work in a smaller scale. You can also double/triple deck. You can have the mainline pass through the scene more than once - this used to be very popular and was used on many famous layouts such at the Delta Lines and the Gorre & Daphetid. A less obvious way to fit in more railroad is to use sharp curves and turnouts with talgo trucks (coupler mounted on the truck). HiRail layouts use this in S and O to fit in more railroad, but you can also do this in HO and N.
Modeling skills: Training and practice. Many issues of MR and others have how to articles. The Dream Plan Build video series also include how to segments. Books and videos are available. Some train shows have clinics as do many NMRA meets.
Funds: Some items can be cheaper if scratchbuilt such as turnouts and buildings (especially if you make your own windows). To some extent you can trade time for money. Also over time even a modest budget will accumulate quite a bit.
One you didn't list but is a problem for me and others is time. I don't have a lot right now, but I trade money for time and buy as much RTR as I can. I build only what I must - it's still slow going, but I am getting there.
In the end though, you just have to plunge in and start doing stuff.
Enjoy
Paul
I see a lot of first time modelers jump in with both feet and tie straight into making a large layout with super scenery and a train of questionable trainset quality. This usually results in said modelers taking two steps back and wondering the what the heck they got themselves into and where did they go wrong. As others have said, start small, do what you can with what you have and don't over reach yourself. Look at me. I'm a disabled veteran with severe nerve and bone damage that limits what I can do. My monthly income is under $700 a month. My current layout started out as a 4 x 6 in 1995 but has grown over the last 13 years to where it's roughly 8 x 10 and is by no means my first. Throughout that time I've kept within my limitations, both physical and financial. I built the benchwork for the really solid because it sometimes has to support nearly my entire weight and at 240+ pounds I'm no light weight. I buy what I can for the layout, do a lot of trading online and scratchbuild what I can't get due to non-availability or price constraints. I also get some donations from other modelers who want to get rid of some things they can no longer use such as old freight car bodies and locos that need a good home.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
ccarannaHow do you cope with limitations? (space, modeling skill, funds, etc)
It's easy. You do the best you can and don't worry about the rest.
I have little space, fewer funds, and about zero modeling skill, but I'm having a blast!
Just learn to let go...
ccarannaWhat do you do to get past this obstacle, (which for me) keeps me from ever getting started and truly enjoying a hobby that I like?
My answer is beer!
What most people that see the great pictures that are posted here realizes is when done right a picture will make the layout look much bigger than it is!
Selectors layout is a perfect example.
Crandell is a true skilled modeler and it shows. Looks like a huge layout, but by many standards it is modest in sizes.
I am guessing 8 X 14 give or take. I am guessing I have 3 times the rails laid than Crandell, but his is much better done.
I sort of have two layouts, the main bench is U shaped. 19 foot x 4 foot in the center (never go over 3 foot wide) Then 5 foot by 8 foot on one end and 4 foot X 13 foot on the other. New section called K-10 mining is 5 foot wide and free standing X 9.5 foot. It is done much better than the old section, using a mountain as a divider and makes it look bigger. I enjoy running it by it self but the other section is much bigger.
I think for it being only 5 foot wide, looks pretty big.
Have fun with what you have to work with. It is more fun to have something that is not want you want than nothing at all. The new section when done will be going away! I am using it to learn on.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Well I have been at it for 2 years or so. No layout as we moved since I started into this. I have picked up a lot of old model railroad mags and (don't yell at me) cut all the good stuff out of them and organized them into 3 binders. I have a binder of trackplans with sections I like circled so I can piece something together. I have a dcc section, a trackside photo section, a kitbashing section, a how to section(like trees, painting, scenery ect.) and a section for scematics for the engines I have.
Right now I am just practicing building engines and getting them to run really good. I have taken old riv diesels and steamers, rebuilt them to run really good then detailed and sold them. This gives me money to pratice some more. I have learned to solder well installing decoders and troubleshooting with the help of the forum.
So as I formulate a plan for a layout I will practice on small diaroma scenes and practice taking pics. So as you see even though you go through the ups and downs of how can my layout ever look that good there is always something to practice.
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
In many ways I think we get severly misled by much of the current thinking and leading articles on operations, track planning, etc. IE, you have to have CTC/TTO, multiple long trains working past each other with a lot of operators playing all the parts. With of course prototypically overwhelmingingly large structures, 15 decks, and so forth. I would be those giganto-normous layouts you see in MR each month make up less than 10% of the layouts out there. Probably most of us are in a corner of the spare room operating by ourselves or with one or two friends. My under construction layout goes 8 feet down one wall and 10 down the other as part of a bookshelf system, perhaps 34 square feet in all. DCC is a great concept but I run one engine with a 4-5 car train, though I do wish I had sound. Then when it comes to structures, we also get fooled by the price of some kits. First, if you think in terms of hours of enjoyment, putting together some of the better kits.is a good dollar per hour value. But beyond that, look past the RTR and shake the box kits into scratch building. It doesn't get as much press today in MR as it did in the past, but guys like E. L. Moore in the old days created great buildings out of paper and balsa. Find an old MR and give that a try. Hours of fun for a couple of bucks and you get a building the equal of any you can buy for much less.
My greatest limitation is time -- between work, scouts and two kids in soccer, I couldn't build a layout like the V&O, Sunset Valley, or NKP or any of the great layouts you see though I sure admire them.
Plan a layout for now, but take your good 'ole time.
Example #1: John Allen's "Gorre & Daphitid "
Plan your layout so it can be incorporated later into a larger layout.
Example #2: Allen McClelland's "Virginian & Ohio."
You will find yourself taking personal ownership of the larger picture, where the layout dream extends past its space limitations, connecting with the world beyond the layout.
Example #3: 1/3 of the lower level for my N Scale "Conemaugh Road & Traction" is adapted from Model Railroader's HO Scale "The Chippewa Central." This smaller layout is incorporated into a much larger multi-level layout.
CR&T's lower level will be surrounded by a 2-track Pennsy mainline, interchanging with the CR&T, before the helix into the upper level. Since the entire layout theme is traction, the CR&T overhead will be single-wire for an interurban, and; the Pennsy portion is now planned to incorporate catenary overhead wiring. Steam and first-generation diesel will also operate under the traction overhead wires. The helix may also have an additional CR&T gas electric doodlebug going from the lower level to only one of the upper level towns on a third helix track whereas the upper level is all Pennsy.
Also, especially due to planning patience, the under-valance lighting will be the same "small track lighting" now used under modern kitchen cabinets, easily placed on a dimmer switch, plus producing a ton of light without ever over-doing things. This compact lighting system never would have come to light (pun intended) had the process been a high-speed exercise!
BTW: Did I mention to take your good 'ole time?
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
Stevert ccaranna How do you cope with limitations? (space, modeling skill, funds, etc) It's easy. You do the best you can and don't worry about the rest. I have little space, fewer funds, and about zero modeling skill, but I'm having a blast! Just learn to let go... Steve
ccaranna How do you cope with limitations? (space, modeling skill, funds, etc)
Steve
I think that statement sums it up best....
I don't worry about what other people do. I've had Many layouts, from 4x6 to the current 22x30 that currently occupies my basement. None of them come to the standards that some would call an actual Model Railroad. I build them because I like to, I run the trains because it makes me happy. When it doesn't, I tear it down and start over. It's a hobby, not a job nor a contest. Get yourself a sheet of plywood (or foam) lay some tracks, build some scenery, structures, etc, and run some trains. The rest of whatever is 'lacking' will come with time and practice.
I find this entire concept of "coping" with a limitation as a sickening post modern humanistic excuse for not getting anything done. Phooey and piffle on any excuses. If you want a model railroad, you are forced by the laws of nature to use whatever space you have and nothing more. Jim Findley's Tioga Pass RR was about 8x10 or so and built in a corner of a mobile home. There is no excuse whatsovever why you cannot make a fine representation of a railroad in model form in a 18" by 48" space, using creativity and a well thought out theme.
My own HO railroad is being built in a series of 4 connected shadow boxes approx 2x4ft, each representing a specific scene or activity of my prototype. Each box is using well known techniques of shadowbox construction. I do not have any limitations on my railroad whatsoever, the "distance" between each shadow box scene is about 40 miles on prototype, but adjacent on the railroad.
Here is a photo (not very good) of the end module nearing completion. I have to finish the backdrop and some foreground scenery, but the module itself done and has independant lighting and power and it stands alone from the rest in it's scenic content. The train exits to the right behind a building and emerges in the next module at a single gravel loader scene out in the country. The modules are completely protected from dust and damage by 1/4" composit board covers and pexiglass fronts. I have captured my entire prototype in a space of 2ft by 14ft. The last module on the right far end, when I get that far, will have another yard and a car float. In the mean time, I have a fully operational model railroad and as I add modules I add operations. I can work at my own pace and add as much detail as I want to each scene.
No excuses, no whining, no rationalizations. Build your model railroad, start today.
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
I dont see the MR with the big aweinspiring layouts as something intimidating or unreachable. I am around a few dozen modelers whose skills far out rank mine and make me look like Im just a trainset person. That was 7 years ago. The room was given to me by the wife without any conditions except one. She gets the closet. So. It's my time to start working on the railroad.
A work bench went up first. Ok then 5 feet of track, followed by a switch, then a power pack a engine and so forth. Now I had a caboose and a train of one car. Then 10. As the train grew I realized that the room is too small for my plans. So something had to go. Tore up the big plans and started the train layout in each of the 4 corners once I had a maximum radius (OR a minimum that I can stand with the stuff I ran) The Kato Track started flying.
Why Kato? I know that room will be restored to an empty room at one point to be determined in the far distance future. I have my head stuffed with the teachings of those Disciples at the Altar of Handlaying track switches and cork church. But for right now... Sectional track, makes things happen and fast. I'll get to that fancy making track stuff when the new future addition to the house is complete... if ever.
That was two years ago. The wood went up this year. Last year the room was empty except for a circle of Kato track running a engine 25 cars and a caboose. It helped me discover a slope in the floor and caused to think about the pending benchwork and how to solve that slope.
Spring and summer will pass at the workbench building a industry. One that had a purpose and can be operated by one person using car cards in a manner of a load in of something and perhaps a load out of something going beyond the layout. I happen to like making Ball Bearings. So Hours and days were spent scouring the internet and books about Ball bearings. I used to haul the stuff and I used to haul the steel used to make the stuff... but I knew NOTHING about ball bearings. Does that make me expert now? No. But I think I have it together "Good enough" to generate ball bearing loads for each work day.
Someone told me what about building tractors or appliances? Or something else? Why stick with just one product? Taking away the Bearing matrix and replace it with the materials necessary to make tractors causes the industry to behave totally different and have different requirements. I dont have space for both a tractor plant and a bearing plant. But I can make it work with just the model industry I have in the one room. Just one at a time and do the other next week for example.
Fall passed into winter of this year. The track is still flying but more and more track is finding itself fastened down with feeders dropping through the benchwork. As the test engine and a number of cars are tested at each track switch, I discover I can delete or add a switch or add more track until a problem is solved. For example I had two switches today with a vicious S curve. Solving that problem required relaying, deleting a building and readjusting the entire side of the area until everything was fit. In fact... the final key to my problem was dynamiting a freight dock in one industry building and plans to re building it not as long so that the building can fit into the smaller space and still recieve and ship out rail cars.
Coping? Not a problem. Each month I spent a train allowance. It's a small allowance but makes you plan 6-12 months ahead and order when suitable items are either announced or availible. Eventually the engines, rolling stock etc are finished, now we more into track, wiring and scenery items.
Just today I looked into scenic backdrops for the three walls and started exploring the options availible to me at the Hobby Shop.
That backdrop wont be up until next spring 2009 at least. But it's already cooking on the stove so to speak. It will fall into place when Im ready and not before.
If I had to build 3 years worth of progree in say... by christmas starting tonight? HAH. aint happening. For one thing, half the rolling stock and engines are out of production. Half the structure kits are out of production and the Kato track is now in short supply being supplemented by a precise purchase here and there on Ebay of all things.
I intend to drive the golden spike and run a complete train, switch the place, turn the train around and go back to staging within a month.
But we aint done yet. Im on the other side of 40... I probably wont be done until at least 60 Lord willing. Been playing with Model trains for 35+ years with increasing purpose and enjoyment as the years go by. But to actually establish and maintain a pernament place to run trains without putting it all away at the end of the day? That didnt happen for a very long time.
It's a journey, not a race or a problem to cope with.
Model railroaders are a strange eclectic group of people but then we all know that the one thing we all have in common though is not wasting or the need to fill up space. Weather your building a 5000 square foot super mega layout or a 4x8 we strive to fit in as much as possible in a limited amount of space some times to a fault. We want tunnels, bridges, turn tables, engine houses, power plants coal mines and the list goes on and on and on. In some or many cases you wind up with a bowl of spaghetti of track and switches and every type of structure known to man piled one on top of each other and most would never normally be seen any where near the other in the real world. One of the most impressive layouts I've ever seen was on the DVD MR puts out with your new subscription every year and forgive me for not recalling the guys name right now but it was an impressive switching layout shot in a night time scene with details beyond belief and until the camera pulled back you would have never known it was barely larger then 4x8. You need to pick a theme, a time period or an era if you will. Steam, transition, modern etc. and then set your mind to what you want to build or what you like most about that era. I have a friend who is now retired and has moved into a much smaller home to take care of his wife. He went from a massive 2500 sq. foot layout to half of a two car garage and he is modeling the UP engine svc. facility in Chyeanne Wymoing circa late 1950's. When big steam was in it's hayday on the U.P. He has a collection of challengers and big boys that will never pull a sting of cars but he is determended to build a super detail contest grade model. Operation and such doesn't mean anything to him and he's no less of a modeler.
We are all contricted by two things physical space and money our imaginations are limitless in fulfilling possability after possability after all we're modeling the real world can't get much bigger then that.
Jump in and try a few projects, even if its a 1x1 square to test scenery, or weather a car, build a building.....
If we all waited for the perfect time we would never have anything. And space isnt always bigger and better, its what we want within ourselves and build our dreams.,. Will it be the PERFECT layout and everything to the level of a master? WHO CARES!!!! You have to find it in ytourself to build, learn and enjoy. Do you think the masters did everything perfect the first few times?
Stop making excuses and start! Im building my dream and loving every minute of it! It has become my persoanl refuge from the world of work, kids, wife and stress. Its my place for fun and enjoyment. Will it ever be in MR or become a masterpiece? I dont think so, but its good enough for me!
Life isnt or ever gonne be perfect! BUT you can sure enjoy the ride and learn along the way....and relax, this is a hobby....do your best and youll find that the next time youll do even better! Thats part of learning and a part of life.
Maybe by my 20th marriage Ill find one with her own layout???? LOL
I am returning to model railroading after a 45 year break. While it might be nice to jump in with a large layout, both operations and great design can be done in a small layout.
I just read an amazing article by the late, great John Allen (of Gorre & Daphetid fame) about what it means to operate in a prototypical fashion. Allen devoted the entire article to describing how one should conduct the seemingly trivial task of putting a train into motion, accelerating to a reasonable speed, and eventually slowing down to a stop. His point is that on a real railroad, there is nothing trivial about getting a train moving and then stopping it again! His further point is that even on the smallest layout, even if you are doing nothing more than "running trains," it can still be done in a protoypical manner.
Another lesson to be learned from John Allen is that you can start small but have big ambitions. The original Gorre & Daphetid was an HO layout measuring 43" x 80". That's it! Over many years, it became a large and complex layout -- what many believe to be the greatest model railroad ever built. But even the original small layout was a masterpiece of design and execution. It was full of clever ideas, brilliant scenery, and a sense of humor. (Gory and Defeated -- get it?)
Model railroading does not have to be all or nothing. You can start small and still do it right.
- Jeff
Embrace your limitations , they help you think about what is important and what you can work on now .
Skill takes time .Keep working at it .
Space ; the limitation is only in your mind , look at the English they build small layouts that are operational and with a high level of detail .
Funds ; you can always buy a little at a time , I have a small modeling budget , so I make a list of what I want and figure out what I can afford , sometimes I have to buy the parts of a project a little at a time and once I have everything I start the project .
Limitations are just hurdles to overcome .
My :
Something to keep in mind is that you don't get to see the whole layout either on the forums or in the pages of MR. What you do see are the best views of it. My layout, for example, is only half sceniced and it has a 1:1 furnace right in the middle - I don't tend to show off the half that is just track on OSB, and I do my best to keep the furnace out of the pictures.
Another thing you don't see are the results from when the builder was in the middle of the learning curve, or the experements that yeilded less than satisfactory results. My layout has layers of substandard results hidden beneath layers of better results. Allow yourself time to learn and keep in mind that a lot of the learning comes from just trying and trying again. You can get through the learning curve faster by reading and by discussing methods with more experienced modelers (it is rare that you'll find a model railroader who won't let you in on his/her secrets).
I urge you to get started. I also suggest shopping where you can get good used stuff as a way of dealing with the cost issue (with one exception - buy your electronics new with a warranty). I shop on eBay and at the swap meets that go with train shows. I figure that I stay in the hobby for less than half the cost of buying everything brand new.
When it comes to time, think about your reasons for being in the hobby. I can only speak for myself, but I'm in it because it gives me a creative outlet in which I can spend the time that isn't devoted to something else (girlfriend, work, home upkeep, yard, dog, etc.), so I'm glad to spend as long as it takes; if it ever got finished what would I do? I know a guy who is really just interested in operation, so he hired some help and they built a huge layout in a matter of a few months. It's not superdetailed, but it looks good, and boy does it operate! His reasons for being in the hobby cause him to manage his resources (including time) differently than I do. Examine your own reasons and manage accordingly.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Hey Chuck,
I understand how you feel. Wasn't too long ago I was in the same boat. I'm in a cramped apartment with not much in the way of room for a big layout. My interest popped in and out like yours. Finally I decided I was going to do it regardless.
Decided on N scale so I could help with the lack of room. Designed a layout with help from many here that was loosely based on Dave Vollmers Pensy. Layout is about 3.5'x7.5' not quite the 4x8. I made it in 4 modules that can be taken apart and stored away. This is a pain because the sections that come apart are not on straightaways but on turns. Makes taking it apart and putting it back together quite a pain but I've been able to manage.
Since then the benchwork is built. Trackwork is down but not perfect. I'm ok with that being this is my training wheels layout as far as I'm concerned. Wiring has started and all feeders are in place. Bus wired come next for me. Already have the bus wires layed out so they can be separated with the layout. New I wanted DCC so bought the Digitrax Zephyr when it was on sale. Buying most things I need on sale when I see them. Using turnout controls similar in design to what Joe Fugate has done on his layout to save money.
Now by no means am I good at any of this stuff. Especially not yet but I wanted to do it so I had to just start. Already have seen how I would do things differently which is great learning for my next layout.
The longer you wait, the closer you get to too late.
Rob
Chuck, you asked how I (the guy who walks around in my moccasins) cope. It's simple. As Popeye was heard to observe, "I yam what I yam." My particular package of skills (or lack thereof) and knowledge are a result of my life experiences. I don't let the greater skills of others intimidate me, and I don't obsess over how I can make myself seem better than I am - which, to be brutally honest, is fairly mediocre.
As for limitations...
One final note. One's personal rail empire doesn't have to be suitable for display in the Smithsonian. It only has to satisfy its owner/operator. If I achieve that, I will consider myself successful.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
From my personal standpoint, I find the last point to be most important. I waited almost 15 years to start a layout because I thought it was going to be a major involvement. Then I finally started one about 4 months ago and I can not believe what I have accomplished on such little time. I often wonder what I would have if I started 15 years ago. Jamie
CLICK HERE FOR THE CSX DIXIE LINE BLOG
Make every effort to do exceptionally good trackwork (no kinks, no gaps/minimal gaps, smooth curves, straight straights, no vertical undulations, etc.). The reason is that this hobby loses a lot of its appeal when the trains derail, stall, or uncouple (when you don't want them to). Track issues can be difficult to fix once it's glued and/or nailed in place. If there is a part of this hobby where being obsessive/compulsive pays off, it's laying track. Expect your trackwork to take quite a bit of time (I estimate that I spend 10-15 minutes per foot of flextrack and each turnout is about 30 minutes to an hour). Still, it's not a race and time spent on your track pays off every minute that you run trains.
By the way, the smaller the scale the pickier the trains become. For example, a 1/16 gap is undesirable in HO scale, but most train traffic will tolerate it; in N scale it will probably cause some trouble; in Z scale...
...it won't be pretty.
Hi!
You have gotten some pretty good advice so far, and take it from one who has been in the hobby since the mid '50s, they know what they are talking about. Let me add a few more cents worth......
Model railroading can be a life long hobby, and I doubt there is a better one (I've looked!). However, you cannot expect to start out with an expert level large layout with all the bells and whistles (pun intended) if you are a newbie. While there may be a few exceptions, it took those of us in the hobby a long time many years to develop the skills, and acquire the stuff (sourced from $$$) to get to what we have today.
Like a lot of MRs, I started with Lionel in the early '50s, and got into HO in the early '60s. My start with HO was a couple of Athearn locos, and a bunch of Athearn kits. The track and turnouts were Atlas sectional, and the scenery was handbuilt with plaster and colored sawdust and lichen. At its peak, there was no more than $100 in it. That was a lot in the early '60s, but was bought over a period of time.
Regarding skills, you will develop them with time and patience and doing a lot of reading and practice. MR is especially wonderful in that you can learn about design, electricity, model building, carpentry, painting, etc., etc. But to get "there" is a never ending process.
Regarding space, many of us started out with no or little space too. Some got very creative (layout under the bed, in a closet, around the bedroom, etc.), but most had to either join a club or wait for the situation to change. Ha, when the last of my 4 children went out on their own, the biggest bedroom was then deemed, "the train room". I was 44 when that happened.
Regarding money, I sure can relate to that. As a teen I shoveled snow (Chicago) and mowed yards and painted until I got a "real part time job" at age 16. And then I married and raising 4 kids took all the spare money there was. However, Christmas and special days always brought with them a few Athearn "blue box" kits ($2-$4 each). In the last several years, train money is no longer a problem - but it sure was in the early years.
So like some folks said earlier, build that fancy model, read all you can, join a club, and never give up!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
shayfan84325 Make every effort to do exceptionally good trackwork (no kinks, no gaps/minimal gaps, smooth curves, straight straights, no vertical undulations, etc.).
Make every effort to do exceptionally good trackwork (no kinks, no gaps/minimal gaps, smooth curves, straight straights, no vertical undulations, etc.).
Absolutely! My "Just do it" comment was more of a state of mind and not a waiver to disregard quality. However, I would add that even if trackwork is not perfect the first time it can be repaired or redone, as I have had to doo on way too many occasions!
As a newcomer to this side (2 rail scale) of the hobby (my kids and I have a Lionel 3 rail layout), I see that a lot of people on this forum have the same thoughts about their layouts that I'm currently having. What do I want to include on and leave off the layout? How much space do I have? Which scale is right for my available space? What era? What roadname? DC or DCC? Etc...This has been an interesting and informative thread for me.
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
Coping? Not me!
To me, the term coping implies some form of behavior modification due to dissatisfaction with a situation.
I went from a 25 x 45 foot double deck layout to an 11 1/2 x 12 foot triple deck layout, but I am not "coping". I am model railroading and having a blast!
This hobby is all how you percieve it and your particular situation. While that big ol' monster layout was fun, the smaller one will keep me busy for years on end. The things that need doing are the same; the planning is the same, the building is the same and the fun is the same.
No coping here; sorry.