As I have stated in a few of my previous posts I'm new to model railroading and have yet to build my first layout. I'm in the information gathering stage and have a couple questions that I seem to no be able to find the answer to. 1. I have been watching a lot of youTube videos and have heard people talking about different models of locomotives. EMD, F, Long box, etc. Where can I found what each of those things mean and which one would be right for getting started? 2. I want to either join the NMRA or get a subscription to Model Railroader Magazine but can't afford both right now on my budget. Which would be the best for me as a new model railroader? I need whatever is going to teach me the things a new person needs to know. Peter
Keep reading around here and on the NMRA site they have a beginners page that would probably be very helpful. And always ask question as they come up
You might be better off just asking your questions on this forum than in joining the NMRA or subscribing to MRR mag. It's free, informative and you don't have to wait for next months installment.
Peter, Welcome to the woderful world of model railroading! 1) There are lots of places to find out what all the different types of locomotives are. To start with, most of the manufacturers have a small paragraph describing the initial history of the locomotives they are selling and after that I am certain there are tons of resources that other people can point you to including this site. The web is a wonderful place for researching. 2) Get the subscription to MRM, you will get more out of it than out of an NMRA membership at this point. There are numerous books (really closer to magazines) that can help you to get started. And there are free electronic magazines available (can't remember what they are). There are postings on this site that list all sorts of resources for getting started and for advanced and everything in between. What scale are you thinking about? How much space do you have available?
Merry Christmas Peter and welcome to model railroading. 1) EMD is Electro-Motive Diesel, is a manufacturer of train Locomotives. F unit was a line of EMD engines in the late 50's (?) Wikipedia is a good source to start with questions like that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page You don't need to know the answer to your questions most times, part of it will get the answer - EMD should be enough get you the answer on that and all of the EMD units they made - EMD GP40, EMD SD40 etc. 2) Model Railroader (MR) is a fine magazine, especially for the newer guys these days as it seems you are their target audience. It can be a bit pricey though. The NMRA is a fine organization but,IMHO, it might be a bit much in the beginning. I have a better idea, try Model Railroad Hobbyist (MRH)on line magazine. http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine It's FREE as it is ad generated revenue. The ads aren't bad at all and no pop ups. All they ask is when you buy something , get it from one of their advertisers and tell them thanks for keeping MRH free. You can download all of the back issues too so you will have all the reading you can handle for sometime. I would (and did) subscribe even though it's free so they can have the numbers to provide to the advertisers to say "see we have 60,000 readers, you need to advertise here" They also have a HIGHLY recommended DVD line I hope this helps ratled
HI PETER, i'm a newbie to this great forum.as well as being a 1:1 railroader,i'm also an N & HO SCL modeller.I agree with retsignalmtr that you will get good info right here,at least until you can better afford a subscription or joining the nmra, both of which are good.i want to help in any way i can, and i think others here will too.as far as starting out,let me say glad you want to start a layout.first,what scale are you in and how big will it be? there are many different locos out there good for a new layout.as far as your other questions are,EMD stands for ELECTRO-MOTIVE DIVISION,a subsidiary of general motors,F stands for f-unit,as in f-3,f-7,f-9 locomotives."long box"probably refers to long boxcars,60-foot,86-foot,coming to mind.hope this helps,ask as many questions as you want,here to help.
I'm looking at HO scale as my first layout. The room I have right now couldn't hold anything bigger than a 4'x8' layout. I saw in a youTube video someone said its recommended building 2'x8' modules but my main concern there is the gap between modules. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.
You have more room than you think http://layoutvision.com/id28.html Also more FREE reads, some you may want to save for later on http://www.gatewaynmra.org/library.htm ratled
Peter, The link from ratled is important in that it highlights the true footprint of a layout and how to co-exist in a shared room. Most of us newbies, do not have dedicated train rooms and thus need to compromise a bit more. Start by measuring the entire room and location of all windows, doors and furniture that is staying and then draw it out on some graph paper. I would suggest that the furniture be cut out of a separate sheet of paper so you can rearrange the room with out alot of erasures and you can cut two peices at 2x8 to represent the layout. Now you can see where there is space available for a layout.
My club has become very successful building an N gauge modular T-Trak layout. The module standards are for small modules that can be assembled quickly on a table or floor and are easily stored when not in use. The website is t-trak.org. This site is not only for N gauge, as they have standards for HO and O as well.
There needn't be a 'gap' between modules. In fact, the whole idea is to have the modules abut as seamlessly as possible. It means careful measurement, design, good materials, and good assembly techniques. If you are not skilled in cabinetry making, for example, you might need a mentor or skilled tradesman to give you some pointers at the very least, or even two hours of his/her time to help you with the first module. Really, build one module, figure out how to lay track on it, scenic it up to an extent, and then think about mating up the next module to it. Carriage bolts passed through two pre-drilled holes will work, but better alignment comes via pins or dowels...just as a f'rinstance. You would want adjustable leg feet, screw type preferrably, to allow full support by the legs placed on each module. The legs will need to be braced somehow so that the entire affair isn't destroyed by a heavy person who falls against it by accident. They may knock it over, but they won't brake a support easily. There will have to be a gap in the rails, though, but there are ways to make them nice and tight, and well aligned. Pins, dowels...they help immensely. But also just figuring out how to hold the two ends of track firmly in place, or how to bridge the gap with a small inserted length of custom-fit rails. It will take some skills-building and some acceptance that you will make mistakes. The learning with happen with patience, intelligence, and determination. About the NMRA, I agree that it might be something you will want to support once you have a wholesale commitment to the hobby. For now, learn IF you have a longterm commitment to the hobby. Heavy slogging for now, and then the meta-membership with the greater fraternity that the NMRA ensconses. Nothing wrong with paying for a subscription to a modelling magazine, although you may prefer to just buy the ones that seem most relevant to you from the news stand. That's what I do. I decline to purchase probably six or seven issues of MR each year, so I buy what I want selectively. The free ezine noted previously is a good publication, and I have them all saved to my hard drive. However, you'll get tons of well-intended and experienced help here and on about three or four other active hobby forums around the next. Last bit of advice: patience. Go easy on yourself and get thoroughly comfortable with important concepts...such as that a Plywood Pacific 4X8 seems intuitively the way to start, but rarely is. You will learn more about real-world railroading and about better scale modeling of the same by learning first how to configure a scale railroad properly. Usually, that is linearly, not in an oval, loop, or a circle of track.
Totally agree with Crandell about the 4 ft x 8 ft. It eats up a lot of space right now, and butted up against a wall(s) is going to have a few spots that will be extremely awkward to reach. If the railroad is your prime concern then a 12 in. (100 HO ft.), 18" (150 HO ft.), or 24 in. (200 HO ft.) is probably "good enough." Of course there are some limitations but the sections (say 18 in x 4 ft) would be light and easy to move around. Do some more reading especially about branch lines or long spur lines. Of course if you have to have continuous running or scenic grandeur - that's another matter.
All the weird terms and abbreviations can be really confusing at first. Do a Google search on "railroad glossary" and you will find a bunch of sites that define many of these terms. The Trains Magazine and Model Railroader glossaries are both pretty good. So is the About.com Model Railroad Terms site. The Union Pacific and BNSF glossaries are more business-oriented, but still interesting.
Here's another enjoyable thought. Do you live near a mrr club or a modular group? Clubs can be pricey but worth it for a public forum,mand they tend to have more room and you can see things better than we can sometimes describe them. And if there's a modular group handy, then building your small layout in such a way that it can function on its own or be thrownnin the back of a truck for a train show means you can not only get more mileage out of it, but also breeds community and is sometimes a cheep way to get into a train show... i've been toying with wrapping a logging layout around a Freemo (modular layout with common ends so that complete strangers can link up their layouts and run across each others) mainline in this way. The logger itself wipould have to be off limits to fit in a small modular layout, but a freemo agreeable interchange yard on a freemo main could be quite fun.
Thanks to everyone for the help and advice. There is a local club but unfortunately my work has me working nights they meet more times than not. Another unfortunate problem I have is that I suffer from PTSD from the first Gulf War and large groups of people cause me to experience crushing anxiety. I try to work around it when there is something I want to do like go to a train show. I have never been to one but want to see one this coming year if I can find one nearby. I found a couple videos on youTube about building benchwork and one that I really liked was one called something about building benchwork for under $15. I also saw the one by Model Railroader Magazine but I think that method is a little overkill. I wish I could come up with a design that combines parts of the two. Peter
Peter, I would suggest that you google L Girder Benchwork or buy the Kalmbach book called Basic Model Railroad Benchwork 2nd edition. I am a newbie and I found this book to be very helpful in understanding the different techniques for building benchwork (I went for the L Girder technique based on the size of my layout). The real key as a newbie is to spend alot of time looking at the different options and to understand that nothing will (or should) happen overnight. As I mentioned in an earlier post, understanding the space that the layout will be in is really important in order to determine the size of the benchwork. Do yourself a favor and don't start building until you are comfortable with the entire space. Squeezing down an 18" aisle is not fun You also might check with the club as they probably have work sessions on weekend mornings and should not be averse to you stopping by and chatting with them for a bit.
This. If nothing else, someone might be willing to meet with you and show you around, introduce you to how they did things.
Peter, you might also find Lance Mindheim's website and books handy: www.lancemindheim.com. If his way of doing things appeals to you, I'd recommend picking one of his track plans (which the forum people here would probably love to help you alter if needed for your room), buying his 'how to build a switching layout' book and doing what it says . The advantage of this approach is that you have a consistent guide and source of information on the whole process of building a layout. I'm not saying it's thé way to start as a beginner, it's just one more way .
