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R

RetiredinIowa

Well-Known Member
Thanks for letting me join and learn from you and your experiences.

I recently retired at age 70 and am an avid birder… and have spent a lot of time outdoors and hiking while I bird. I’m also a recreational shooter, but I find I am doing less of each of those hobbies as I age.​

Model railroading is an appealing indoor hobby and since I grew up in a railroad town (the ‘Hub City’ in Rochelle, Illinois)… it only makes sense!​

For many years I’ve enjoyed setting up, a few times a year, my circa 1960 O27 Lionel set for my kids (and now for my grandkids).​

I have a finished/heated room in the lower level of our house… my ‘shop’… with space for a medium-sized L-shaped layout. I just purchased a used HO gauge set, plus some additional track and accessories from eBay and am looking now at track designs (and building the table/platform).​

Have also been watching YouTube videos galore… and am ‘drinking from the firehouse’ as I learn about Model Raliroading.​
​
I look forward to participating and learning!

Jim
RetiredinIowa
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RetiredinIowa said:
Thanks for letting me join and learn from you and your experiences.

I recently retired at age 70 and am an avid birder… and have spent a lot of time outdoors and hiking while I bird. I’m also a recreational shooter, but I find I am doing less of each of those hobbies as I age.​

Model railroading is an appealing indoor hobby and since I grew up in a railroad town (the ‘Hub City’ in Rochelle, Illinois)… it only makes sense!​

For many years I’ve enjoyed setting up, a few times a year, my circa 1960 O27 Lionel set for my kids (and now for my grandkids).​

I have a finished/heated room in the lower level of our house… my ‘shop’… with space for a medium-sized L-shaped layout. I just purchased a used HO gauge set, plus some additional track and accessories from eBay and am looking now at track designs (and building the table/platform).​

Have also been watching YouTube videos galore… and am ‘drinking from the firehouse’ as I learn about Model Raliroading.​
​
I look forward to participating and learning!

Jim
RetiredinIowa
​
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Jim: Welcome to the place. "appealing ... hobby"? It is a life style and sometimes black $$$ hole. Don't know what I would be doing if I could not chase trains or work on layout/trains; probably a ton of trouble! Remember to post pix after you get used to this site. We like pix!

L8r
 
Welcome to the forum. HO is the most common scale, with the most stuff readily available. Many parts of this, or any, hobby, is the vertical learning curve for some portions.
Hopefully to save you some pain in the near future, some things to avoid, just because we've been there, done that, and have many tee shirts... And this is only a partial list, meant to lower your frustration level:
If you buy an engine, at least get one that has both diesel trucks powered for better pulling power, preferably with flywheels so it starts, stops, and rolls over dirty track better, and look for DCC ready versions.
Try to get cars (rolling stock) that at least have frame or body-mounted couplers. Better if they are equipped with knuckle couplers. Up until the mid-1990s, the standard coupler was called the X2F, or horn-hook. Those couplers are, in a word, terrible. Body/frame mounted couplers will help not derail the cars when backing up.
If you are looking for track, and you see some that is brass rail or steel rail, avoid it. The steel will rust, and the brass will tarnish, and you'll spend a lot of time cleaning it so your trains will run. The "gooder" stuff is called nickel silver.
Curved sectional track and turnouts (switches): the larger radius the better for sectional track, and the higher number the better for turnouts.
Depending on what you got as far as a power supply for your track, you may want to look into something more robust. Some "train set" supplies are not very good, for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they are low-cost models that at best aren't very powerful, and at worst, will barely power the one engine that came with the set.
Others will probably chime in with other suggestions.
 


Here’s a great place to visit if you are a railfanner

IMG_2345.jpeg
 
bnsf971 said:
Welcome to the forum. HO is the most common scale, with the most stuff readily available. Many parts of this, or any, hobby, is the vertical learning curve for some portions.
Hopefully to save you some pain in the near future, some things to avoid, just because we've been there, done that, and have many tee shirts... And this is only a partial list, meant to lower your frustration level:
If you buy an engine, at least get one that has both diesel trucks powered for better pulling power, preferably with flywheels so it starts, stops, and rolls over dirty track better, and look for DCC ready versions.
Try to get cars (rolling stock) that at least have frame or body-mounted couplers. Better if they are equipped with knuckle couplers. Up until the mid-1990s, the standard coupler was called the X2F, or horn-hook. Those couplers are, in a word, terrible. Body/frame mounted couplers will help not derail the cars when backing up.
If you are looking for track, and you see some that is brass rail or steel rail, avoid it. The steel will rust, and the brass will tarnish, and you'll spend a lot of time cleaning it so your trains will run. The "gooder" stuff is called nickel silver.
Curved sectional track and turnouts (switches): the larger radius the better for sectional track, and the higher number the better for turnouts.
Depending on what you got as far as a power supply for your track, you may want to look into something more robust. Some "train set" supplies are not very good, for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they are low-cost models that at best aren't very powerful, and at worst, will barely power the one engine that came with the set.
Others will probably chime in with other suggestions.
Click to expand...
Thank you… valuable insights!

Will be heading to this place soon… nearest to me that is a dedicated model railroading store

 
Welcome to the group Jim.

Love going to the Rochelle rail park. I live about 25 minutes from there and used to work in that area so I'm very familiar with it.

There is also a pretty big Intermodal yard not too far from there in Rochelle thats fun to watch.
 
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Here are some of the layouts I’ve got “tagged” as potential. With 12 grandchildren… I will need the ability to run two trains at once to make it fun when they visit Grandpa’s shop! (We are blessed… they all live close)

Feedback welcome!


IMG_2339.jpeg
IMG_2340.jpeg
IMG_2341.jpeg
IMG_2342.jpeg
IMG_2343.png
 
Welcome to the forum, one thing that might be worth mentioning is the difference in control systems between O/O-27 and HO or other scales. O/O-27 is AC powered with three rails, making things like reverse loops as in the first two drawings (and maybe the others I didn't look that close) easy when it comes to wiring, i.e. nothing special. However in DC powered trains like in most (all?) other scales using 2-rails presents a wiring issue. As the reverse loop causes the plus and minus rails to change sides and create a short where they join. Now that is something that can be solved with insulated rail joiners or gaps and a second reversing switch to change the polarity of the main track as you traverse around the reverse loop.

As an aside I don't know how many people comment on track plans here in the introduce yourself forum, as there are specific forums for layout design and if you have specific scale questions ones for each scale as well. If you scroll down on the main forum page: https://modelrailroadforums.com/forum/index.php you will find these other forums and you can peruse the Track Plans forum for ideas. You might even post there you have a space x by y for an L-shaped layout and ask for ideas. If you put the L against the wall one thing to consider is the depth as a comfortable reach to get that inevitably de-railed train is something to consider.

And there are sites that offer custom designs and some have plans they have published: https://www.layoutvision.com/design-gallery and https://www.bobstrackplans.com/plans of course you will find these run the gambit from the classic 4x8 to basement filling empires.

Also I recommend checking out NMRA.org beginners guide at: https://www.nmra.org/beginners-guide, be sure to scroll down. You can become a member and get discounts at many hobby suppliers, but the beginners guide is free along with lots of content on youtube by them called NRMAX
 


Jim at BSME said:
Welcome to the forum, one thing that might be worth mentioning is the difference in control systems between O/O-27 and HO or other scales. O/O-27 is AC powered with three rails, making things like reverse loops as in the first two drawings (and maybe the others I didn't look that close) easy when it comes to wiring, i.e. nothing special. However in DC powered trains like in most (all?) other scales using 2-rails presents a wiring issue. As the reverse loop causes the plus and minus rails to change sides and create a short where they join. Now that is something that can be solved with insulated rail joiners or gaps and a second reversing switch to change the polarity of the main track as you traverse around the reverse loop.

As an aside I don't know how many people comment on track plans here in the introduce yourself forum, as there are specific forums for layout design and if you have specific scale questions ones for each scale as well. If you scroll down on the main forum page: https://modelrailroadforums.com/forum/index.php you will find these other forums and you can peruse the Track Plans forum for ideas. You might even post there you have a space x by y for an L-shaped layout and ask for ideas. If you put the L against the wall one thing to consider is the depth as a comfortable reach to get that inevitably de-railed train is something to consider.

And there are sites that offer custom designs and some have plans they have published: https://www.layoutvision.com/design-gallery and https://www.bobstrackplans.com/plans of course you will find these run the gambit from the classic 4x8 to basement filling empires.

Also I recommend checking out NMRA.org beginners guide at: https://www.nmra.org/beginners-guide, be sure to scroll down. You can become a member and get discounts at many hobby suppliers, but the beginners guide is free along with lots of content on youtube by them called NRMAX
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Excellent suggestions! Thank you!

Edit: wow… the NMRA site is VERY helpful… thank you again!
 
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I had considered that layout when I was planning my current layout but you can't run two trains at once unattended. I mean, I guess you can if you get lucky. Do ya feel lucky?
 
RhB Michael said:
I had considered that layout when I was planning my current layout but you can't run two trains at once unattended. I mean, I guess you can if you get lucky. Do ya feel lucky?
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No, there is no way to just let two trains run unattended on that layout (well without a computer). The problem is one cannot get from the inside loop on the right side, back to the inside loop on the left side. Another crossover would do it but then there is still a section of the run the two routes have to share.
 


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