Hi All,
I'm Sean from Indiana. I've been reading the forum for a little while and decided to create an account. I've been in and out of the hobby over the years and finally have a spot to build a small layout. I grew up with the C&O in my home town in Northern Kentucky in the 1970s and 80s. That has been the main focus of my model railroading activities in HO scale. I've already learned a lot by reading forum member comments and insights. Looking forward to participating in the forum.
Thanks all!
Sea-n-Tow
Welcome. I lived in Indiana for a long time until moving to GA about three years ago.
Looking forward to reading your comments here.
- Douglas
Sea-n-TowI'm Sean from Indiana. I've been reading the forum for a little while and decided to create an account.
Welcome to the forum! We all become one big family after a while. Don't worry if your first posts don't show up right away. The forum is moderated and your first posts may take a while to appear.
Keep us informed how your layout comes along. If you ever have a question, there are some real experts on here in just about every part of model railroading who will answer.
York1 John
I too started out reading posts! I do hope you stick around and gain as much enjoyment out of these forums as I do!
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
Sean from Indiana. I too lurked for a while before joining, then I figured these good people couldn't answer my questions if I didn't ask them so I joined up.
I have a C & O 2-10-4 pullin for the CPR on my layout and it is a juggernaut and a favourite. How it ended up working in Canada? Well, the story makes sense to those that know history.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Hi Sean!
Welcome to the forums!!
Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. There are a bunch of people here who can help.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
SPSOT fan I too started out reading posts! I do hope you stick around and gain as much enjoyment out of these forums as I do!
That makes two of us!
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
Thanks all for the warm welcome! I’m currently trying to decide where to start. I have approximately 14x18 feet of space in a room in my basement, but not confident with building a layout that big at the moment. The track plans on MRR have been a great resource. Ultimately, I would like to build something small to start running trains this winter and add on sections later.
I’ll be spending time researching and there are plenty of model railroader shows in the area this fall!
Welcome. I lived between Kokomo and Peru Indiana at Bunker Hill AFB as a kid for 4 years in the 60's and in Bloomington during college years 1983/84 and 1989-1994 (Grad school).
Welcome.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Sea-n-Tow Thanks all for the warm welcome! I’m currently trying to decide where to start. I have approximately 14x18 feet of space in a room in my basement, but not confident with building a layout that big at the moment. The track plans on MRR have been a great resource. Ultimately, I would like to build something small to start running trains this winter and add on sections later.
I think it’s a great idea to build in small bits! I honestly am beginning to prefer small layouts over big ones. You see people who have huge layouts that they’ve been working on for years and still have bare plywood in places and limited scenery, and then you have folks who do a small layout and put a lot of work into it and add all sorts of nice details! The smaller layout usually ends up more complete and looks better.
Personally I build a tabletop for a 4x8, but at the moment (and likely throughout the whole existpence of my current layout) I only use about half of it for railroad. The other half is my workbench and storage (read piles of junk!).
When looking at MR trackplans don’t be afraid to change stuff to better suit your needs! People on the forums are usually pretty go at helping people design layouts, so if you want feel free to talk about your idea here!
Welcome to the forums! I too agree that starting small and leaving room for growth is a sound idea. My 2nd (current) layout is far larger and more enjoyable than the 1st.
The forums here are a fantastic resource, but you can also benefit from finding a local NMRA group or hobby shop. Having that face-to-face contact is invaluable. You can learn so much from a mentor; I have enjoyed a few and they provide such invaluable help.
One reason that many leave the hobby is they get overwhelmed with everything and get sticker shocked from the expenses. Going slow and not over-buying is a sound approach. While you pay more in shipping than buying many things at once, I find feeling overwhelmed is frustrating. Hobbies are fun, so make the most of it!
First off ! We were ALL the new kids on the forum. I've learned a lot from ideas that have been presented here, as I'm sure you will, too.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I wouldn’t worry too much about operations and track plans right now. Pick out something simple and build it. There are plenty of “how to “ books on bench work and everything else you need to know. Consider this your ”learning layout “ This is where you learn the many skills you‘ll need later on when you build the layout you always wanted. Don’t pick a plan where you do too much of one thing. Believe me, you don’t want to ballast more than 20 or 30 feet of track in your attempt at it! Choose structures in a variety of materials
I started with a 60 sq.ft. layout and after various reconstructions I somehow ended up with 600 sq.ft. layout with nothing but a few structures from the original. (Which really look like they were learning kits)
Where you are now in the hobby is not where you will be years from now.
Just have fun with it
Sea-n-TowI have no experience with prototype operation and mostly enjoy the modeling aspects of the hobby. I feel I could grow into more operation as I gain a more thorough understanding, but for now I just want to run something in a circle!
Agreed. I just started last year, and it was an encouraging event when I finally got a train running around the track. I changed things and I added a lot, but that first small loop with a train running on it made a world of excitement.
After looking at what seems like every track plan in the MRR database as well as combing through my personal collection of books and magazines, I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea what kind of layout I want long-term. I am working in a large, unfinished basement and am in the middle of a remodeling project that will eventually create a 17x18 finished room that the layout will reside in.
Doughless Welcome. I lived in Indiana for a long time until moving to GA about three years ago. Looking forward to reading your comments here.
The hobby is only as fun as you want to make it.
Sea-n-TowThe starting point is an L girder design in 5x12. I am still playing around with the track plan, but am thinking a little more than half of this could eventually be incorporated as a peninsula in whatever my long-term layout ends up being. For now, it will give me the ability to create a loop, experiment with elevations and scenery.
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That all sounds like a great place to start. I did not realize it at the time, but all my early layouts were experimentations and an experience of learning things as I went along.
I always encourage people to just keep building.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Welcome aboard. To avoid the common pitfall of getting overwhemed, I suggest buidling up a suitable library. Most any books from Jeff Wilson provide digestable information to build a layout.
Another great resource is joining an NMRA club. I'm a big believer in having a mentor. Getting sage advice saves a ton of time, money, and frustration. You cannot go wrong with a helpful mentor.
Thanks again all! I’ll post more as I make progress.