So I got back into the hobby after 30+ years away. Boy, was I highly motivated. 6 months into building the "behemoth" I realized I was way over my head. The wife even asked if I knew what I had gotten myself into. I decided the best thing to do was to tear it all down and figure out what I had learned, liked, etc. Thankfully it hadn't become that expensive of a learning experience.
I'm keeping it simple and fun.
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- I hate laying track, but like to see trains move. Go figure. I know you need to complete the first before you do the second.
- Keep it simple. Wye's, Switch Backs, grades, etc. take space, time, and skill to do it right.
- Ultracal soaked paper towels over a cardboard lattice or crumpled newspaper is cheap, but messy and heavy.
- That pink foam board is awesome! Why I didn't use this before is beyond me.
- Sculptamold is so much easier to use than Ultracal! I found Sculptamold and foam board to be highly superior to the Ultracal method. Ultracal 30 is great for casting rocks though.
- Buy all scenery material in bulk.
- The scenery products from Scenic Express are freakin amazing!
- I found I liked building scenery and structures more than running trains. This was one of those epiphany moments.
- The advancements in sound and mechanical quality, of locomotives, has improved 1000x from the 1970's/1980's.
- There is no standard coupler height between manufacturers. They all mate a little different. This drove me nuts. The good ole days when you just put Kadees on and they all mated fine are gone.
- DCC makes wiring a piece of cake.
- You shouldn't have to strain to reach something. Measure your reach at 4' off the ground. This was one of those big screw up learning experiences.
I'm keeping it simple and fun.
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