Hi everyone, My name is Tony and I live in the state of wisconsin.. I'm very new to model railroading.. So new I don't even have a starter set yet. I visited my good friend in Milwaukee, WI in November and we went to Trainfest. I always liked model trains. We spent hours there and still didn't see everything. Now I'm hooked, as I would like to start a new hobby. The other hobby I do is hot rod classic cars. I'm working on a '55 Chevy Belair (for over 10 years) I guess your never complete with a project, you just keep ripping something apart and try to prefect it.. I have been debating HO scale or N scale. Now after reading "Cleggie" aka Ken's posts on his progress with his Helix design for his N scale layout I'm really looking to go with the N scale. I have space to do a long layout, and I like watching trains run the track.. Everyone have a great day and I enjoy seeing all of the pictures of layous.. Tony
Tony- Welcome to TrainBoard! I've also been involved with those classic '50's cars. In my past, have owned 5-6 of them. Including '56 Nomads. :thumbs_up: Boxcab E50
We have some in common... ... 1st, my name is also Tony.. 2nd, I have also been a hot rodder for over 30 years having owned and built many. current being a 1948 P15 Plymouth. 3rd, I have also been a model railroader off and on for 40 years. Been in N scale for about half that. Welcome to the site. Lots of good info and advice here.. T
Welcome to TrainBoard, to model railroading and to N scale! Just take some of the advice you have probably given others when they have asked you for some about getting into hot rodding - don't bite off more than you can chew! Start small and go from there. In my case, I never really cared about "operations" or big yards, but preferred scenery and details and switching. I built a small 2' x 4' layout (loop with some switching in the middle). Now that it is about 50% done, I have realized I like the idea of operations and yards. Had I started off too big, I would probably be tearing half of it down by now and redesigning it! Greg
TOEKNEE, LOL, like the handle tony and welcome to TB, N scale is a good scale to build scenery and run trains through. I'm not quite there with my layout yet but I see the potential and am excited about it. My advice is to build something small and simple for a start rather than tackle a big project first up. Sort of "get your feet wet" with out wasting a lot of time and cash on something you end up trashing (how do I know?...). Ask questions, there is no such thing as a silly question here on TB, and do search the forums should give you lots to read and think about. Above all have fun with your new HOBBY:tb-wink:
Welcome to Trainboard. Here's a couple of newby points to remember; 1- There is absolutely no such thing as a stupid question. 2- The main thing is to have fun. 3- GregK made a good suggestion. Start small. If you want a large layout, design it in sections that can be built one at a time. There's nothing to discourage you more than doing a lot of work and not seeing much progress. 4- The main thing is to have fun. 5- Plan well. 6- Enjoy yourself and have fun. Dave. PS. - Cleggie beat me by a couple of seconds on the good points.
Welcome to Trainboard and N scale. I echo the suggestion to start on the small side. There will be gratification sooner rather than later. Make sure that you plan out for future expansion by leaving "exit" tracks for connection to expansion when done with the smaller layout. You will learn your lessons easier on a smaller layout. They will be more easily corrected. You will get experience with all facets of the hobby, from benchwork to wiring to laying roadbed, laying track, ballasting, control panel location and wiring, buildings and secenery. Learn small, then apply your experiences to large.
Welcome Tony, and Happy New Year. You will find what you need here. Back when I was wrenching on cars, I built a few projects: a '68 Camaro, a '68 Cougar, a '64 Mustang, a '64 Chevy pickup, and my favorite of all a '48 Chevy pickup. Now I just chase old trains instead in a new vehicle.
Thanks everyone for the advise. What size of table did you start out with.. I've been all over the internet looking at beginner layouts, but really not too sure where to start. I'm thinking of a two looper with a little yard for starters, any ideas would be great. I'm also interested in getting into the dcc side of it. The one biggest thing about deciding between HO and N scale is the magnetic couplers. I'm partially interested in this because of doing swithcing and deliveries on my type of layout I'm thinking of having. Any comments? See, one week I'm leaning twards N scale then the next week twards HO scale. How did you decide? Also, how do you post a picture. I would like to post a pic of my '55 Chev so everyone could see my progress. Thanks for the support and replies.. Have a good day. Tony
Tony, Welcome to the wonderful world of trains!! Can't help you with the decision on HO vs. N as there are so many pros and cons for each. I chose N because you can do so much more with less space. If I were to start in the hobby with N scale, my first purchase would be Kato Unitrack (or the new Atlas Tru-track soon to be out) for the following reasons: -outstanding quality and trains run really well on it -you can set it up in minutes on just about any surface -plenty of track lengths, switches, etc for layout design -outstanding resale value should you decide trains really aren't your thing or if you decide to go with more permanent track For locomotives and rolling stock, my personal advice is to go with quality over quantity. You will get so much more enjoyment from well running locos and roling stock and as it is often the case you get what you pay for. Generally locos released within the past few years all have 5-pole motors and flywheels and will work just fine. In my opinion Atlas, Kato and Life Like (now Walthers) are the leaders. Most newer releases also come with some sort of magnetic couplers as do the rolling stock. You need to have some sort of web-based site that will host your photos like Rail Images if you want to post pics. Enjoy the hobby and remember it is your railroad, do as you like! CG
welcome to Trainboard Tony (from another Tony) My other hobby is OHV, specifically my frame up restoration on my 1966 Toyota FJ45 Land Cruiser. Talk about two expensive hobbies... cars and trains! but as with any car project, sometimes it is easy to attempt too much, and then it sits in pieces in the garage or shop, unfinished for years. As noted here, take it in steps, as much as your time and pocket book and creative ability will take you... and have fun! Tony
