Just Another New Guy in the Decision Process


T

timewellspent

Member
Hello everyone. I am very new to everything and have yet to start anything, except the research and reading. I have been doing quite a bit of that over the last several months. The YouTube tutorials on so many different aspects have been very helpful, as well as different forums such as this. I did join the Model Railroader Forum a while ago, but couldn't stay very long. A lot of good people over there, but the lag time with having posts show up just got to me. I hope it is not like that over here. I am used to forums where the post goes up right away and very often one can get responded to very quickly. I like that. Sometimes you need quick answers to allow you to move forward.

Anyway, I have been learning a lot about minimum turn radius, grade, DCC system, benchwork, scenery, track planning and just about everything. I do have a dedicated room to use, but it is a small bedroom and not very large. I have worked out the best use of that space which equates to a peninsula coming off the center of one wall with narrower shelf extensions running along the rest of the existing walls available to use. I believe there is about 60 square ft of possible benchwork. If I go N scale, which was my first original choice, I could do a decently sized layout and have come up with a base track plan that I like. My other option though is what I am leaning towards now, HOn3. I have recently discovered the Blackstone models and have been really impressed by them and the layouts designed for them. I feel my room is too small for HO, but HOn3 is doable, being a step between N scale and HO. I have a nice track plan for that as well.

Personally I think that the HO scale would be a more enjoyable and ideal modeling size for me. I have also leaned more towards that time frame and class of train that the Blackstone models represent. The possible scenery is also of the finest I could imagine for myself. It all seems like a win, win to do that. But, at the same time, HOn3 seems so limited in scope and with few companies that supply pieces for it. N scale is very broad in scope and I am afraid of possibly locking myself in a corner with HOn3 and not being able to grow from there. But, I don't even know if I would want to grow from there. I feel if I went N scale I would be going away from what my heart tells me to do, just of of fear of possibly getting bored in the future. And I think I would always regret that decision.

Anyway, that is where I am now, weighing out the pros and cons of each. They both have very strong positives and each does have it's negative side. The Blackstone models run so perfectly at slow speeds and with all wheel pick-up have no issues with switches and slight track imperfections. They are also of an enjoyable and respectable size to me. N scale can also run very nicely it seems, but I don't know how well and how slowly over similar conditions. One thing is for certain. I have decided not to move forward with anything until I get a better sense of what it is I want. Make sense?
 
Makes perfect sense! I commend you for not rushing in. Preparation is the key to good luck. Only fools rush in, I could go on and on.

I have O, HO and N, I even have an ON30 Christmas set, but my first love is O. My problem is I love them all! I'm not yet a serious modeler, in that I mean my layouts are temporary until after my wife and I move.

My arthritic hands and failing eyes make O the best choice for me. That and my nostalgic/sentimental love for Lionel.

Both HO and N are challenging for me because of their size. Even if I buy ready made buildings and accessories maintenance is still and issue for me.

Enough about my trains. I think HO is great because it has the widest selection of products. N is great because as you said it lends itself to a big and complex layout in a small space. I believe N is a fast growing segment of the hobby.

I can tell you a great source no matter what you go with. MB Klein/Model Train Stuff they have a large selection and discount prices. They also have maybe the best customer service. I have been buying from them for 42 years.

I can't tell you much more that that, but I can tell you there are experts on this forum who can answer any question you may have.

Welcome to the forums, we are glad to have you onboard.

Don't be a stranger. Thanks for sharing your hobby with us!
 
Welcome timewellspent. You have happened upon the friendliest forum on the Internet. I too commend you for doing your homework before jumping in and possibly having regrets later. Not knowing your age bracket, I can't really recommend one scale over another, but as we age, bigger is better. You're correct about getting more modeling into a limited space with N scale and those newer models are right up there in quality with HO scale. There's still more HO scale stuff available, but with a small layout, there' only so much that will fit anyway. Feast your eyes on some of the larger layouts like Ken's (D&J RailRoad) or Lloyd's (Hawkesburytrain) pike and enjoy them. There are lots of smaller layouts featured on the forum, you'll get to know them over time. Ask as many questions as you want, there's always someone who knows the answers.
Visit the Coffee Shop if you're so inclined to BS with and get to know some of the forum members more closely.

Willie
 
Welcome to the forum and to the hobby! Hearing your back and forth on what scale to choose, it's good that you are going slow with this. As you've said, every scale has it's pros and cons. I model in HO simply because that's what I had as a kid. Now after being back in the hobby on and off for nine years I've come to realize that I enjoy building the scene more so than the actual trains. N scale would have been better to modeling the ten by fourteen space I have to build my little world. I could have built so much more of my world. That being said, I will
Never change. Also, I love steam and at the time of returning, I was told that there just wasn't much steam available in N and the ones that were didn't run very well. One thing I can say is don't think about it too long. Some times you just go with your gut! Once again, welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy yourself.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thank you everyone that took the time to respond. I am glad to see that this is the kind of forum that I was hoping it would be. I really think that my preferred modeling scale will be HO, but as narrow gauge HOn3. That actually places it somewhere between HO and N in actual space requirements, turn radii, etc, which makes it better suited to the space I have. N scale would no doubt be the best suited, but I have my doubts about the small size and performance issues around some of the smaller steam locos that I favor. The future of N scale looks very bright with many improvements in technology probably just around the corner. Plus I could do many different time periods with steam and diesel if I wanted. Originally that was my intent. As much as I now love what I have seen with HOn3. will it also grow, or die off if something happens to Blackstone? What if I later decide that yes I want diesel as well. That won't happen with HOn3. Lots of things to consider here. I do have the time. I am remodeling my home and this extra bedroom was the first to be finished. I plan to use it to stage in items from the other two bedrooms as I work on them one at a time.

Which ever scale I decide to go with I will be starting out small. Both track plan ideas have a narrow section of around 15 inches and 11' long along the one wall that leads to the main section of each layout. My plan is to work on this smaller section first and test my chops with all aspects of the hobby. I feel I should be able to learn everything I will need to know how to do by working on those few feet. My plan will be to take that first section up to around where 80% of the detail items are complete before moving forward from there.

One of the reasons I don't mind spending the time to sort these issues out is that the research itself has been enjoyable learning about everything. So, in a way I have started something. The other main reason is that I have so many interests and hobbies that I rarely have enough hours in the day to fit everything in. The absolute last thing I need is one more. So, probably that is why I will be doing it :). I think life is too short otherwise.

Dave
 
timewellspent said:
Thank you everyone that took the time to respond. I am glad to see that this is the kind of forum that I was hoping it would be. I really think that my preferred modeling scale will be HO, but as narrow gauge HOn3. That actually places it somewhere between HO and N in actual space requirements, turn radii, etc, which makes it better suited to the space I have. N scale would no doubt be the best suited, but I have my doubts about the small size and performance issues around some of the smaller steam locos that I favor. The future of N scale looks very bright with many improvements in technology probably just around the corner. Plus I could do many different time periods with steam and diesel if I wanted. Originally that was my intent. As much as I now love what I have seen with HOn3. will it also grow, or die off if something happens to Blackstone? What if I later decide that yes I want diesel as well. That won't happen with HOn3. Lots of things to consider here. I do have the time. I am remodeling my home and this extra bedroom was the first to be finished. I plan to use it to stage in items from the other two bedrooms as I work on them one at a time.

Which ever scale I decide to go with I will be starting out small. Both track plan ideas have a narrow section of around 15 inches and 11' long along the one wall that leads to the main section of each layout. My plan is to work on this smaller section first and test my chops with all aspects of the hobby. I feel I should be able to learn everything I will need to know how to do by working on those few feet. My plan will be to take that first section up to around where 80% of the detail items are complete before moving forward from there.

..............

Dave
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The problem with specialty things like HOn3 etc., is that not being mainstream they can be hard to source certain items and in all probability require you to do alot of modifying or scratchbuilding...which might be biting off a bit more than you bargained for at the start of a new hobby.

i do think your idea of starting your layout by just building the 11ftx15inch section is an excellent idea. It gives plenty of scope to actually get enough track down to operate and switch trains, and it is still small enough in size to allow you to get a handle on all aspects of the hobby, carpentry,wiring/electrics,tracklaying,ballasting,sepcenery etc while be small enough to actually complete and have operating sessions and a completed railroad in a fairly short timespan!!!
 
Welcome to the forums and as Louis said, take your time and plan ahead, regardless of which scale you end up going with.

Just on a personal note, my first layout was HO an I too was of the opinion that it was a "good" intermediate scale to work with. What I didn't really take into account was the area I had to play with for the layout (11' X 4' basically) or what trains I wanted to run. Anyway, I built the layout and found that the size of it drastically limited me to very little other than some steam engines and small diesel engines and the over all train size, how many cars could be pulled without looking ridiculous.

Eventually, after months of work and money, I built an N Scale in an area about the same dimensions as the HO and found, not surprisingly, that I had much more track work and; therefore, running interest as well as the ability to run virtually all current N Scale engines pulling a decent number of cars. All in all, it looked far more realistic.

My only concern was the size of N Scale trains and models and whether I could work on/with them. All of the engines I have are about 5" long as are the rolling stock and are almost as manageable as their HO counterparts.

What I am saying is this, if you have limited space and want to get the most out of that space as well as having innumerable options for it, I would go with N Scale. Honestly, I think (from what you have said) you would become bored with a HO layout far quicker than you would with an N Scale layout.

Either way, have fun with the project and don't be afraid of asking questions or for advice.

PS: If I had something like a full basement, I wouldn't go any other way than HO Scale.
 
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Genetk44 said:
The problem with specialty things like HOn3 etc., is that not being mainstream they can be hard to source certain items and in all probability require you to do alot of modifying or scratchbuilding...which might be biting off a bit more than you bargained for at the start of a new hobby.

i do think your idea of starting your layout by just building the 11ftx15inch section is an excellent idea. It gives plenty of scope to actually get enough track down to operate and switch trains, and it is still small enough in size to allow you to get a handle on all aspects of the hobby, carpentry,wiring/electrics,tracklaying,ballasting,sepcenery etc while be small enough to actually complete and have operating sessions and a completed railroad in a fairly short timespan!!!
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I couldn't agree more with what you have said Gene, and only realized the space limitations the OP has. That is going to restrict him to a "point to point layout" regardless of whether he chooses HO or N Scale. Having a layout only 15" in width will also restrict the amount of track that can be laid (side by side) for switching ops that will be consuming, especially if scenery is taken into account, if he chooses to go with HO.
 
Actually Tony he really doesn't have space issues. He has a whole room albeit a small one. We know at least two walls of that room are at least 11 feet long. A board 15 inches wide could, in theory have seven tracks ( not recomennded)running along it side-by-side with enough space between them for ones fingers to place/adjust cars. There are thousands of awesome layouts with fantastic operational characteristics that have been built and exhibited with baseboards of that kind of width.
 
Hey Time,
Welcome to the forum. As you described your room constraints and your desire to run HO scale, it occured to me that a two level layout might fit well. With one duck under at the entrance to the room and the track being a point to point with a loop at each end, your track would circle the room twice as a double track mainline and double back on itself with a loop at each end on either side of the entrance. A long run of track, numerous industries with short track spurs coming off the mainline and only one duck under to have to mess with.
Willie mentioned that you might want to check out my empire. The link to it is in my signature below. A rather extensive story but it starts a few years ago and brings you up to present with my build process from room preparation to current scenery design.
 
timewellspent said:
Hello everyone.
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First there is no such thing as "just another new guy". We celebrate the arrival of new members to this forum. Even new guys and gals have something to say and contribute. I always like the sort of conversations that are "I just learned this....". Even if I learned it 50 years ago, it is great to here "new guy's" steps in becoming mature model railroaders.

Personally I think that the HO scale would be a more enjoyable and ideal modeling size for me. I have also leaned more towards that time frame and class of train that the Blackstone models represent. The possible scenery is also of the finest I could imagine for myself. It all seems like a win, win to do that. But, at the same time, HOn3 seems so limited in scope and with few companies that supply pieces for it. N scale is very broad in scope and I am afraid of possibly locking myself in a corner with HOn3 and not being able to grow from there. But, I don't even know if I would want to grow from there. I feel if I went N scale I would be going away from what my heart tells me to do, just of of fear of possibly getting bored in the future. And I think I would always regret that decision. Anyway, that is where I am now, weighing out the pros and cons of each. They both have very strong positives and each does have it's negative side. The Blackstone models run so perfectly at slow speeds and with all wheel pick-up have no issues with switches and slight track imperfections. They are also of an enjoyable and respectable size to me. N scale can also run very nicely it seems, but I don't know how well and how slowly over similar conditions.
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A couple of points here, but before I make them be it known that I am not currently an active HOn3 modeler. I have several of the Blackstone models, many locos and kits of other brands that I've accumulated through the years. But other than a couple of towns on the club layout, I have never actively used them for a model railroad......
1. HOn3 is not as common as standard gauge HO, but it is much more common than one would think. HOn3 has had a huge following for many decades. Sn3 made some inroads to that population in the 1990s, but there is still a massive amount of HOn3 equipment out there to be had. Even before Blackstone it was a good choice.

2. The other side of the commonality issue is that choosing narrow gauge naturally limits the need for equipment. Narrow gauge railroads did not have massive fleets of locos and cars. They did not run dual track main lines and interchange cars with a hundred and one other railroads. So for your budget this is a good thing. Side story. I have a friend who switched from HO standard to Sn3. He chose to model the Boulder Northwestern (The Switzerland of the USA road). Even though the locos are only available in very pricey brass, he has actually spent less for locos than had he been modeling D&RGW standard gauge. This is because the BNW only had a handful of locomotives in real life. He has a model for EVERY one of the locos in prototype that existed. No pressure on the budget to expand the loco fleet - ever.

3. In narrow gauge one doesn't need a huge fleet of cars to make long trains to look "normal". Twenty cars is a very respectable "long" train. The D&RGW Monarch Branch daily limestone train was normally 26 cars.

Then generally speaking of narrow gauge, you mentioned Blackstone so I presume you are thinking about on of the variants of the Rio Grande (the Denver & Rio Grande, the Rio Grande Western, The Denver & Rio Grande Western), or Rio Grande Southern. Have you chosen an area? Each has its own charms. Silverton of course is the most diverse with its four different railroads plus interchange from the Rio Grande Southern. The transcontinental line over Marshal Pass was of course the most active. Salida with the Monarch, Turrent, Leadville branches. Canon City with the Royal Gorge and Florence and Texas Creek area coal mines. Pueblo with the CF&I steel plant, The Sunshine mine in Utah. etc. etc. Well worth the study even if one isn't planning on modeling these areas.

You said you had a time period picked out. Which one have you settled on? That will also limit the "necessary" roster and rolling stock. Once again that might seem like a limitation, but can really be a blessing.

On the down side of HOn3. Some of those locomotives require just as large a radius and their full standard gauge cousins. I have a brass loco (don't remember the exact model, a K36 maybe?) that requires 30" radius. So one has to be careful in the selection of locos anyway.
 
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I am sorry to have been out of touch, but I have been away from home and didn’t get an email notice of further forum activity. I wanted to thank all of you for your replies. I did want to clarify one thing in case it was misunderstood. The 11’ x 15” starting point would just be a part of the entire layout, just one wall. But, when completed would allow me to have a fully functional small switching layout while I would be applying what I have learned so far into building the rest of the layout.

The problem with my small room is that it has been made even smaller with the previous expansion of the doorway into double French doors. That only gives me a 4’ useable run down that wall. The other issue is the wall adjacent to it on the other side which has a set of bi-fold closet doors, which removes it from use all together. The long wall of the room is 11’ and the short wall is 10.5’.

The best use of space that I have been able to work out for a layout is to first fully use the 11’ wall with that 11’ x 15’’ section I have described. Then turn and make a run down the 10.5’ section to a peninsula module coming off the center of that wall approx. 40” x 8’ long. After that I still have the rest of that 10.5’ wall to the corner and then another 4’ down that wall. However, that 4’ section can only be about 1’ wide. I figure that last 7’ run could be over to a mine of some sorts. I have planned the benchwork to allow about 30” of isle space.

The 11’ x 15” section terminates to the wall where the long closet is. With an Hon3 layout I would plan to pass through that wall via a tunnel and into that closet space for a run of possible staging. If N scale, I could do a full return loop back into the room via a second tunnel dog bone style, with probably the outer track at a higher elevation.

As for the peninsula section for Hon3, I was thinking something very similar to that D & RGW Douglass Creek layout made by LayoutDynamics.com. A central divider lends to the illusion of a greater space, while allowing a continuous loop without looking like one. With the addition of the rest of the planned layout it would expand that simple loop into choices of running point to point, an out and back, or a simple loop, or any combo depending upon desire or need.

The HOn3 layout plan has a minimum curve of 18". Visually I think that works for the smaller size of HOn3 and the Blackstone models work fine on that. This is the radius used on that D & RGW Douglas Creek layout. You can see some great video on YouTube of that one. This visible minimum for the N scale would be around 16" with 12" hidden inside of tunnels for turns at some locations. I am learning that that turn radius really sets ones limits and determins what can be done in the space available.
 
Iron Horseman said:
Then generally speaking of narrow gauge, you mentioned Blackstone so I presume you are thinking about on of the variants of the Rio Grande (the Denver & Rio Grande, the Rio Grande Western, The Denver & Rio Grande Western), or Rio Grande Southern. Have you chosen an area? Each has its own charms. Silverton of course is the most diverse with its four different railroads plus interchange from the Rio Grande Southern. The transcontinental line over Marshal Pass was of course the most active. Salida with the Monarch, Turrent, Leadville branches. Canon City with the Royal Gorge and Florence and Texas Creek area coal mines. Pueblo with the CF&I steel plant, The Sunshine mine in Utah. etc. etc. Well worth the study even if one isn't planning on modeling these areas.

You said you had a time period picked out. Which one have you settled on? That will also limit the "necessary" roster and rolling stock. Once again that might seem like a limitation, but can really be a blessing.
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To be honest, I am really not too sure on specifics just yet. I have been thinking more in generic terms as far as locations and time really. I wanted to see what was possible within my space before choosing something that might not be practical. Although, I guess I really have already done that in some ways by recognizing the size benefits of HOn3 over standard HO. I have also discounted the modern era as well due to both minimum turn radius issues and the fact that I am not really drawn in that direction.

I believe I may be more of a freelance sort of individual to start off with and although I like and certainly can appreciate exacting detail in all things, I am not sure that I will hold my creations fully up to those standards at the beginning. For example, I may choose to model types of pine trees that may not have necessarily gone with the landscape local, or may have an industry that would have been a bit out of place in the prototype. For me, I think I will start by creating a more general flavor by considering all the scenes I think I would like to create and then see how realistically I can make that happen within the space I have. When those pieces come together I think it will become more obvious and easier to narrow down my fantasy line to some prototype.

Something that I don’t like to see is layout plans crammed full of track. I would like to try for some space and scenery between main points of interest as much as possible. With my limited room that might be a bit difficult, but even that small D & RGW Douglas Creek layout by itself is able to give some illusion of that space. So, I think I can do a reasonable job of it with the additional room I have over that one.
 
wombat457 said:
My only concern was the size of N Scale trains and models and whether I could work on/with them. All of the engines I have are about 5" long as are the rolling stock and are almost as manageable as their HO counterparts.

What I am saying is this, if you have limited space and want to get the most out of that space as well as having innumerable options for it, I would go with N Scale. Honestly, I think (from what you have said) you would become bored with a HO layout far quicker than you would with an N Scale layout.
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That is one of the reasons why I have been drawn to HOn3. Although it is HO in actual scale it is near N Scale in actual working dimensions due to being narrow gauge. Most of the cars are of the 30' variety which equates to around 4 inches in length or so, very close to N Scale. As far as the getting bored thing goes, yep, that may be a sticking point and something I want to get a good handle on before starting anything. What I can say is that I have been anything but bored so far in my planning stages and in learning how to go about different things. If I can get as much enjoyment out of the actual doing, building and operating, then I think I will be fine with HOn3. I think what I need to do is spend some time with someone with a decent N Scale layout in my area.
 
Hello TWS, Welcome to the forum, glad to have you with us a I can appreciate your giving careful thought to what you want to do as that is important but as your finding can also be rather perplexing due to all the variation of possibilities! But your forethought should pay off.

I'm modeling about the same time period as your thinking about, I believe, 1890 to 1910 with about 5 more years of fudge room as my layout is ficticious. I'm running HO as most all of my equipment is of this type and most all of it is of the smaller 2-8-0 Consolidations or smaller type such as 4-4-0's and 0-4-0's such as the little Old Time Tea Kettles with their Square Saddle Tank's. I do have a couple of the Old AGEIR's or Box Cab Diesels which are my track cleaners as well as a couple of the fairly early MDC Climax Loco's which are built on the same frame as the Box Cabs but with a Old Climax body. I settled on 20" radius's to be a bit broader than 18" for my folded dog bone single mainline layout with passing sidings, which more fits our time period. I only have about 5/8's of the main line track laid at present. It's built in a 10' x 21' foot space in half of a double car garage. Hand laying the track and building my own switches to suit the situation at hand is more time consuming but I love the effect of using weathered Rail Craft/Micro Engineering Code 70 for the mainline and Code 55 for the sidings. So far all switches have been built using Code 70 rail. Using Code 70 or possibly no larger than code 83 is something you should definitely consider to enhance the effect of the earlier time period. I have a number of pictures on the forum that show the two sizes with Loco's and cars on the rails.

Personally, I like the standard gauge HO although HOn3 does have it's charm but as pointed out is not as easy to come by in many cases and usually fairly costly, although to be honest the amount of Old Time equipment available of ebay or elsewhere sure seem to be going for a much higher price than I originally paid for the MDC/Roundhouse kits I used to get but now and then you can find some deals although there are other older mfgs., who put out kits too. Most of my cars are between 36' scale to 40' scale and have the queen posts and Truss Rods to support the belly of the cars. I've even scratch built a few. Anyway, a couple of points I wanted to make is that the HO 2-8-0 Consolidations with their blind center drivers negotiate the curves as well as tight spots in my hand laid track very well as compared to say a 2-6-0 that has larger drivers that are all flanged. I also have some fairly steep grades of at least 6 to 8 percent which means that a four or five car pull will most often require the use of a helper loco at the rear or mid train which is very prototypical except they often had more car in their drags.

While I have a couple of HOn3 loco's I'm not sure at present if I'll attempt to make use of either or not but the little 0-6-0 Brass Tank loco is sure sweet!


Again TWS, welcome to the forum and I hope some of what I said is helpful to you?
 
TWS ... Welcome, and interesting discussion for sure.
Where might you be hailing from? Don't see that filled out in your profile?

I'm, say, in between layouts and stuck on which scale to use as well for my next endeavor.
David (trussrod) has been after me to get started on something.
Good luck in your decision making progress, and remember .. larger size is better when you get up in years. I'm even thinking about just going 1:1 and hanging out at the Museum to the north of me - LoL.
 
Trussrod said:
I'm modeling about the same time period as your thinking about, I believe, 1890 to 1910 with about 5 more years of fudge room as my layout is ficticious. I'm running HO as most all of my equipment is of this type and most all of it is of the smaller 2-8-0 Consolidations or smaller type such as 4-4-0's and 0-4-0's such as the little Old Time Tea Kettles with their Square Saddle Tank's. I do have a couple of the Old AGEIR's or Box Cab Diesels which are my track cleaners as well as a couple of the fairly early MDC Climax Loco's which are built on the same frame as the Box Cabs but with a Old Climax body. I settled on 20" radius's to be a bit broader than 18" for my folded dog bone single mainline layout with passing sidings, which more fits our time period.
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I think you just about have me nailed down to where my interests are. I too would choose standard gauge HO if I thought the size would work for me. There is so much more variety. I like that scale because I think it is more enjoyable to be able to see more of what is built at a greater distance. I am 58 and have decent eyes and can do a decent job working with small objects and N Scale to me can be very, very impressive. But, often you need to be very close and practically view it through a zoomed in camera lens it seems to appreciate everything. HOn3 looks to be a nice bridge between the two, with the scale of HO, but the workable dimensions closer to N Scale. A 10 car HOn3 train would only be around 50" in length, with a 7 car close to 36". Yes, an N Scale train could be much larger within those same lengths, but would their smaller engines (as types you described above) run as well at the slower speeds for as realistic running as the Blackstone's and other HOn3's can do? What I have seen so far says no. This is one of the negatives on the side of the N Scale decision I have to make.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
Hey Time,
Welcome to the forum. As you described your room constraints and your desire to run HO scale, it occured to me that a two level layout might fit well. With one duck under at the entrance to the room and the track being a point to point with a loop at each end, your track would circle the room twice as a double track mainline and double back on itself with a loop at each end on either side of the entrance. A long run of track, numerous industries with short track spurs coming off the mainline and only one duck under to have to mess with.

Willie mentioned that you might want to check out my empire. The link to it is in my signature below. A rather extensive story but it starts a few years ago and brings you up to present with my build process from room preparation to current scenery design.
Click to expand...

I have been doing some reading about two level layouts. I have a book on benchwork and John Armstrong's book on Designing for realistic Operation. My room has a few other constraints that I have mentioned in another following post since yours. If I was able to do as you suggested, then that would certainly be worth a good think. But, with how my room is laid out I think it might feel a bit closed in going double. Although I am planning the backdrops to be 24" tall, probably from Trackside Scenery, their western Timberline Series.
 
Time. Welcome to the hobby and welcome to the forum.

I had been in N scale in the late 70's but changed to HO scale due to the poor locomotives at the time. I am glad that I did move to HO scale as the availability of structures, locomotives, freight cars and detail accessories seem to be a lot better than other scales.

I had excellent eyesight when I changed from N scale to HO, but now age seems to be catching up to me and I really appreciate HO scale.

I'll be looking forward to what you decide. Keep the posts coming.
 
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