# New Guy



## BrendanF (Jun 25, 2012)

Hello all! Just introducing myself on here.

My name is Brendan and I live in Toronto. I have been a model train fan for close to 30 years (since I was 5). Just never had the time or money to get into it. Fortunatly that has changed! I haven't quite decided between going with HO or N for my layout. I have a design done on paper, just working on some of the control stuff. Not planning to go with DCC but a custom automation system that I am designing that will control signals and switches etc, without any input from an operator. 

Anyhow I am looking forward to tapping into the knowledge base here and getting some ideas on how to build specific parts of the model and good places to purchase equipment.

Regards


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

Hi Brendan F, Im Jim and im addicted to HO scale....welcome to MTAA


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## brylerjunction (Aug 8, 2011)

oh no another canuk...run for the hills


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

Welcome to the site......We Texan's enjoy our friends from the North (lease keep the snow up there . HO requires more space than N Scale....both are interesting scales.


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

Welcome from a fellow Canadian (just west of you in Oakville)

Craig


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

Welcome to the zoo..... erm.... forums 

The only advice I'll give as to scale. How small are you comfortable working with, and how much space are you going to dedicate to this addiction (hobby)? Those will tell you which scale to work with. I myself won't go to N-scale, too small for my hands and eyes. 

Carl


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## Canadian Car Knocker (Feb 8, 2011)

brylerjunction said:


> oh no another canuk...run for the hills


Only if he's a Maple Leafs fan.


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

Oh, oh...I have to be careful, I am surrounded by them, and me a Senators fan...

Craig


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## Canadian Car Knocker (Feb 8, 2011)

If it makes you feel better I'm the only Francophone in my town of 200 on top of that I cheer for the habs. Yeah I'm an outsider bloody Jets fans.


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

Jets, whats that? WHL? lol

Craig


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## BrendanF (Jun 25, 2012)

Canadian Car Knocker said:


> Only if he's a Maple Leafs fan.


Fan is such a broad term. I am definatly not a 'fan' of them the last 6 years with the way they have played.. But if they ever decide to take their fans seriously and put a winning team on the ice again then yeah I'll cheer for them! But don't hold it against me! 

As for the scale my main concerns are more to do with availability of rolling stock. I know HO has been around forever but I do like N for the size since I can get more stuff in the same amount of space. What I don't know is if you can get just about all the same stuff in N scale. I am not after anything super rare or hard to find. Just your standard stuff.

My display will be more of freight style then a passenger train style but there will be both on the layout. The other big advantage if you will, would be with the smaller scale I don't have to being so detailed with the other parts of the model.


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

Hi Brendan! I'm Jason, and I live in Thornhill, a stone's throw from the top end of Toronto. I'm originally from Toronto. Nice to meet a fellow Torontonian! 

-J.


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## kiddk1 (Jun 9, 2011)

Welcome


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

A town of 200? I have to see a picture of that if you get a chance. I'd love to live in a place like that. Welcome to the forum and ya you need to decide how much space you can use for your layout. 4x8 is ok for HO but thats about minimum for 22" and 18" curves. However you can get way more railroading in the same size if you go with N scale but as said above you need to be comfortable with working with the tiny size of the equipment. I built an HO 4x8 last summer but tore it down last month and started a new layout at 4x12. You can take a look at the last one and the progress so far on the new one at the Bonita Grand Central thread in the HO topic.
Got questions? This is the place to ask them. Good luck and we like LOTS of pictures of the progress. Pete


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## brik-el (Feb 24, 2012)

hey BrendanF.

I'm also a fellow Canadian.
I'm about an Hour North of Ottawa.

I myself prefer N scale. The detail on these machines is incredible.

Also they are half the size of HO, So if you were planning on building an HO set, just remember you can have twice as much layout with N scale.

And remember....

GO SENS GO!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## BigTank216 (Jul 8, 2012)

hey BrendanF. Welcome, Say I'm Going With Ho Scale 6x8 Layout, And The ppl Here Are
Great And Egar To Help, With That Been Said Dig In & Have Funnn


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

Welcome (again) as for Me im not a Canuck but hey I love our Canadian brethren and hey im a Maple Leafs (and other teams too) fan...I really love CP Rail and may get a few CP Rails and ON Rail engines soon!! just need to find a few that are DCC ready so I can put Digitrax in them...or even DCC equipped!


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

I only hope they won't hold this against me......... Go Wings!!!!!!


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## Russell (Dec 11, 2009)

Welcome Brendan. Too bad you're from To-ra-noo, but hey, you gotta live somewhere. 

HO or N Scale? Budget is not a factor. The prices between the scales are similar. As mentioned by others space is a factor. 

I recommend DCC. You'll never look back. If you like sound coming from your locomotives, DCC is a must and HO is probably a good idea.

I do N-scale and for that scale I recommend Atlas locomotives. Generally they run very well. I also use Kato track. It's easy to work with.

Have fun - a Montreal boy


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Carl said:


> Welcome to the site......We Texan's enjoy our friends from the North (lease keep the snow up there . HO requires more space than N Scale....both are interesting scales.


We didn't even hardly have any this winter here in southern Ontario. I want it back! Didn't even get a chance to go sledding at all this year, never had more than an inch of snow at once, and we'd been looking forward to breaking out an old car hood again. (They make great 6-man tobbogans!)

Year before we had a ton though. The highway here was closed for 3 days thanks to a particularly nasty early December storm. (Nasty lake effect snow off Lake Huron, can be particularly bad early in the season.)

Tomorrow the forecast is for 36 C (97 F) before humidity factors (forecasted at around 40-50%). Days like this make winter sound pretty attractive.


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

> We didn't even hardly have any this winter here in southern Ontario


Precisely why I still live in Southern Ontario, it sure aint to avoid traffic! lol

And Chris, I did not realize that canadianfreightcargallery.ca was your site, very nice work and a great resource for Canadian modellers, I have been on it a few times! Thanks.


Craig


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

dablaze said:


> Precisely why I still live in Southern Ontario, it sure aint to avoid traffic! lol


I'll take a little snow over earthquakes and hurricanes and stuff like that. Snow's not a big deal as long as you drive carefully in it.



> And Chris, I did not realize that canadianfreightcargallery.ca was your site, very nice work and a great resource for Canadian modellers, I have been on it a few times! Thanks.


Thanks, good to know that it's appreciated.  I've put a fair bit of work into maintaining it over the years. I think this year is actually the 10th anniversary of the beginnings of the site.


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## gofisher2 (Jul 19, 2012)

cv_acr said:


> I'll take a little snow over earthquakes and hurricanes and stuff like that. Snow's not a big deal as long as you drive carefully in it.
> 
> I've had the earthquakes (57 years in Calif.) and now I got tornados (now in Kentucky). I'll take the earthquakes any time. Tornados are just too scary. The funny thing is people around here are as nonchalant about tornados as Californians are about earthquakes.


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

when I lived In Middle Georgia I used to ask people if they were not afraid of Cotton mouths, black widows and gators when tramping around outside. Then they asked me if us Canadians were not afraid of our car breaking down on the highway at night and us freezing to death.

At this point it usually degenerated as I said we dont break down as much because we put our cars on rubber tires rather than cement blocks...

I guess it shows you can get used to anything.

Craig


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

I can see where that conversation would "degenerate" with that comment. I lived in Georgia for about six years and traveled the whole state as well as Alabama. Also in the Georgia National Guard for the same six years. Don't mess with those country boys. They don't get too mad but they always get even. Ha! Pete


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

norgale said:


> I can see where that conversation would "degenerate" with that comment. I lived in Georgia for about six years and traveled the whole state as well as Alabama. Also in the Georgia National Guard for the same six years. Don't mess with those country boys. They don't get too mad but they always get even. Ha! Pete


Yup so do the ones in Kan-tacky


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