My first thought was to recommend John Armstrong's book but I see somebody already beat me to it. I second the recommendation. Even if you aren't interested in operations, there is a lot of very practical advice in it. One of the most important is what he calls givens and druthers. What do you absolutely have to have and what would you like to have if you can fit it in.
Somebody else said pick a time and a place to model. That is good too. When I started out I knew I wanted to model the UP and so I bought anything and everything lettered for the UP regardless of era. I bought a string of yellow TYCO coal hoppers with red lettering and thought that was way cool not realizing there was nothing prototypical about the colors. Ignorance was bliss.
Do you want to just be able to just run trains or do you want to simulate operations. That should drive the design of your layout. When you say you can't make the plans fit that sounds like you are using sectional track. That's OK for some parts but flex track is just what it says. It's flexible which means you can fudge it to fit to what you need.
Realize that your first layout will be a learning process. There's nothing like on the job training. As your skills improve you will become more discerning and will likely want to redo some of your early efforts. That's all part of the learning process.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Hi Mike and welcome aboard,
Good advise has been given, I just want to reiterate one item, maybe two..
Don't get caught in the planning stage too long as some of have done. I feel like I wasted two years before starting to build and there is now very little of what I planned on my layout. It is best to start building and getting a train running and then continue to develope your plan to build further or redo.
Nothing that we build is built in concrete. It all can be adjusted, rebuilt or changed that is part of the fun as well. You don't have to be satisfied with your first or second attemp. I suggest you get started and you will learn as you go. Do not get trapped into buying all the fancy looking stuff until you have developed some skills and settled on a idea of the era that you want to model so that your purchases will fall into that time frame. That is why the transition period is so popular, so that the person can change from steam power to the early diesels.
Most of us have chosen a favorite railroad company that most of our equipment belongs to and/or other companies that would have definately interlined with your chosen road.
That really helps in keeping your expenses in check and then not having to sell off items that took your eye but don't fit in with your era or area that you are modelling.
Good luck, have fun, but get started. Don't be afraid to take a small break every now and then ( a week or two) and focus on what you have done, what you like about it and what you don't and how would it look better or operate better,if you made a change, then get back at it.
Johnboy out.....................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Mixy Here I am explaining Why the tracks do not match/join as shown in the layout books when someone try to represent a given track plan in SCARM.
Here I am explaining Why the tracks do not match/join as shown in the layout books when someone try to represent a given track plan in SCARM.
Also, I've noticed that the "straight" sections of my Atlas turnouts are not actually straight, they curve outwards. I imagine this is because the springy metal rail of the diverging route pushes against the straight route and bends it slightly.
So for example, take a left hand turnout. In SCARM the "straight" section will be actually straight. In reality the "straight" section will actually curve a couple degrees to the right.
The effect is most noticable on the sharper turnouts like Snap Switches and #4s. My #6s are pretty straight.
If you're using cork roadbed maybe you could force them straight... I use foam, which has enough squishiness to it that it can't really force anything.
What type of layout design did you have in mnd?
I'm a big fan of joining a club. I joined mine (www.pmrrc.org) so I wouldn't have to build a layout! And there's always stuff to do -- we're always building and re-building, and there are plenty of people with years of experience in the hobby who can teach me the stuff I want to learn.
Aaron