JOY of trains!

[Roadtrp]

I love the advice given by the folks on this board with many years of experience, and learn something from them every time I check in.

But I also think of the people (like me) who've just started and hope they don't get intimidated by the advice to buy only Kato equipment or opinions that a $500 railroad is worthless.

My great entry into model railroading started Christmas Eve, when my darling wife gave me an 'N' scale Life Like F40 locomotive, four Bachmann passenger cars, enough track to make a small oval, and a power pack. All together, about $150 in equipment.

I LOVED IT!!!!

Since then I've added enough track to provide a mainline, a line into my station area, and the start of a small yard. I've bought another Life Like locomotive and 6 inexpensive freight cars. My scenery consists of a half dozen plastic built-up buildings, a 'Value Pack' of Woodland Scenics trees and a cheapie pre-fab tunnel (which I made look decent with some of the trees). I think at this point I may have a grand total of $450 invested. It all sits atop my dining room table, waiting for the day when I can move it to a 4 X 8 sheet of foam and start constructing my scenery.

And since day one, it has given me more joy than you can imagine. I've played with my trains AT LEAST an hour every day since Christmas. Heck... watch them run around in circles... what's so bad about that? You are watching TRAINS!!

So for the other beginners out there... don't get discouraged just because you can't do it all right now. If you get JOY from trains like I do... just watching the little buggers run in circles and dreaming about what you can do in the future will keep you happy for quite a while.

[:)]

[DSchmitt]

There are many aspects to model railroading, but beginners usually prefer to run trains. It often takes awhile to really understand there is a lot more to the hobby, Especially for young people. We want them to get started on the right foot. We want to keep them in the hobby. We don't want them to be fustrated by locos that don't run and cars that won't stay on the track.

The track and equipment to run on it are the only really necessary expenses. Good benchwork, scenery and structures can be built with relatively inexpensive or even "found" materials.

52 years playing with trains and I'm still learning.[:D]

[Eriediamond]

Roadtrp, welcome to the world of model railroading. I always enjoy hearing from people just starting out, young and old. Dittos on DSchmitt's reply. I think you may have coined a new term for N scale, "little buggers"[(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D] Z scale could be "little tiney buggers"[:-^][:-^][:-^][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]

[Anonymous]

Roadtrp, your enthusiasm is infectious! I bet there are lots of newbies to the hobby that feel exactly as you do. I rekindled my love of scale trains years ago and I had the same feeling of excitement when I assembled to ovals of track and ran two trains--on the floor! Man, I was like a kid loose in a candy store! The fun only increased when I finished my first layout. It wasn't the best, but I really had fun with it. That's what most important--fun. Letting the inner child come out to play is one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves as adults. My inner child wholeheartedly agrees!

[Anonymous]

I've been playing with trains for more than 50 years and I agree with all that has beensaid above. While my trains no longer run in circles I would still enjoy them if they did! There are darn few wrong answers in this hobby.

Ed

[Anonymous]

My great entry into model railroading started with a good friend. For my birthday in 1985 he gave me a Santa Fe GP38-2, a few freight cars and helped me get the track setup on a 4x8 sheet of plywood - and I was hooked!!

Now medically retired and have a set budget, I too don't have a lot of money for the high $$ trains and accessories. Most of my layout will be scratch built, turning "trash into treasure" [:D] "Would you like paper or plastic sir?"

I love this hobby!

[Anonymous]

I've been kinda re-introduced twice. After my open heart surgery in 2001, My oldest son and my wife thought I needed a different hobby, as I wasn't going to be going to work for a while. My son used to work at Hobby Lobby, and bought one of their Model Power HO Starter sets that had a bad transformer, for $5. Three months later, I had a nice 4x8 layout going in my garage. But then we had to move, and I don't have room for that layout. But last Christmas, she bought me a N scale Bachmann starter set she found on sale. She thought I'd like that, and it's about all we have room for. Yeah, I know, crappy locomotive (it didnt run when I got it, and still hasn't ever run) and crappy cars, but I was started again. So I bought better locomotives a little more track and landscaped. I keep learning and wanting more challenges, so I'm building a little bit bigger set with more opportunities for operation rather than just watching em roll.

One other thing...I've discovered the fun and JOY of railfanning. Bought a scanner, more books, joined a club. No matter how you get into railroad hobbies and what you do with them, it's a blast. I love it....

mike