want to start hobby... please help.

[Anonymous]

i know nothing about model railroading but is really interested in the hobby. please help me start.... what scale should i start with... and what brand? from which online store should i order from ?

[lupo]

[#welcome]
I think you found a great place to start off when you want information about Modelrailroading, there is a vast knowledge available on these fora on all questions you may have.
when starting off, one of the things to think about is how much space you have available for a lay-out, and what kind of operations you would like to model, than you could decide wich schale suits your interests most.
If you browse through this forum you come across many links to members' websites, you can get a good idea about all possibilities in model railroading!
Have fun!

[IRONROOSTER]

The NMRA has a beginners page at http://www.nmra.org/beginner/ . This site also has several good articles - click on Model Railroader above and go to ABCs of model railroading. Each scale has it's own advantages and dis advantages. If you can, go to some train shows that have layouts in different scales. In general the smaller scales focus on the setting (scenery) and allow for longer trains or smaller layouts. Larger scales focus more on the trains and require more room. Any scale can be done in a spare bedroom. HO is the most widely used and available scale and has the largest selection of products. It also has many low cost (with less detail) lines. If you like building things consider the larger scales S and O. If long trains are your passion look at N.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

I'd say HO - it offers models that are large enough to work on easily but takes up a reasonably small space. Models worth investigating to make a start with minimal outlay include Athearn (they make the famous "Blue Box" kits which are very easy to assemble and look good when built, just add Kadee couplers instead of the E-Z mates they come with), and Walthers Trainline. You'll find the Kadee website very useful ( www.Kadee.com ) when working out what couplers you need to fit a loco or car - though they sometimes get a little confused in my experience!

Best of luck with starting in the hobby, if you post questions here on the forum you'll get friendly responses that should help you sort out the problem.

[Eriediamond]

Hey jkm2003 (southern for hello), Welcome to the forum and the hobby. I don't mean for this to sound negative, but before we can give you any absolute answers we need to know a few things like your modeling abilities, interests as far as what type of trains you like, will you have someone to help you, those kind of things. Follow Lupo's and Ironroosters smart advice above but I will only add that I would advise you to start off with a small layout to gain the needed skills. Once you do that, then you can move on to a larger layout and use most of what you invested in on that small layout on your larger one. Again, welcome and good luck. Ken PS I noticed you ask about online sites to order from. I would suggest visiting a hobby shop, as youcan get some help there and see whats available to you.

[Anonymous]

One advice I would give is to buy documentation first, read, get informed, and then you can start your first layout. MR has a lot of nice and interesting books, some of them I've bought and some I plan to buy. Just remember that there's no rush, better be informed than to make huge mistakes, then you can have a lot of fun for years to come [:p]

[Anonymous]

Besides the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association), you can also find lots of info at www.greatesthobby.com.

[Anonymous]

Before you make a bunch of decisions that you might latter regret, you will want to start with the basics of deciding on a scale - the most popular are HO, N and depending on your area G. G is an "outdoor" scale usually utilized in "garden layouts." Most usually start with a favourite scale and then sometimes will try and smash a square peg into a round hole. In other words, the scale doesn't suit the space they have.

So let me ask you how much space do you have?
Will it be a smaller layout like a 4 by 8 foot job?
Do you have a room or area (like the garage) you can dedicate to a layout?

The best suggestion I can give you now is to do nothing until you have acquired at least some basic knowledge so that your decisions will be informed by what you have learned. Probably the best way into the hobby, is to start buying Model Railroad mags, the very best ones are the used ones you might find in your area at discounted prices. I'd rather have ten MR mags that are a couple of years old, than one brand new one. (I don't work for or am related to MR in anyway, but the mag is still the best mag for a beginner).

When reading the mag, pay attention to the size of the layout in relation to the space available to see if any of them could possibly "work" in your space.

The best thing you can do right now is read, read, read and then read some more. Your reading will naturally create questions you might have about what you might possibly do, then ask here in this forum and the layout forum.

Also stay plugged into the forum and make it a habit to read it at least 3 or 4 times a week. You will find many of your questions asked time and again with many varied answers.

[Anonymous]

HO is the most popular scale, but N is growing fast!

If you want a RR empire, go N.

If you want to detail your locos/rolling stock, HO is far easier - especially with MY vision!

That's why I'm in HO.

Here is my "take" on HO loco and rolling stock brands. Others will disagree, I'm sure, but compare them for yourself and see what YOU like!

The better brands usually have more detail, a better motor/drive system and, in the case of Atlas Master Gold, a DCC decoder and perhaps sound!

In order of the best (and most expensive - you get what you pay for!):

Diesel locomotives:

1. Atlas Master
2. Kato
3. Life-Like Proto2000 (P2K)
4. Stewart
5. Athearn Genesis
6. Atlas Classic
7. Athearn RTR
8. Life-Like Proto 1000 (P1K)
9. Athearn blue box

(Avoid generic LL, Bachmann, Tyco, Model Power! I'm not sure where Broadway is yet.)

Steamers:

1. Broadway
2. Proto 2000 Heritage
3. Bachmann (certain models better than others - their 2-8-0 is great!)
4. Athearn Genesis

Rolling Stock:

1. Atlas (RTR - "Ready to Roll")
2. P2K (kits or RTR)
3. Kadee (RTR)
4. Intermountain (RTR or Kits)
5. Stewart (RTR)
6. Athearn Genesis (RTR)
7. Branchline (kits)
8. Athearn RTR
9. Athearn blue box (kits)

As has been said, most people start with the Athearn kits, but you can get far more detail and more accurate paint/markings more accuate lighting and a better drive system on the others. You can superdetail the Athearn BB locos, but all those parts add up fast! Of course, if you enjoy superdetailing, have at it!

I like to detail, too, but would rather start with an Atlas loco and add a smaller number of specific detail parts to bring the model up to a Rock Island look. I then have a better detailed loco that has a superb motor/drive, realistic directional lights, etc.

But regardless of your choice, the main thing is to have fun !!!

[Anonymous]

tnx everyone for all the ideas and suggestions.

did some browsing on the web regarding the manufacturers of model trains and found out that many of the big players make their products in China.

does anyone have a list of manufacturers of model trains and where they manufacture their products.

thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Oh, so you're another guy who hates this Made in China junk (not calling models junk, but where they're made.). Here's a list of what I've found out:
(HO, N and DCC mfg'rs)
Athearn: Blue Box made in USA, most R-T-R, Genesis made in China.

Atlas: all made in China. (except maybe some track made in USA, but they probably outsourced that too.)

American Model Builders/Laserkit: all made in USA

Bachmann: all made in China. (is this getting depressing yet?)

Branchline Trains: all made in USA.

Bowser: all made in USA.

Broadway Limited: made in Korea. [xx(]

CVP Products: all made in USA (possibly w/ some imported parts.)

Digitrax: all made in USA. (though possibly w/ some imported components)

Intermountain: kits made in USA, ready-to-run items made in China.

Kadee: all made in USA.

Life-Like: all made in China.

North Coast Engineering: made in USA (possibly w/ some imported parts)

North West Short Line: all made in USA.

Red Caboose: all made in USA.

Soundtraxx: all made in USA w/ some imported components.

Walthers: all made in China.

(O scale mfg'rs)
Lionel: all made in China or Korea.

MTH: all made in China or Korea.

I hope this helps. I keep track of where products are made too, and I try to do business mostly with the companies that do make their models in USA. (However, as a note, if you want r-t-r locomotives made in the USA, you can forget about it, but as for track, structures, scenery, and rolling stock, you will find many companies that manufacture in the USA.)


Hope to hear more from you, jkm2003.

[Anonymous]

Rivarossi: Made in Italy
Peco: Made in the UK.

[Don Gibson]

WANT to start?? Keep it SIMPLE.

Learn about the hobby and what others are doing. Buy some issues of MODEL RAILROADER.

FIND a LOCAL HOBBY SHOP that has a good train department. These are often staffed by Modelers working part time, who can answer your questions.

DO NOT BUY ONLINE and AVOID MAIL ORDER DISCOUNTERS.
You need a source that can give advice, fix problems, or replace defective items. Most of all listen to your problems.

SCALE? Your choice. Do you want to RUN trains? (N); or OPERATE trains? (HO).
It used to be N was cheaper. No longer. How much SPACE do you have?

[Anonymous]

What would you like your railroad to do? I wanted a railroad that was like real trains. Do you like to switch rail cars or just watch the train run and switch tracks. Do you like more scenery as the train passes. I was in O scale. But I could never get the train line I wanted and always had trouble with the couplers while switching cars. Ho gave me the availability and thanks to Kaydee the couplers I needed for switching rails cars. I have seen really great scenery done in N scale that looks so real. Think hard before you spend your money, what you want the railroad to do.