Another newb


R

rentalguy1

New Member
Another newbie checking in here. I was guided here by another member (Future) that I know from another site. I am just getting back into this and haven't played with trains since I was a kid. I am now medically retired, and bored to tears. I have thought about model railroading for years, and since I now have the time and a mostly empty, unfinished basement, it seems like a good time to take it up. I plan to loosely model the Norfolk Southern rail yard in my hometown (Bristol, TN) and freelance a route to another town on their line with a few industries in between. All of this will be in HO scale. I am looking at starting with a 12' X 12' "L" shaped layout that will be 4' deep. When I started drafting the layout, I found out quickly that you can't fit a lot onto that layout. I thought it would be plenty big, but I can already see it expanding throughout the basement. Oh well, that's me. Time to start searching the site now.
 
Welcome to the hobby. Don't bite off too much at the start, might get you discouraged. Sounds you have a nice size area to work with. If I were to get started again I would go with modules. You can work on one at a time & take them with you if you leave your present home.Get the specifications from the web & use them in case you want to join a modular club & your modulars would all fit. Start with the 2 end ones so you can at least have an operation loop to watch the trains run. Then it's up to you. Add as many that you want in between them. Good Luck....Jerry
 
Welcome to the hobby. You can do a lot with a 12'x12' shelf type layout. You probably don't want to go 4' deep though. The average reach is only about 33" and, assuming the layout will be against the wall, getting to back part of the layout will be a pain.

First thing I'd suggest is to read Chip's beginner's guide at http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html. It's a short read but it will give some food for thought about what you want your railroad to do and "givens" and "druthers". These are things you really want on your layout and the things you'd like but won't break your heart if you don't have them.
 
yes chips guide is very informative and i myself gathered alot of useful info! but welcome to the site im new here to lol.
 
I really appreciate the advice, and I just went and read the guide. I hadn't read it, but I have read a few articles that are similar. You guys can relax, because I am in no hurry to get trains running. I am looking for a long term hobby that can keep me busy during the winter months. If it takes five years to build, that is fine with me. I know the current start and end points, and what I want in between. I am also realistic about what I can and can't have. I have plenty of room for expansion. I think I'm on the right track here (pun intended). I'm going to start my research on the physical locations today. I started hand drawing layout plans the other day, but they are far from finalized. I am looking at a large loop, with a yard at each end and a very few industries in between. Since I am doing my local area, I will need to scratch build nearly everything. That will make this project take a lot longer, but there will be a lot more pride in it when I am done. I've picked up a lot from this board, and the internet in general, but I'm still open for all advice.

For the 48" depth, I plan on putting a few fold down trap doors in the center for access.
 
As far as those trap doors, it's been done and they will never be at the place that needs attention. You can use 36"-38" and get in as much scenery as if you were using 48" but it will be way easier to build and maintain.
 
Really don't like those trap doors. They always look like trap doors no matter how hard you try to hide the edges. I really need one & am putting it off, hoping i can get some inspiration on another solution. Jerry
 
I may end up moving away from the wall about two feet so I can walk around. That would solve the problem. I have at least 600 square feet to work with downstairs. I am going to start off by scratch building our train station. I'm not the most artistic person, and I have no idea how well I will do at this. I used to put model kits together as a kid, but not in a long time now. Local scenery is the most important to me at this point, so I need to see if I can even do that first. If not, I will have to change my plans.
 
Moving the layout away from the wall is an ideal solution if you have the room. You don't have to be artistic to to scratchbuild, just methodical and have the right tools. Make sure you take twice as many picures as you think you'll need and get every measurement you can. Once you get all the measurements, it's easy to reduce them to HO scale using one of the on-line calculators like the one at http://www.csgnetwork.com/modrrscalecalc.html. . Then it's measure twice and cut once. You'll be a better man than me if you always follow that rule. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top