Where should I start?

[Anonymous]

I'm new to Model Railroading and I was hoping for some advice.
Where should I buy my first set? Online, hobby shop or should I piece it together? What's the best deal?
I'm trying to decide between N scale and HO, which one seems better to you all? I realize that each one has it's benefits, but overall which is the best?
I would appreciate any feedback you could give, thank you.

[eastcoast]

Before help arrives, answer these.
How old? Good eyesight ? Lots of space ?
I model HO. I am 30. I started at my local hobby shop.
I bought a new house to fit my layout. I have a 12.5 ' X 13 '
in progress. Best advise. READ ALOT BEFORE YOU PUT
INTO ACTION. REVIEW SOME OF THE COUNTLESS FORUM
Q & A ON THIS SIGHT TO GET MANY MORE ANSWERS YOU NEED.
Doing your homework here will pay off in the long run.
Welcome to model railroading.
Ken_ecr

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice. I'm 33. I've been trying to read everything I can get my hands on, including this forum. I leaning towards HO. I'm just so fired up I want to buy something and get started, right now I have nothing. I've copied down a few websites I've seen on other posts in this forum. I just wasn't sure if buying online would be cheaper than buying at the local hobby shop.

[Anonymous]

i understand excited, most of us have been there once or twice. go fishing, take a trip and do some railfanning, read every thing about railroading you can lay your hands on, the excitement remains but is tempered with understanding of what you have decided you want and how you want to get there. i have been in ho for over 30 years. now with my eyes not as good as they once were, i am more pleased than ever with my choice. also, ho has far and away the most high quality items available; scenery, structures, locomotives, rolling stock and every detail you could ever need. i m modeling in an area 12' x 24' so the need for something smaller than ho is not relevant. i have recently begun tampering in proto O, 1:48. who knows? sell the house? get a small house with a large outbuilding on it and go O all the way? the thought has certainly crossed my mind. oh yes, when you are ready to take the plunge, purchase the very best equipment you can afford. maybe even wait to make a purchase so you can get the absolute best. it will keep you from the frustration of needing several hours maintenance for every hour of operation, and the hobby will remain exciting and satisfying.

[Anonymous]

I used to take a ribbing from my friends at the LHS because I was in N, the same from my friend's when I was over at their layouts. You'd always hear versions of the same thing, N was so small, why you couldn't even see them. Finally I stumbled on this line that shut them up; I would say: "If you can't see N scale, you should surrender your driver's license." N really has two sizes, HO also but it is more noticeable in N. N is a contemporary scale, you will see very little steam and lots of diesels, and many modern diesels out there in use today.

The first size is the steam/diesel transition size, with smaller engines and rolling stock, lots of 40 foot box cars for instance. The other size is today's cars and engines, SD90's and autoMAX's, centre beam cars, articulated intermodal, etc. The large stuff almost looks like G scale in HO. A friend of mine was running some new HO autoMAX's on a 1/2 a basement layout and did it ever shrink the layout, really big cars make layouts smaller. But in N the same AutoMAX's look just great, same with SD90's. In N having two SD90's lashed together looks great, in HO it looks bizarre unless your basement is gymnasium size.

What I would recommend is to have the scale you chose match the room you have. MR once ran a coffee table layout in O scale if I remember correctly. Now of course it can be done, but because it can be done is not a good enough reason to do it. N is a better coffee table layout size, more can be done visually and operationally in a coffee table with N. If the amount of room you have isn't that great (by your definition) then you might want to consider N. You can have an empire in N which would be a medium layout in HO. If you have more room, go HO. Have the scale fit the space, not the space forced to fit the scale.

Next there are deals out there to be had in model railroading, but when you first start out stay away from the "deals." There are also many bad deals out there. Buy everything separate from the Local Hobby Shop LHS. Tell your LHS owner or clerk you are in the hobby for life and you expect the equipment you buy to run well, last long and look great (this means it will cost more). The hobby is expensive but spread over 20 to 50 years is affordable and you have more left to own and see than a sport like golf that eats money with only a score card to show for it, and that you usually throw away.

If you are thinking about making a purchase ask about it in the forum first until you get your sea legs. Just keep reading and participating in the forum and before long you will be shocked to discover you too are starting to dispense advise.

[Jetrock]

One piece of advice would be to do a little reading and dreaming first, including at least one book of track plans (probably 101 TRACK PLANS by Kalmbach.) Rather than buying a train set, buy the engines and cars that you want off the shelf--it may cost a bit more but the quality will be worth it and you'll get exactly what you want.

Don't be in a hurry to build a layout, but don't take too long to start either! Start with something small and manageable (the ever-popular 4x8 or a shelf layout) to learn skills and work your way up to the gigantic empire of your dreams...

[IRONROOSTER]

If you can, go to some train shows that have layouts set up. They usually have N, HO, O, and sometimes S and G. Don't worry about the tinplate aspect to the O and S, scale is available also. This will give you some idea of size of the trains vs size of layout. By actually seeing the trains in operation you can get a better idea of which size you want. All scales have advantages and disadvantages. The trick is finding the compromise that works best for you.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Well, if you want a set, I suggest a Bachmann/Spectrum. Real quality locomotives and cars with a good power pack. (of course, if you use DCC, you won't be needing it)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[Anonymous]

I would say make sure you have a plan first. Put all your ideas down on paper, then visit your LHS and see if it is possible. Also, it is generally a good idea to keep an open mind as plans do change as you get going. At 26, my original layout plan has been changed about 10 times and is still undergoing constant review. (especially from fellow club members).

[Hawks05]

i'm just starting as well. i'm only 17 so i have good eyesight for the most part. do have glasses but those help. i'm modeling in HO scale. the only set i have is from 1992 whant i was abotu 5 or 6. i've bought everything in pieces. so far i've bought 3 locomotives (Athearn, Atlas, and Proto 2000) i've also bought 16 pieces of rolling stock. i've also bought 3 books and my friend gave me 2 for free. i haven't read them the whole way through yet but i've read some and its helped. i also read about different track plans and i picked out one that i will probably use once i get everything i need.

things to do to get started that i've found help are read books and magazines, talk to fellow MRRs like the people here. visit the LHS (no matter how much stuff they have that is useless to you, in my case passenger cars), price things to see how much you'd be willing to spend on stuff. i haven't bought anything brand new yet from a hobby shop. i've bought 2 things that were brand new from shows but one was a kit and was already put together and the other was just brand new. shop around for the best deals. if you are strapped for cash like me thats the only way to go. i've bought 2 things off of ebay so far. thats where i'll probably be doing a lot of shopping now until January. and just have fun with it. thats what hobbies are for.