Getting into the hobby....with lots of ?s


suprduc

Member
Hello all. Taking the advice of RexHea, I decided to start a thread to get some ideas from all of you. I am looking to get into the hobby and after spending a few days searching through the threads here to answer many of my questions, which you all have done a wonderful job of by the way :cool: , I have come up with a few more. Loving the forums here so far. Great topics, lots of answers, and some really nice pictures to show off what others are doing. Talk about some great inspiration and motivation!!

1. I am still trying to decide between HO scale and N scale at this point with a few things to consider before I decide. Most importantly I have not solidified my total available space just yet but I am leaning towards a 4'x8' or there abouts. N scale will give me the most room to build of course but, the HO scale availability is still intriguing more with all of the options. This is definitely something that I will need to figure out but I am open to suggestions/opinions.

2. I am leaning towards going with the HO scale and assuming I go that route, there seems to be quite a few different brands of locomotives. I am thinking about building my layout to include a couple of the lines that are local to me in Iowa (UP, CN, IC, IANR) although some of these are a lot easier to find then others and some custom paint work would probably be in order. Not a big deal, just want to be sure that everything is compatible with each other. Opinions/suggestions on which brands you like?

3. I'd like to learn more about the real deal trains such as models (i.e. CF7, GP38, their variations, etc.) so that I can learn to recognize the differences between them all. Any links to websites that have this info?

I am sure that I will have many more questions as the days go by and I continue to search through the other threads. Keep up the great work!!
 
1. I went with HO for the availability reasons you mentioned as well as the better detail. Space is a consideration, but that also depends on what you want. Do you want a switching yard? A main line (or 2 or 3 :) )? Long trains or short ones? Stuff like that.

2. My favourites tend to be the older models, and Athearn makes a darn fine car for a good price. Other members here would know the others to look for.

3. I actually learned a great deal on Wikipedia. For instance, List of GM-EMD locomotives is a good resource page.

Hope that helps!

Mark
 
Hi, Suprduc. I went throught the same process - HO or N? I finally decided HO was right for me because 1) DCC w/sound more availability, 2) my eye sight even with magnafiers, 3)I don't have room in the house anyway so I'll have to go to the shop and add on. Even though I could have gotten twice as much N scale layout, I still went with HO. That DCC sound is awesome!! N scale is good just not as much of it. I couldn't find a N scale steam. Here is a link to my track plan - http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8192&d=1199365455
 
Thanks for the input Jon. DCC is definitely a major attraction for the HO in my book. One of the gentlemen that I spoke with at the local hobby shop also brought up DCC, which will bring up more questions from me down the road. :D

That's a good looking layout which has brought up another question. Since I live in Iowa, gets very cold this time of year, would building a layout in a workshop, that would only be heated while I was in there, be a suitable option? In other words, would temps that go below zero this time of year be damaging in the long term?
 
I can't answer the risks of sub freezing temps on layout (I love Florida ;o)
I do have a small A/C and small space heater, low ceilings and insulated. We've had a couple days recently where it was just too cold to work out there so I did research, etc. I do consider condensation before I turn on the heater.
Where in Iowa? We lived in Marion many years ago. Still have a son in Vinton.
 
On the DCC - I was sold when I heard the first steam loco. Then the learning curve. A lot of digging, reading forums and research. DCC w/snd is the only way to go (for me ;o). Many of the manufacturers have their manuals available online. One of the questions I had to answer "how many people will be operating at one time?" A system that is able to operate 10 locos at one time but with only one operator is probably a waste of money. If you expect to have more than 1 operator (club, kids, etc) then multiple "cabs" will be desireable.
I jumped into this about 3 months ago and am lovin' it. Haven't began to scratch the surface of DCC capabilities.
 
The main issue with the workshop will be the humidity, or lack thereof. That could mess up the wood you use to build the layout, if you're using the L-girder or cookie-cutter type. When that wood expands or shrinks, it's going to either mess up the track, or maybe flex the scenery (if it's really bad).

Most folks worry about that sort of thing in their basements; some folks use a humidifier and dehumidifier, depending on the season.

It wouldn't be so bad if you used wood for the gridwork and lay a 4x8 sheet of 2" pink foam on top of it. That's the traditional 4x8 sized layout, but some folks use plywood for the top.

Kennedy
 
Thanks for the links Paul, very useful.

Kennedy~ Foam would definitely be used as a layer over the plywood base. I'm still hoping that I can get the room in the basement but, the workshop may still b a possibility. Thanks
 
Well, I spent yet another hour or so down at the local hobby shop getting more information to digest. :eek: Lots of cool stuff in there, some old, some new, some used, hopefully none abused. Still have not committed to which line I will be modeling but I think that I am getting closer.

I am going to go with HO and with a modern(ish) time frame. Probably looking to use GP38s or around there, sticking with four axle locos for now to get going. Maybe add a six axle SD45 or so later on but, trying not to get ahead of myself too much. I think that I will start off fairly simple with one or two locos in a 3'x7' foot section for now with plans to expand into an "L-shaped" layout down the road after some rearranging of the basement.

Also, concerning the line that I would like to go with. There is a gentleman painting up Iowa Northern locos but I have not been able to get any pricing just yet since I have yet to meet him. :D Pricing of that may dictate if I go that route or find another one. I did notice that there were three shells at the hobby store painted up in Wisconsin & Central colors but, I am not sure of the brand of shells, possibly Kato or Athearn SD45s? Would not be a bad way to go either I think except that I am also still tossing around different ideas of which brand of locos to go with. Proto 2K, Kato, Atlas, and Athearn seem to be fairly plentiful at the local shop and the gentleman that I was conversing with last night put a few of them on the tracks to show them off a bit. He had a Proto 2K GP18 and an Athearn GP38 in I believe Illinois Terminal colors. I liked both of them but the Proto 2k did seem a bit smoother. They were both short displays of about a minute or so each so maybe to short for me to actually draw a conclusion. Detail wise, I think that I like the Proto 2K locos a bit more than the others that I saw. I didn't really take a close look at any of the Kato stuff, there wasn't much to start with.

That's enough for now, I'm sure that I will still have more. :rolleyes:
 
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I like the Protos for quiet operation and pulling . Also Bachman Spectrums run smooth and don't hurt the pocket book either!!
 
I did see a couple of Bachmann Spectrum boxes in the cases but, I did not get a chance to go through and see what was in them. Definitely will during my next visit. Thanks for the info Paul.
 



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