getting started

[Anonymous]

my dad and i are preparing to build a maodel train layout based on one or more of the train trips we have taken together. my dad had a small set from when he was a kid that we ran togehter when i was much younger but it was lost in the big "D." can any one tell me if i can purchase and where ,realistic landscapes and track layouts for particular rail lines.we took a lot of pictures but not near enougj to replicate the trip.dad is in the process of building the (platform?) that we will build it on in the garage it will be about 20'x20' and hang from the ceiling on a cable pully setup like his old one was in his room.but he said i have to help locate the varios parts.i am really interested in the tahachapi loop and possibly adding a hi-desert or other connecting line as well[?]

[IRONROOSTER]

Welcome to the hobby. You can't really purchase landscapes other than a few generic ones for up to 4x8 layouts. You'll have to build your own if you want to replicate a specific trip you took. Even though a 20x20 layout is huge, it still at best represents a few miles of the prototype, even in N scale. This means you will have to be very selective in terms of scenes you include and may have to compress them. One approach might be to replicate the passenger train you rode, a freight train that you saw, and then a few specific scenes such as the loop. This will give you and your dad a train each to run.

You might want to consider building something a smaller than 20x20 until you get some experience. It's very easy to get over extended in this hobby and get frustrated. Building a layout from design to benchwork, through track laying, to scenery and buildings takes some care to ensure that everything works well when your done.

This site (and others) has several pages for the beginner. Click on Model Railroader above and then on the various topics under Modeling on the left. Your local hobby store should have several books by Kalmbach for beginners as well as more advanced modelers.

Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

20 x 20 is a great size! Nice to have so much room...!

Just for clarification - are you talking about raising and lowering a 20x20 layout ? I would think that is going to be very difficult. The weight of such a layout might be substantial, even with benchwork made of extruded foam, and the lightest structure possible. Also, I would think that flexing would be a problem when the layout is in motion - cracking plaster or causing buildings to move...

As far as looking for reference materials, this can be one of the best parts of the hobby. There is plenty on the Tahachapi - you could start with back issues of MR - my hobby shop sells them for 50 cents each. As Paul mentioend above, even with 20x20, you will have to pick some favourite locations to model, and fill in the rest with landscapes, etc, that capture the flavour of the area, since 20x20 will only be able to accomodate a few miles of the real world.

Andrew