New to model railroading

[Mitch86]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the hobby in a way. When I was about 8 I had an HO train set hand me down from my big brother. I don't remember much about it other than it was a Union Pacific diesel and had a brown transformer with a tan rotary throttle control. My mom sold it at a garage sale because it never really got used. But as an eight year old setting up and tearing it down in the basement floor wasn't my idea of fun. Fast forward, now I'm going on 30. I have a two and a four year old, both boys and their overwelming attraction to trains has really made me realize my own.
Last week I purchased a n scale bachmann thunder valley set. Like many my budget and space is limited. I'm no stranger to modeling and miniatures (i do a lot of warhammer 40k terrain). I'm currently set up on my 4x6 gaming table I built last year. I built the table to be modular and has 3 2x4 removable sections in the top, currently covered in green felt. I'm certainly hooked, found myself back at the store for some turnouts and additional ez track. My current layout is pictured below. Today I picked up some atlas trainman rolling stock (3 hoppers), a bachmann silver series tank car, as well as some flex track and some additional panels for my tabletop to begin a more serious layout.
I like to take my time (which is limited with work and family) and am a perfectionist at this type of stuff. But this is just the kind of long project I've needed.
I look forward to sharing my progress, learning from you all, and enjoying my trains and sparking a passion for my children.

[middleman]

Mitch86:

Welcome to the forum! 'Looks like you are off to a great start,although the little engineer in your second pic may need a taller chair.It was my 2 year old(27 years ago!),dragging me to Denver's Union Station to see the UP 844 steam engine,that rekindled my interest in trains.Keep us posted on your progress.

Mike

[DigitalGriffin]

My 2 year old.without fail pulls on the basement door knob saying "chooo chooooooo" just about every day. Youll have great fun. Be prepared for little hands wanting to get down at eye level to.watch the trains.go by. They will also likely try to grab their favorite trains or help you add or remove cars. So you want.to keep the expensive stuff off the table.

Welcome to the forums! We are a friendly bunch here.

[mlehman]

It's a great hobby and this is a great place to find support and advice. Be sure and take advanatage of it. If you do make a mistake or do something that doesn't come out quite as well as you imagined it, don't let it faze you. Give it your best, then realize that it's a hobby that is very friendly to do-overs, where what you learn the first or second time around improves your performance on the next go round.

[dknelson]

Looks like more than one person in that house is going to have fun.  I still remember setting up my first HO train set for the first time, watching it go around the oval, and how much more realistic it looked than my Lionel trains, and how much smoother it could start and stop.  And before long I learned that the rail joiners on snap track really don't hold the track together very well after they have been used a few times.  THe track you have is better in that regard and you can do more track plan experimenting with it.

Don't be in a hurry to use that flex track you just bought.  Let it sit for a while, and do some experimenting with the EZ track.  You have two switches ("turnouts") creating a sort of passing track, but another thing to do with them is to create two sidings for industries that can receive or ship from your freight cars.  If the siding is long enough there can be more than one industry on a siding.

I see tank cars in your train and one possible industry would be an oil dealer that gets tank cars.  In my old home town the oil dealer was also a coal dealer as long as folks still had coal furnaces for home heating, so on his siding he got oil tank cars and coal hoppers.

Dave Nelson 

 

 

[hon30critter]

Hi Mitch86:

Welcome to the forums and welcome back to the hobby!

                       

 

Sounds like you and your kids are in for a lot of fun!

Dave

[kasskaboose]

Mitch,

Welcome to the forum.  This is a great group of people who can offer advice on so many different aspects.  I like that your layout has interest from young kids.  I also understand the challenges of balancing a young family, work commitments, and trains.  Someone suggested that you try and devote about 30 min/day working on the trains.  That is a great motto! 

Feel free to reach out with anything.  Perhaps consider purchasing some books or getting from a library to further broaden your horizons. 

[cowman]

Welcome to the forums.

Wish my little ones, either generation, had been more interested.

Don't let your perfectionist side get in your way.  Nature is not perfect and most humans that have built the prototypes aren't either.  Redoing as our skills improve is a very common occurance with many here.  Do it.  If you decide later that you want to improve it, do it again.  If you try to do it to "fine" the first time, the little ones may lose interest.  Brushing on some paint, sprinkling on some ground foam are simple tasks that they can do and it will improve the general look of the layout a lot.  I had always planned to give each one a spot that could call their own and do as they pleased.  As their skills improve the area will blend in better and better with the rest of the layout.  Unfortunately, gramp's train space, became their dad's home.

Have fun,

Richard

[tgindy]

Mitch86

I like to take my time (which is limited with work and family) and am a perfectionist at this type of stuff. But this is just the kind of long project I've needed.

Here are two N Scale websites -- You'll find useful...

[1] Dave Vollmer's N Scale Juniata Division started on a hollow core door, and; more recently, added another hollow core door for staging.  See YouTube for the prototype staging inspiration of the Enola Yard. Two eras are modeled, depending on "the mood" with the Pennsy (1956), or Penn Central/Conrail (1980).

[2] Spookshow's N Scale Model Railroading is literally an extensive N Scale encyclopedia. Spookshow's "good, bad, and ugly" experience from half a dozen layouts is discussed in a quite frank manner at the Mediocre Layout Blogs.

Don't forget to go back to each website -- To see what you missed the 1st time, the 2nd time, etc.

[Carnegie Falls]

Welcome Mitch86.  I'm in a similar situation.  My two year old son was my motivation to get back into the hobby (he's almost four now).  With work and family, progress has been slow - but fun.  Good luck and have fun!

[dstarr]

Nice Looking table top layout.  Looks like you have a young rail fan there.  Good luck.

[Geared Steam]

Welcome back to the world's greatest hobby! 

[Mitch86]

Thank you everyone for your support! My boys are certainly thrilled by having trains in the house. Dknelson, i don't plan to stray too far from the ez track for now. I like being able to readily mix things up and experiment. I ordered an 85' passenger car today, trying to get a feel for car lengths and turn radius. I can see how the 11.25 radius that came in the starter kit will cause issues with longer cars. I plan to use the flex track to make some various radius turns to get a feel for things. At around $10+ per pack of ez track i know i can make a nice assortment of turns from the $3.50 flex track. Some 3/16 basswood puts it right about the height of the ez trackbed.
I could really see myself collecting cars and locos even for display purposes. I would love an Allegany steam loco, i live 2 miles from henry ford museum and that engine has always been a favorite of mine to visit.
In long term, i have a 30x30 unfinished basement thats mine to do as i wish. I can see a full wall being dedicated in time.