it would be easery if


M

marriedshades

Member
I Was thinking how it would be easery for new people to the hobby. If the was a check list and general parts list for some of the more involved projects like making a automated crossing or automated singles. I know you can cover all styles or thoughts. But a the basic systems would be a help. Maybe there is something I have looked haven't seen one parts list especially.
 
marriedshades said:
I Was thinking how it would be easery for new people to the hobby. If the was a check list and general parts list for some of the more involved projects like making a automated crossing or automated singles. I know you can cover all styles or thoughts. But a the basic systems would be a help. Maybe there is something I have looked haven't seen one parts list especially.
Click to expand...

That would be fantastic! I'm 'groping in the dark' on most of the more technical aspects of this hobby! My limited college education is not helping much. LOL!
 
Probably the biggest obstacle in making such a list, are the infinite variables available. For instance an automated crossing can be triggered by infrared sensors, by track occupancy, by reed switches, by computers, and the list goes on. Then you have multiple companies that make products to accomplish that, plus it may be totally different for DC or DCC.

The easiest way on here, would be to give us a set of parameters, as much detail on your trackwork, and any other pertinent info that you can, then sit back and wait for the questions to roll in, and eventually you will get the most suitable information for your situation. It's not a simple chore to blindly design a system for someone by long distance, but it can be done, and there are plenty of talented modelers here that would be glad to help.

By the way, all the information you seek is most likely already on the interweb, but it's a real job to find it.

Good luck,
Joe
 
josephbw said:
Probably the biggest obstacle in making such a list, are the infinite variables available. For instance an automated crossing can be triggered by infrared sensors, by track occupancy, by reed switches, by computers, and the list goes on. Then you have multiple companies that make products to accomplish that, plus it may be totally different for DC or DCC.

The easiest way on here, would be to give us a set of parameters, as much detail on your trackwork, and any other pertinent info that you can, then sit back and wait for the questions to roll in, and eventually you will get the most suitable information for your situation. It's not a simple chore to blindly design a system for someone by long distance, but it can be done, and there are plenty of talented modelers here that would be glad to help.

By the way, all the information you seek is most likely already on the interweb, but it's a real job to find it.

Good luck,
Joe
Click to expand...

I've been seeing that if you give specifics on what you are trying to do, somebody on here will have a similar system or the proper experience and will have the fix you seek.

Many times, a question I think of will be asked by someone else before I can do it and the answer is already there!

THIS is the place!
 
You can get a lot of help. But there is times you can get to much info. Since no everyone is using the same systems it can cause more confession. And if your never seen some of the stuff your left scratching your head. That where a good basic list you buy this to go with this it does this would help.
 
I try to buy stuff that looks easy to put together, when it comes to electronics. That is why I have DC. I have a lot of electric turnout controls and street lights and stuff, but not really circuit boards.

I did find this flasher that looks relatively easy to hook up but that is about as complicated as I get.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251897865697?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I haven't bought one but they do give a lot of helpful illustrations if you scroll down their ad.

I bought a different one that was really a pain in the a-- to assemble:

[video=youtube;hGnnLIxQAbw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGnnLIxQAbw[/video]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
marriedshades said:
I Was thinking how it would be easery for new people to the hobby. If the was a check list and general parts list for some of the more involved projects like making a automated crossing or automated singles. I know you can cover all styles or thoughts. But a the basic systems would be a help. Maybe there is something I have looked haven't seen one parts list especially.
Click to expand...
This is why books are written on these subjects, and also why they become obsolete. I cannot even imagine doing the basic three color signaling system with relays today (Thinking of the article "Three Color Signals On the Sunset Valley", from the June 1974<?> Model Railroader). The basics change through time. Even in their "time" there are at least a dozen good ways to do something.
 
While it would be great to see an Idiots Guide To..., I think it would be far too hard to achieve due to many of the reasons that have already been stated. It maybe possible IF everyone new to the hobby came into it with the same ideas and thoughts, if new people were restricted to a "certain thing" but that isn't going to happen nor is it plausible for that to happen.

(Almost) everyone is going to have different ideas, designs and objectives to try to cover all of them in a How to Book.
 
wombat457 said:
While it would be great to see an Idiots Guide To..., I think it would be far too hard to achieve due to many of the reasons that have already been stated. It maybe possible IF everyone new to the hobby came into it with the same ideas and thoughts, if new people were restricted to a "certain thing" but that isn't going to happen nor is it plausible for that to happen.

(Almost) everyone is going to have different ideas, designs and objectives to try to cover all of them in a How to Book.
Click to expand...

Tony, in fact, probably knows this better than anyone. The variety of solutions he's been offered as he builds his layout has been staggering, and at times more complex than the simple solution he was looking for. I've also seen it myself, when asking for "please tell me x information" results in being told that x is this if you do y and z, while somebody else comes in to say that x is completely invalid because of a and b, but only if c is not present and Mercury is in retrograde. Then somebody finally tells me exactly what x is and I can get on with things.

I mean...seriously, that's almost how it feels sometimes. And the thing is, there's nothing wrong with that. A lot of railroad modelers go for very complex, very accurate, very life-like setups, and I am honestly jealous of their talent and ingenuity. BUT...sometimes you just need a simple answer to a single, very specific question because you have your own ideas of what YOU want to do, and sometimes you do need the X=(y+z)/(a+b)-c kind of thing. Because of this huge variation in what people are trying to accomplish with their layouts (and I'm not even going into scenery vs. maximum track and so forth), it's just not practical to have a single list of things that someone must do to accomplish a given task because the task is seldom the same between different individuals and layouts, even if the general gist of the question might be.
 
Mike raises a very very good point ... not only do different people have different ideas and thoughts about what they want to have in a layout but, those with the knowledge and the experience also have differing opinions as well. You could ask 10 different people to write a "how to book" and it would not surprise me if all 10 were very different - and THAT would do more harm (if you like) or cause more confusion than never having the book/s guide or steps in the first place.

For every question asked, the answers invariably raise additional questions and so on and so forth. It really does seem as though nothing is definitive in this hobby/way of life.

That is one of the unique things about this hobby - one question could have several different answers, all of which are right, depending on a menagerie of things. There is no 100% right or wrong way, with few exceptions.
 
wombat457 said:
Mike raises a very very good point ... not only do different people have different ideas and thoughts about what they want to have in a layout but, those with the knowledge and the experience also have differing opinions as well. You could ask 10 different people to write a "how to book" and it would not surprise me if all 10 were very different - and THAT would do more harm (if you like) or cause more confusion than never having the book/s guide or steps in the first place.

For every question asked, the answers invariably raise additional questions and so on and so forth. It really does seem as though nothing is definitive in this hobby/way of life.

That is one of the unique things about this hobby - one question could have several different answers, all of which are right, depending on a menagerie of things. There is no 100% right or wrong way, with few exceptions.
Click to expand...

That aspect of the hobby nearly drove my friend nuts! He just could not understand that for all the 'plug and play' HYPE it's pretty much still a 'hand crafted thing' and there IS NO real "A, B,C," way of doing this. Too many makers and too much variety in too many combinations to get it to 'work' that way! There ARE 'constants' to be sure, like, you need power, and the fact that the trains have to stay ON the rails and that's about it!

If EVERYTHING on the layout was made by the same company, and made to dovetail with ALL the other components that would be the answer, but I know of no single company that makes ALL of the things required for a layout. Somebody start one!
 
Part of the problem is that most newbs are rather scatterbrained too. Its easy to have many dreams and ideas that you think you can incorporate into your layout. Then they realize they aren't happy with the results. I have a process to give advice. Focus. What is the thing that gets you going? What's #2,#3. When you know exactly what you want then I can provide useful ideas and options.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
RBMNfan said:
Part of the problem is that most newbs are rather scatterbrained too. Its easy to have many dreams and ideas that you think you can incorporate into your layout. Then they realize they aren't happy with the results. I have a process to give advice. Focus. What is the thing that gets you going? What's #2,#3. When you know exactly what you want then I can provide useful ideas and options.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I am SO one of the "Newbish" scatterbrained individuals you speak of! LOL! Though I did have enough sense to set limited goals, just some track to run on would be nice, after that...we'll see.

When I hit snags (and I will!), I'm secure in the knowledge that here on these hallowed pages, amongst the cruel observations of my obvious failings, (sob!) will be answers to the questions I have raised for myself.
 
Its like a path to having a layout that is both a little challenging to build and fun to operate. There is a spectrum between toy trains running around in a circle and a fully detailed prototypically operated layout. We all are at different points. I have been building layouts for almost 25 years and I still make small changes as I build things. I used CVT tie strips for the yard and industry tracks for the first time. I had planned on doing the mainline too but I ended up using premade track there. I was able to run a train while taking my time and learning a new method of laying track.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
RBMNfan said:
Its like a path to having a layout that is both a little challenging to build and fun to operate. There is a spectrum between toy trains running around in a circle and a fully detailed prototypically operated layout. We all are at different points. I have been building layouts for almost 25 years and I still make small changes as I build things. I used CVT tie strips for the yard and industry tracks for the first time. I had planned on doing the mainline too but I ended up using premade track there. I was able to run a train while taking my time and learning a new method of laying track.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm shooting for the middle of the spectrum you so well described!
Right at the very start of my research phase I realized change was a 'constant' on the layout, same as life!

By "CVT tie strips"? Do you mean "zip-ties"? (I'm dense.) Saw a guy using wire to secure the track down. Drill holes between the ties and put it over a tie in an upside down 'U' shape and twist it together underneath the layout, snug but not tight, left a little 'wggle' room for expansion/contraction. Spots of glue I have also seen used to secure track. I can't use nails, cause I will be on foam. Hmmm. I will try what I see and hear as being 'good methods' till I find one I like.
 
CVT tie strips are plastic ties that have tieplate details. You glue the strips down and then glue rail on the tie strips. Its an easier and more detailed version of handlaying track. You do have to smooth out the roadbed because the strips will reflect the surface beneath.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
RBMNfan said:
CVT tie strips are plastic ties that have tieplate details. You glue the strips down and then glue rail on the tie strips. Its an easier and more detailed version of handlaying track. You do have to smooth out the roadbed because the strips will reflect the surface beneath.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Thanks, no doubt an excellent method but sounds a little 'too permanent' for me just yet. My 'track plan' is a bit fluid at the moment and will be for a while.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top