# New Member Intro.



## Rock022 (Jan 2, 2017)

Hello everyone.

I am totally new to the Train hobby. I only own the toy trains for my son, the Imaginarium train set, and a few Thomas the train toys. Those toys have sparked an interest on more advance trains. 

Looking trough the internet I learned about the different scales and gauges, which did not make it any easier. I can not decide which way to go. I seem to like each scale with the proper scenery. 

G-Scale for garden looks awesome, and kids can enjoy it outdoors.
HO-Scale just has everything.
N-Scale you can just build anywhere and it just looks awesome.

This made it hard for me to decide. I really like all of them. So I decided to join a forum and look around. It seems that this hobby is not a summer hobby, but a lifetime of planning, building and rebuilding. So, i will take my time to learn.

I do not have an unlimited budget, I believe somewhere around the middle is where I can be. I have four kids, so they have priority of the spending. My kids range from College to not in school yet.

Anyways, I hope I can learn a lot in this forum before I embark on my quest to the wonderful world of Model Trains.

God bless.


----------



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Welcome aboard the wonderful world of model railroading. :thumbsup:
I would first suggest you buy a quality dog training suit. Why?
Because you're about to get bit really hard with this hobby and a good dog suit will ease the pain a bit.  
Just joking, of course, but you get the drift.
Bob


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Welcome to the forum, Rock. You didn’t mention O gauge, but you might want to check it out. New stuff can be pricey, but post war engines are quite reasonable and pretty much bullet proof for your young ones.


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Hello Rock and welcome. You really need to see what space you have available for your layout, doesn't have to be big and you don't have to continuous run. Most start with a 8x 4 which gives you plenty of options in HO, the most popular scale. There are many plans on line. Could you build the bench work?

Model Railroading can get expensive quite quickly so set a few parameters and cost it up. Do you want DCC? I'd advise you go for that as it makes things more interesting. Buy some quality track and turnouts like Peco and build a simple layout, you can add to it later. Bachmann make some very good budget locos and stock.

Let us know how you get on. Good luck.


----------



## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Welcome to this forum, a lot of info here. Don't be concerned about your inquiries, we are here to help.

First suggestion, take your time, research and ask questions.

Bill


----------



## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Cycleops said:


> You really need to see what space you have available for your layout.


This is really the place to start. How large? What shape? Climate controlled? Will the space be shared with other uses? Will the layout be permanent, or will it need to be designed so that it can be partly dismantled and moved?

With this info, we can better tailor our recommendations to your needs.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MtRR75 said:


> This is really the place to start. How large? What shape? Climate controlled? Will the space be shared with other uses? Will the layout be permanent, or will it need to be designed so that it can be partly dismantled and moved?
> 
> With this info, we can better tailor our recommendations to your needs.


I agree. This decision really changes everything else about the discussion. If you don't have much space, the smaller scales will be better; if you have to share the room, this may limit what you can do; if it isn't climate controlled, or reasonably so, it introduces a whole new set of challenges. And so on.

Budget wise, you probably need a good chunk of change to buy into the hobby, especially if you want to stay with better quality stuff, but after that spending can be easily (with a little willpower) limited to what you can afford.

And lastly, a great big welcome to the hobby. You're right, it's a journey, not an event, but it's a really nice ride! Bring on the questions! We love 'em!


----------



## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

One other thing to think about that will help determine what scale to use and what kind of a layout to build...

How you would like to operate your trains?

(1) Do you want to run trains continuously? Some people like this; others find it boring.

(2) Do you want to run switching operations in a yard -- moving cars around to build trains and send them to their destinations. This is a kind of a mental puzzle that some find challenging.

(3) Do you want to run a point to point layout such as logs being moved from a logging operation to a mill, then lumber moved from the mill to a lumber yard. (There are lots of other similar operations that you can model).

(4) or some combination of these.


----------



## Rock022 (Jan 2, 2017)

Thank you all. I have not made up my mind yet. Every question posted about what can I do or afford, is moderate. 

I own a house, but I am open to the possibility of moving in the next ten years or so. 

For what I see online, my budget seems to be also moderate. 

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

God Bless.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

As mentioned, your first decision must be what
gauge. That, to a large extent, depends on the
space available for your layout.

The scale also affects the cost for a similar 
track plan:

Generally speaking, N is for those who like to see
realistic trains and scenery but have very limited
space. The least expensive.

HO is for those who have a moderate to large amount
of space such as a spare room, basement, attic or
separate building such as garage or back yard shed.
Cost is moderate to high depending on detailing
preferences.

O gauge requires a big chunk of space but is
easier to work on due to its size. Mostly 3 rail
track is used. Most expensive of the 'indoor'
scale trains.

G gauge is huge in comparison to the others and 
demands a lot of room which is why many of it's
modellers have outdoor layouts. It is quite
expensive to buy.

All of the above scales have a digital command
system available so that you can run more than
one train on the same track with individual control
of each train.

Many of us start with a moderate size layout knowing
that it will at some point be taken apart, rearranged,
and/or expanded. You select your scale, operating system,
buy a loco or two new, shop the train shows, flea
markets, Our own for sale forum, Craigslist, Ebay
and Amazon for used cars and other gear at substantial savings.

So give us some idea of the space you plan to use
for your trains and our guys will help you from there.

Don


----------



## Rock022 (Jan 2, 2017)

Thank you Don. That was very informative.

Some possibilities. 

Right now I have a full garage that I plan to make my space. Once I sell the items I no longer use, I may have half of the two car garage. 

I also like the idea of a garden train, which would be beautiful to look at. I have even thought of making it a front lawn train. But this would be a risk, since it could be walked on by anyone not looking.

If I do it inside of the house, I would have to make it high. I have very high ceilings but small room sizes. 

I think that can give you guys a general idea.


----------



## Tom_C (Jan 8, 2016)

Rock, 'moderate' means different things to different people, so what does 'moderate' mean to you.

Example. I'm currently running a holiday layout that is about 4'x6'. This year I added a second inner track for a trolley, so I'm running 2 tracks, DCC, with 3 crossing signals.

I upgraded from a single track DC train, to a double track DCC set up. I'd guesstimate between New years last year to Christmas this year I spent around $2000. That includes signal controllers, DCC controllers/programmers, new engines, extra track and miscellaneous other stuff.

You could probably go cheaper, and you definitely could go more expensive. So, what do you call moderate?

ADDED: By the way, I'm running On30 gauge which is O scale that runs on HO track. Some people call it narrow gauge, 30 inch, blah blah blah. The size fits your typical holiday village without needing a layout for typical O gauge track.


----------



## Rock022 (Jan 2, 2017)

You are right. My moderate will be different. 

As I see it, I am going to take a journey. I was thinking possibly getting a Polar Express with starter kit, and go from there. So I can enjoy the train as I build the scene. Since I have no idea what I am doing yet, I have no idea how much I will spend. 

Looking around I see an O-gauge Polar Express for around $288 at Amazon. As I see it, I may buy that set, and wait a few months before I spend another couple $100's again. Or if I can spend less than $50 every month as I slowly build, I can do that. Some months I can spend more, some I can spend less. I am not looking to buying everything on one sit. I am married with four kids and a dog. So I have to be reasonable with what I spend.

I do foresee spending a few thousands on the long run. Perhaps the first year I'll spend $500 or so. 

All of this numbers are of course just random from what I have learned in the last week. I am in the process of learning so I can make the plans and set a budget.

In the mean time, I get my fix playing Sid Myers Railroad computer game. Which cost me $9.

I hope this gives you an idea. I appreciate all the information you guys provide me with. You just gave me a wonderful idea for a totally newbie question. But I will post it as new thread, so the topic may stay specific to the question.

Thanks.


----------



## Tom_C (Jan 8, 2016)

Find a local train shop and/or look for model train shows in your area and go check them out.

http://greenbergshows.com/

http://gsmts.com/

http://www.railserve.com/events/train_shows.html


----------



## Rock022 (Jan 2, 2017)

Thanks a lot. I am in Florida, I found a few conventions that I can go to this year.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Half a two car garage can give you a good 0 gauge
layout for your Polar express.

If you decide that's the way you are going you might
migrate your posts to our 0 Gauge forum where you'll
find a large group of very active and warmly
friendly guys lurking, ready to pounce with
anxious minds ready to help.

Don


----------



## Rock022 (Jan 2, 2017)

Well, so far I am very happy with the support I have found. Many great suggestions. I will definitely look at the O Gauge forum, and go from there. Thanks.


----------



## Tom_C (Jan 8, 2016)

I think your best bet is to look around at shops or shows, throw a dart and get something... and then you'll decide you want to go in a totally different direction. 

That's just how it goes.


----------



## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Rock022 said:


> I was thinking possibly getting a Polar Express with starter kit, and go from there. So I can enjoy the train as I build the scene.


There's nothing wrong with that approach. It will help keep your interest up.

For layout construction, it usually works out best to go in the following order:
(1) benchwork,
(2) track,
(3) wiring,
(4) structures and scenery (most fragile - saved for last).

Notice that "Trains" are not in the list. They can come at any time, because they are removable -- whenever you need to work on something.


----------

