hi guys i hope this is the right place for this..looks like it. I am starting my first ho layout (first train layout ever) and well i have some ideas but am confused on mountain building and not sure what grade my lil sante fa engine can climb...
right now my trains are from life like....but am looking to buy something better....
wondering whats a good transformer to purchase as well only be running 1-2 loco's nothing real huge..
my layout will be 4x 12
any suggestions or help would be great thanks.
right now i have a hunk of junk life like controller....am looking for another though..something thats easy to run...
i found this and was wondering if these are good loco's?
http://cgi.ebay.com/PROTO-2000-HO-EMD-GP38-2-DIESEL-LOCOMOTIVE-S-P-4827_W0QQitemZ140121170063QQihZ004QQcategoryZ19141QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kato-SP-SD40-Locomotive-7360_W0QQitemZ220115791844QQihZ012QQcategoryZ19134QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
lvanhen wrote:One comment that you didn't ask about - the plywood base. I work at Home Depot and your plywood looks like the cheap pine ca ca we (and Lowes) sells. Buy some Fir plywood, 1/2" or 3/4", and you'll save a lot of future problems. Plywood for a base should lay flat without any twist or warp, not twisted the way the edge or your photo shows. No matter what you do for sceneery or track-work, a poor base will be nothing but problems in the future!
well this is a bummer... i asked around a cpl places and was told this wood would be fine...now i got to buy new? its 1/2 ...
actually this is the bottom board of my layout.....since there is stuff being stored underneath and i still have to wire my layout...i didnt want wires having a chance of getting caught on anything..so i am putting 3/4 plywood on top with a gap of around 2-3 inches for my wires...to rest under that but ontop of the cheap plywood.....
but hey thanks for noticing that...
Hey Zeke,
Welcome,
Here is another site that will help... www.nmra.org (National model railroaders association)
enjoy, Carl
Welcome Zeke,
You have already received many good ideas on HO model railroading. I would like to add a few more ideas, or other techniques that I have used to make a model more realistic, and easier to operate. The accompanying picture combines the commercial picture with a light sky and distant mountains, with my darker sky and foreground mountains. To make the transition less abrupt, I painted in clouds. I like to use a dry brush stippling technique. I start with the darkest grey and progressively stipple in whiter parts of the clouds. Note that the wispy clouds above allow the blue of the sky to shine through. I have quite a few fairly large mountains on my layout. I personally prefer to use heavy screen wire, tacked to a wooden framework. I construct removable parts of the mountain, for access to the tracks within. The rock outcrops, (made with hydrocal plaster in rubber molds), still have to be carved and weathered.
well my gf did it she made our corner mountain..i like it i think it will work out great...
heres a pic of the during procces
and after
gonna paint it up tomorrow..
well i was hoping to post pics and get a " hey you need to do this " or "cant wait to see it done"
but nothing.. its okay i understand...im just a new guy trying to learn....
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
Getting back to your transformer question... I use an older MRC 'walkaround' system. It's 12 years old now, and the only problem I've run into, was that one of the 'brake' buttons on the handheld unit sometimes sticks...but other than that, it's been great. I don't run DCC, so it wasn't hard to add to my layout. It sits on a little shelf bolted to one of the sections. Two wires connect it to the main power bus (two large wires than run the entire length of the layout--all track feeders connect to this).
I don't know about Kato's HO scale locomotives, but their N scale ones are awesome. My E8 and RDC are very quiet and smooth runners. I do know that the former Life-Like P2K line had some problems with cracked wheelset gears, but those can be fixed with Athearn parts.
well Its been a little bit since i posted, but i have made a few advances in my layout. but i am also doing a o gauge which i have to say requires alot more real estate and costs alot. so im leaning towards kicking th o gauge down to a seprate table and using my l shaped 6 x 16 and a 6 x 12 l section just for my ho. this changes everything, sorta. I have found me what i think is a great transformer its a dual powered tech something.
Well them yard sales are paying off i tell you....sweated my tail off but i think it was worth it...has anyone else scored any train stuff from yard sales?
got these two bachman ho f9's ( thats what he said they were) they were running when i bought them.. brand new
not sure on this loco but they guy thought it was bachman or alto ?but brand new also ho
got me a new dual control for my ho $1.00
box full of atlas flex track....mostly new
got all this ho stuff along with the locos above for 25 bucks....
maintenace cars
some type of tyco animated car..new
these are all gonna make it to my layout somewere im sure. i got them cheap so why not.all the cars are bachman or a few tyco's.
Wow, zeke! Looks like you hit pay dirt at the garage sales. Be careful about buying used locomotives and track without testing them out first. The MRC Tech II power pack you bought is an older model but should serve you quite well for you intentions. MRC is tops when it comes to power packs.
Now that you've tackled your power pack issue with the MRC Tech II, you may now want to concentrate on better locomotives and track. zeke, I don't know what type(s) of track you got in your recent acquisitions. Nickle-silver (NS) is the track of choice for easier maintenance. Track also comes in differing heights or "codes". For HO, the beefiest is Code 100. (Code 100 meaning that the railhead is .100" or 1/10 of an inch high.) There's also Code 83 (more prototypical or realistic), Code 70 and Code 55. Code 100 & 83 are used on your mainlines.
As far as locomotives, this is just a suggestion. If money is tight, instead of continuing to buy lower grade locomotives like the Life-Like and Tycos, there are some real bargains out there on some much better locomotives, if you know where to look. Better running locomotives will make your MRRing experience much more satisfying and less frustrating. Here's a couple of places (links) to look:
Trainworld
M.B. Klein
As an example, each carries the Proto 2000 S1 switcher. Regularly $110, you can pick up one of these beauties for $30. (I think one of them had actually dropped it to $25 recently.) A wonderful little diesel switcher for your layout that runs and looks terrific.
Also, for the money, Athearn Blue Box locomotives are reliable, have decent detail. and can pull quit a bit of rolling stock. You can usually find them in the $20-30 range.
Lastly, are you modeling any particular RRs? I noticed you had quite a bit of Santa Fe locomotives - e.g. the F7s and Geeps. You might be able to find some good bargains in that road, too.
Hope that helps...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
well see before i started my real desire for an actual layout i was just buying trains. If i saw them at yard sales i bought them. So thats why the huge variety. What i want to do with my layout may seem funny but i want to do it after the " dukes of hazzard" type setting. like late 70's early 80's country type. im still researcing back country georgia to see how and what trains rolled threw the area.
As far as engines all but one are bachmann, arent they a good engine? I do have a cpl tycos and life like but like i said that was before i knew anything about trains.
Power is fine right now with the tech2 I want my first layout to go easy and dont want to much fancy electronics on it. Untill i get the basic's down it will be simple.
i have all atlas flex track code 100 at the moment. the track in the box i might not use. looks rough.
I will be alot more detailed now and buy better stuff. i have taken a break sorta from my ho to work on my o gauge but my goodness the o gauge is killing my wallet. so now i am focusing on my ho layout for awhile, much cheaper.
please forgive me if i ask dumb ?'s or just dont understand. ive recently had a heart attack, a brain anurizim and have a brain tumor. So its hard for things to stick and understand them clearly, thanks.
Zeke, I think you're doing great. You would make cudaken jealous with all the stuff you have. (Inside joke).
The tech II transformer was a great buy for a dollar. I think you have enough stuff, now its time to start building. Thats how I learned. Just by going in there and doing it.
Remember, this is only layout 1 of 14 to come
This experience will allow you to hone your track laying and scenic skills. None of us ever started out building the perfect layout the first time. (At least those who are honest).
Keep going and when you have questions, just ask us......
What 'Modelers' do is build an imitation of something. Since we are limted by space, income, or skills, some compromises are in order.
One starts with desire. We achieve the rest through effort and learning.
You mentioned 'grades': A 2% grade is 2" elevation per 100" (8' 04"). Since it takes 4" to clear the track underneath, 4% is more often used than 2%. Railroads avoided grades whenever possible, using river valleys, stream beds, and tunnels. In short, RR's were low and scenery was up high. Grades are also 'torture tests' for your equipment.
READ books, magazines, teaching you HOW TO best do the things you want to do. KALMBACH publishing and a good LHS are your friends. The 'best deal' is not.
The 'best deals' are generally are the ones most advantageous to the seller. Buying anything mechanical - 'As is' - is dangerous.
thanks guys. i got my track layed were i think i want it. Like i sad think. i have moved it like 6 times. Tested them two sante fe's the chrome bachmanns and they are really sloooow, But threw on my cheap life like sante fe diesel and hauls, so i will be buying new engines. I was gonna anyways but now i have a real need. I want some decent diesel engines and a good steam one too.
After setting up some of these and looking at them i noticed they are kinda junk. I dont like the whole plastic wheel thing so i think i can switch out to metal.
Power pak works great.
Start my wiring soon....yeah!
zeke wrote:so what you guys think?
An even wiser man said "grasshopper: never eat gray snow. May be dust from coal fire steam locomotive, or acid rain! Burn throat! Never eat brown snow. COntain fertilizer! Snow will not grow. Only fall. White snow only found in few far places."
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
That's a very good haul for yard saling. I've done my share of yard sales, but I never found that much good stuff.
I don't worry about the quality of rolling stock much, especially yard sale stuff. As "names" go in model railroading, Tyco and Bachmann don't get nearly the respect that Proto2000, Athearn, Atlas and Kato get. But, if it runs, stays on the track, and looks good, it is good, at least good enough for me. A lot of stuff can be improved by simple fixes like glazing the windows, adding a working headlight, painting and decaling, adding some grab irons, changing the couplers over to body mount Kadee, etc. I always enjoy running cars and locomotives that I have done some work on myself.
Track quality depends as much on careful installation as anything else. Track well secured with nails, or glue, with smooth curves, no kinks, good rail joiners, and in gauge, will keep your trains on the track. Look for nickel silver rail, it looks better than brass and doesn't tarnish like brass. I have seen some track with aluminum and steel rails, which I avoid. Aluminum won't solder, and the luster doesn't look right. Real steel rusts, solders reluctantly, and is hard to bend into shape. You want to check all track, but especially used track for gauge. If the gauge is just a little bit off, you get derailments.
Good luck
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
dstarr- thanks for the info.
im in it for the enjoyment. Once i get better and further into this i will replace and get better stuff.
almost got all my track laid out will snap pics later
cpl questions again.
1. do you have to put road bed down or is it okay to just lay the track on the wood?
2. can i use hot glue to hold the track in place?
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
zeke wrote:not sure what you meanR.T. POTEET
ok sorry
i know my tyco engines arent very good if thats what your saying.
i am doing ho basically for my girlfriend. cuz if i help her on her layout that means i can spend what i want on my o gauge layout. She likes these engine's and im sorry if they arent 2-300 dollar engines. Its fun for us and thats all that matters
The cork roadbed is REALLY there for the looks of the stuff. The cork simulates the bed of ballast (aka gravel) under prototype track. It has additional advantages of sound deadening and it takes track nails well. You glue the cork down to your sub roadbed with Liquid Nails and then use track nails to spike the track to the cork.
I like to secure Snap Track and flex track with nails. It lets you align the track and then fix it in place, right now, no slippage or creepage. No clamping and no waiting for the glue to dry. Hobby shops sell track nails that are just the right size and blackened so as to make them invisible. The ordinary hardware store brads work too, but the bright steel heads in the middle of the dark brown ties don't look as good. Track nails go into soft pine and a insulating material called Homosote which you can get from a lumber yard in 4 * 8 sheets. Track nails do NOT go into plywood, the glue layers are so hard that the nails bend when you push them home. If your sub roadbed is plywood then a layer of cork roadbed on top of the plywood gives you something to nail into. If your sub roadbed is homosote, just drive in the track nails, they will stay in place just fine.
Or, you can glue down your track. The ties are a slippery kind of plastic which is hard to glue to. I use a synthetic weatherstripping material called Phenoseal, available at Home Depot and Lowes. It comes in tubes for use with a caulking gun. It dries clear and does stick to ties and anything else. I haven't used hot glue much, but I would worry that it won't stick to the plastic ties, where as I know the Phenoseal does stick, and stick well. Down side of glueing track; it's harder to made layout changes. With nails you just pull them out with pliers and get on with it. Getting glued down track loose from the cork or homosote can be a PITA requiring much profanity, chisels, dull knives, cut fingers etc.