I will try to get pictures up (need to find camera first, though!) and I may or may not rebuild the layout for about the zillionth time. I look at it when I build it, say "final design!" then about a week later..."what was I doing?"
I have found that I like running the trains but at the same time I want to do some switching work to keep me occupied. It may be hard to do both because we can't convert to DCC (even though I have a DCC engine) so we have to stick to DC.
Now that I think about it, would it harm my DCC engine to run it continously on DC?
Welcome to the forum! You already have a ton of good advice.
Personally, I like to do things my way. I don't mean I always get things "right", but I like to approach projects with my method. Some of what I must eventually learn I get here, some from pondering, some from imagining, some from actually doodling on paper, and some from making scale drawings on paper to make sure it will actually work.
A lot depends on your personality. Are you a do-it-yourselfer, or do you like to try plans and things that others have done to see if you want to go further? In my case, I didn't want to copy other plans. I wanted my model railroad to be "me", or "mine" entirely. That has consequences. It means I was likely to build a few more important errors into my first kick at the can. And so I did. If I had followed some published plans, the chances are that the people who had planned them had known which pitfalls not to include. Things like too much track crammed into a given space....just 'cuz. Or tracks on curves too close to other tracks inside that curve. Or curves too tight. Or turnouts in the wrong place. Making me reach so far into a large layout that I was always knocking things over. You get the idea....
This hobby is one of discovery. You'll learn as much about yourself as you will about the way to build a solid, functional, and fun longterm model train layout that will keep you busy and interested in using it in a year's time. You'll learn that you may be the type that gets impatient and decides that some things are 'good enough'. Or you'll take shortcuts and have to undo them later. Or you'll learn that actually building a layout, and taking your time to do it all right, takes many weeks, months, and in some cases years, and that is really what you like...the building, and not so much having the "finished" layout on which to play with your trains. There are many members of this forum who would be lost if they weren't building still.
You can get a lot of help and solid advice here, but in the end...you're the guy handling the tools and using them to make materials take on a shape that you have chosen. For most of us, that is not only the challenge, but half the fun.
Enjoy!
Welcome to the fourms. You may not be "old" in years, but you do have some maturity by showing that you know to ask questions and have found a great place to ask them. Someone here can answer almost any question you can come up with. As noted above, you do have to answer a few yourself as to your preferences. Making a list is a good idea era, continuous running, switching and a whole lot of others can be included and it can be modified as you go. Space is a big factor, but some of these folks have done wonders in very limited space.
As to not having a finished layout, I'm not sure there is such a thing. Many of the beautiful scenes we see are on layouts that still have "plywood central" at the other end. When one does "finish" (all parts having some scenery), they often go back and redo some parts using the new skills they have gained as they progressed or increase the amount of detail in a scene. It can be a never ending process, which is part of the fun, keep improving. As to the kits you have, leave the complex ones on the shelf and do the easier ones first, as you gain skill and confidence those kits will come into your new skill range. I have a number of kits that I know I am not ready to tackle, but have purchased some simpler ones to get me started and improve my skills. Time is my biggest limiting factor at the moment.
As for the easiest way to make mountains there are two general ways, plaster cloth or paper towels soaked in plaster over a cardboard web form and pink or blue foam stacked up, glued together and cut to the shape you want. If you are going to plant a lot of trees, I'd recommend foam as you just punch a hole and push the tree in. If it is a background hill that will have only the crowns of the trees showing either will work. Some folks have trouble finding the foam in their areas, I've been lucky, just take a trash bag to a building site and ask if they mind if I pick up the scraps, even small pieces can be turned into dirt piles, small hills, car loads and many other things. It reduces their scrap load, so I've never been turned down. When gluing the foam together I use cheap latex caulk, some use Liquid Nails for Projects (safe for foam), others suggest white of yellow glue, some have trouble with it drying. Searching these fourms will give you many answers on construction methods.
Read magazines, specialty books and these fourms, then think about what you've read. Ask questions, put it together and take a step. Don't be afraid to go backwards once in awhile either, when something new comes into the mix it can change things. Looking forward to hearing from you again.
Have fun,
I would begin by looking at some of the project layouts that MR has done over the years. Many of these are 4x8 HO plans with fairly simple operating schematics. They may not be the most creative endeavours, but they are very good projects for building skills, and getting an understanding of the many varied tasks it takes to build a complete model railroad.
When I was your age, I started with this mess, and needless to say it never reached a stage of completion. Bite off what you can chew.
Also, don't think of this layout as your tour de force. It will very much be a laboratory, where there will be many failed experiments! But that's okay! It took Thomas Edison 1,000 attempts to find the right filament for the light bulb. When asked how he felt about failing that many times, he responded that he hadn't failed at all. He successfully discovered 999 materials that didn't work!
I guess the most important advice I can give you is to take your time on your track work and wiring. Those are the two fundamentals that will determine whether you have fun running trains. Kinked track and spotty connections will kill your enthusiasm quicker than anything.
Don't get ahead of yourself and slap down sloppy track so you can hurry up and build your mountain. The scenery will all happen in time. But there's no point in building a beautiful bunch of scenery if the trains don't move, or derail all the time.
Keep checking in with your progress, and don't forget to post photos and ask questions. Very few of us here bite.
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Hi! I think that the first consideration is the space that you actually have for a layout and the location. Would it be against a wall or would it be free standing with access from 2,3 or 4 sides. This is important because you will want to reach most of the items on the layout. The actual location often dictates the size availability. With HO, you really do not have to stay within the infamous 4' x 8'. Variations such as 5' x 7' or even 6' square work well. I would try not to fall into a mind pre-set. (Of course, odd sizes will require cutting assistance so you will have to think about this too.)
Next, "focus". Are you planning on operating a railroad (that is managing like individual cab control, siding runs etc.) or are you going to build a layout and enjoy watching the trains run around. I think I said too much!
The main thing, start with an idea and then "Go Slow". Remember that old saying, "Rome was not built in a day". Neither was the ultimate layout. Things and ideas change.
You asked about mountains. To the left of this forum page, there is "Search Community". Type in 'mountains'. You will be able to see previous posts on the subject. A lot can be said about mountains but a well planned flat landscape will, I think, be just as nice.
Go slow (where did I hear that before) and enjoy the process.
One last thing. The guys and gals on this forum know a lot and are always willing to answer both general and specific questions. Don't be afraid to ask even "Trains 101" questions.
All the best and good luck.
... any type of model railroading is fun, but not being stuck to a rectangular confinement is even more fun! Especiall if you do not have to reach over 4 feet to solder, put in scenery etc.
But that´s my view - there are rightfully many others!
Sir Madog Last but not least - available space - how big and what shape can your layout have. Try to avoid those 4 by 8, if possible...
Last but not least - available space - how big and what shape can your layout have. Try to avoid those 4 by 8, if possible...
I know you can get alot of railroad in a 4 x 8 I've done just that.
4x8 are fun too!!! RussellRail
BTW - I am now converting to DCC. That's a lot of fun with all of the old wiring. :-)
Roger Hensley= ECI Railroad - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/eci/eci_new.html == Railroads of Madison County - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/ =
I can only tell you what my experience has been. This time (1983), I started with a 4 x 7 layout. That was two tracks with one being a figure 8. No yard. Soon, I decided that I needed a yard and I added a small one at one end of the layout.
Then I decided that I needed a larger yard and I tore the yard out and replaced it. Well, then it seemed a good idea to have a city with it's own yard, and then, and then, the grain elevator...
Well, it would be better if I had planned it, but it does work good with all of the changes I have made. There is only one thing on the railroad that was there when it was a 4 x 7 and that is a farm.
See http://cid.railfan.net/eci_new.html
Hi OldRailFan,
welcome to the forum!
Even for an old railfan like me , I have been into model railroading for over 46 years now, it is not easy to answer your short and innocent questions.
There are no do´s or don´ts in our hobby - it al depends on you to decide which way you go. That is the difficult part of it. Before planning and building a layout you should have a clear picture of what you would want to have in it. What type of operation you prefer to have - is it switchung or just running trais, or is it both? What type of setting your layout will have in terms of rural or town, type of landscape, i.e. desert, mountain, shore?
You see, there are many questions that you have to answer for yourself in order to plan a proper layout. The best is to make a written list of your requirements in all aspects, because you need to revisit this in the planning process many times to find your compromise!
Hi, my name is OldTrainFan, despite what it says, I am actually 14 years old. (Trying to figure out how to change the name) I am currently modeling in the HO scale. My dad had a friend who was modeling in HO, but he has since moved on to HOn3...giving us his array of unfinished/half-finised kits, rolling stock, locomotives and excess track. The kits, altogether came to about 10 or 12, plenty enough to keep any modeler busy for a long time! But, due to my inexperience building these models, I've only been able to finish less than a third of them. Some, like the Medusa Cement, I've started but ended due to the model being out of my experience range.
With that done, let's go to the meat of this!
My soon-to-be-named railroad is your normal Midwestern town, supplemented by the local railroad, which, due to the economy has been forced to use and lease older equipment. A mountain range sits north of the town, so unless the owner feels he can put in the time and money to build a tunnel, here the road stays.
The main industries the railroad services are a local grain farm, a small packing industry and the local feed & seed. If the owner expands, he may find a nice little cement factory nearby.
The layout itself is unfinished - terrible, I know! It's been like this for nearly a year, as my dad and I haven't been able to build the benchwork and I've just now finalized my plans.
I want to know several things before we start doing this. They are:
1. As a beginning modeler with plenty of rolling stock, locomotives and the like, do I absolutely need a yard or can I make do with a siding set aside for outgoing trains?
2. Should I focus, given the above, that I focus on switching or actually running trains to destinations and the like?
3. What is the easiest way to make mountains?
Thank you all for taking the time to reply and read.