General Discussion (Model Railroader)

I had model rr layouts 30+ years ago and due to the house we lived in, I had no room to setup a layout.  Now my wife and I have a new house and I finally have some room in the basement for a new layout.  My first and most important question at this point is:  I still have all my ho stuff from 30 years ago. What should I be doing to the locomotives and other rolling stock to get them ready to roll again, and also what about the track and switches that I have.  (And I have lots of it/them.)  I know there are probably some long drawn out answers, but I am looking for the short answers here.  Also are there any resources out there (books, internet etc.) that would give some help in this area.  I have tried to keep up with the hobby thru the magazines and internet so I am aware of all the new stuff out there that I will work into the old stuff that I have as I can afford it.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I live in Savoy Illinois which shares a common city limits line with Champaign.  I have a perfect view out my back door and deck of the Illinois Central/Canadian National north-south mainline and really enjoy watching what goes by on the tracks.

Thanks

Russ

 

Russ, welcome back to the hobby.

I had virtually the same issue as you 20 year old rolling stock that had not been run for decades.  I took the shells off the locos, cleaned out all the fluff and stuff that was clearly not meant to be part of the drive train.  Gave the loco a very slight lube job (didn't want too much oil in there) and gave them a run.  You may have to clean the wheels but I think you may be surprised at how well they run, I sure was.

Now as for the track.  If it is old brass rail track I would junk it.  If it is nickel silver track there is probably no reason why a quick clean would not make it very serviceable.

Good luck with the basement plans

 

I'm sure your track is brass - NS, if it did exist then, would be OK, but brass is for scrap value!  Go to a train show or hobby shop & check out DCC & sound - if you don't have too many locos you may want to upgrade your power pack to a DCC unit.

WELCOME BACK TO THE HOBBY!!

Hi, and welcome.  I would urge you to do as you have been advised above, and enjoy the process and the reminiscences.  At some point while you are enjoying what you have (had), you may decide that you would like to tackle a substantial layout with some of the modern methods of both construction and train control.  It will be at this point that your hobby costs will triple and quadruple if you go at it without some several hours of reading and planning, including deciding on a central theme or time period.  Many members here are truly experts and will likely urge you to read and to plan as you go about nurturing your old favourites.

Please do so.

Welcome to the forum and to the club. There seem to be A LOT of us coming back after various layoffs.

Suggestions:

1. Read the mags and know what you want before you start building. Things have changed a lot, and planning from what you remember, will be frustrating down the line.

2. There are people who use brass track and get aong fine, but I started over with NS.

3. Get DCC. I started with DC because I knew it, and all it accomplished is wasting a couple hundred and a year of fun. I ended up with DCC radio, and its the most fun I have ever had.

4. If you like scenery, get Lou Sassi's book, things have really changed. I build almost everything with Foam, Woodland Scenics and ground goop. All was new to me, but works so very well.

5. The best single source is this forum.

Good luck and keep us posted. My wife gave me her music studio when she retired, and it certainlyis fun to have a great train room.

I'm a few months ahead of you. The stuff that I had as a kid in the mid 60s is long gone. From what I've seen, it would have made some nice decoration on inactive sidings but not much more. The equipment today may look similar to what your 30+ year old stuff looks like, but the similarities pretty much end there. Digital electronics have invaded the world of model railroading just like almost every other aspect of our daily lives but this is a good thing. The company that sponsors this website and publishes "Model Railroader" has several publications on what seems like every aspect of the hobby available. I believe most of these are available for purchase on line and also at your Local Hobby Store (aka: LHS).

I've been lurking around on this message board picking up tidbits or info and advice for several months now and believe me, there is a wealth of information that is shared here. I've made it a point to avoid posting until I got a feel for things and just made my first posts earlier this week. In fact, I've already even given some advice.

Go to your nearest LHS and introduce yourself. I'm sure that someone on this board can direct you to a few LHSs that already carry their stamp of approval in your neck of the woods. Do your homework and part of the homework should include at least one field trip to the LHS(s). Do yourself a favor, and don't buy anything on your first visit but do bring a list of questions that you haven't been able to find answers to. If you aren't happy with the knowledge level, take your business across the street. Another advantage is you won't buy something you don't really need.

Do a Google search and find out where the local clubs are and when they meet. Most I've seen seem to have regular monthly open houses to show off their pride and joy. I've been to several clubs here in Southern California and also in the northern end of the state and have been welcomed with open arms. I only wish that my work schedule allowed me to join a club and participate. I'm sure it would be a major boost to my learning curve if I could.

The web is also a tremendous resource for information on prototypical railroading, history and you can find just about every manufacturer of what you will need for your layout as you no doubt already know.Finally if you are in Chicago, make it point to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. By all accounts, it is something to see. I'm planning on visiting it when the weather there warms up and the Cubs are playing at Wrigley.

 

I, too, am modeling with a lot of 1960's era rolling stock.  The only difference is that some of it has been operating almost continuously since I bought it.

I agree that nickel silver rail is far superior to brass, and am of the opinion that flex track is far superior to sectional (but does require a bit of care in both design and installation.)

At this point in your return, the trick is to make haste slowly.  If you don't have it, get a copy of John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation.  You can buy it right on this site, just click shop above, then books, then layout building and operation.  That will give you a foundation and some idea of what you can (and can't) fit into your space.

Enjoy!  That's what it's all about.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

Russ wrote:

What should I be doing to the locomotives and other rolling stock to get them ready to roll again

I would set up a test loop of track and just get them out one at a time.  Test run each one and do whatever maintenance it needs.   If you are moving to DCC, evaluate the cost of converting the locomotive to what it would take to buy a whole new one with the new technology.  Convert them one at a time.  That way you have two fleets.  On sitting in the storage box condition unknown and another that is 100% ready for use on the layout.

also what about the track and switches that I have.  (And I have lots of it/them.)

I can't think of anyway track or switches can "go bad" sitting on the shelf.  Use the stuff you have where you can and supliment it with the new.  Track is pretty compatible.  I combine (mix and match) Atlas, Peco, Shinohara, and Walthers all the time.  I also mix code 100, 83, and 70.  

 Clean ... inspect and lube those engines first ! Also the wheelsets and couplers on the cars . Setup a short test track and test your engines . Track should work but make sure you can still get pieces to match . Check all wiring on engines ... cars ... and your transformer for brittle or broken areas . Make sure no spider webs or buggy critters made a nest in any ---- yes that has happened and shorted things . Get a good breaker/trip unit between your inputs and outputs . Use only good wiring at least guage needed or heavier . That should keep you busy for awhile .  

This is great news Russ I love it when I see someone coming back into the hobby. read read read and have fun.