Limited Space & Green

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N

NS&Eastern

New Member
Hello New member first post here.

I live in a small mobile home. 14X70, we have an extra room. 7-1/2'X10'
And I have been banging my head for a couple months trying to deside on either N, or HO scale.
What I had in mine was an around the wall layout. Maybe 2' wide bench work. With a removable section at the door to the room.

My budget will be very limited. N scale is the cheapest, and that was my main focus. But the HO scale looks better to me, and easyer to handel, and work on.
I like the quality of Atlas, and they seem to have more parts avaible if they need fixing.
Bachman, not sure what to say about them. Now Athearn, looks great, but I'm not sure about quality, and they are about neck in neck with atlas prices.

My layout want be very big, just a couple, or three main lines, with a few sideing's, and maybe a small switching yard. Some trees, and a few building sometime.

With this in mind. I wanted to use a DCC starter set. NCE power cab, is what I been looking at.

And I also had in mind, just to get started I'd just begine with a switching yard, and make the whole layout as moduals. That way it can be worked on, and sections can be removed, and I could expand it latter on with out tearing it apart and starting over.

I have nothing yet. Well a peice of code 80 track I bought, and a old toy n scale loco that actually fits the peice of track.

At this point I have no clue. Either way, it will be a month or two more before some green trickles down to get started which ever direction I deside to go.

I'd appreciate some help if possible. mental, phisical, or electic shock. Maybe a good 9V battery to the tongue would help if held in place till it's drained.
 
First, go to the NMRA website at www.nmra.com and read the Beginner's Guide. It will asnwer many of the questions you have and others you should have but haven't though of yet. :) Next, read the beinner's guide at http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html. Once you've read and absorbed this material, you'll have a much better idea of what scale to use and what kind of track plan is practical in your space. Things like multiple mainlines, while appealing, are almost never a good idea with limited space.
 
You say: "My layout want be very big, just a couple, or three main lines, with a few sideing's, and maybe a small switching yard. Some trees, and a few building sometime".

Putting all that in a 7.5x10 room, might not be possible in HO.
When I was planning my layout, I used the Atlas Right Track Software to see what could be done and soon found tha what I wanted was not possible in HO.

With N you get a more realistic track to scenery mix in a small area.
With HO, you might find you are all track and not much room for scenery and structres.

It all depends on wha you want.

My best advice would be to download the Atlas Right Track software and experiment with track plans to fit your room.
 


Take a look at
http://www.cke1st.com/m_train2.htm
These are all N scale. Go down to "Layouts smaller than 2' x 4' " and look at the 7th down - this can be built in 78" x 12" in HO - I know because I have done it - and will give you a lot of fun switching cars around. When not in use it could be stored in a cupboard. I have a similar space problem to you, as I live in a very small cottage in the Highlands of Scotland. You could start with a loco and 6 cars so the cost will not be too much.
Welcome to the forum
Jack (aka Shortliner)
PS - while you are poking about on the internet, this would be a good place to spend a while - http://www.carendt.us/
 
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I model in N and HO. Each has advantages and disadvantages. I agree with the advice above - do some reading on the basics before you do anything else.

The biggest mistake I see is people rushing into something and then finding out after a few months that it's not what they wanted and / or unworkable.

Don't let the cost of things discourage you. You can build something nice that won't wreck your bank account. You'll just need to build and buy smart, not go after everything you drool over. (Trust me, I drool a LOT. LOL!)
 
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UP2CSX
Take a look at
http://www.cke1st.com/m_train2.htm
These are all N scale. Go down to "Layouts smaller than 2' x 4' " and look at the 7th down - this can be built in 78" x 12" in HO - I know because I have done it - and will give you a lot of fun switching cars around. When not in use it could be stored in a cupboard. I have a similar space problem to you, as I live in a very small cottage in the Highlands of Scotland. You could start with a loco and 6 cars so the cost will not be too much.
Welcome to the forum
Jack (aka Shortliner)
PS - while you are poking about on the internet, this would be a good place to spend a while - http://www.carendt.us/
Click to expand...

I read thru the links, they are very helpful. Thanks. I alread understand 80% of what was in these links. But I did find a couple things, I did not know.

And thanks to all the others that have posted as well. I will be reading, and looking at all links, and advice as well. I'm not in any hurry, so I'll have time to make a good desision, on the scale, and stuff that I'll need.

Below is a sketch I did. It represents the size of my room wall to wall. With an open area to stand in the middle, and run the traines around the wall. And the larger areas for sideings, and scenery.
 
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Shortliner2001 said:
Just realised that thare is a posting which features the first recommendation already on here - it shows a couple of pictures of my HO version with boxes representing buildings. You'll find it here http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13522&highlight=shortliner&page=7 second posting on the page
Click to expand...

I have seen this before, searching online. :) My layout design above^ I bet this could be put in the narraow sides of my design. They are 18" wide along the wall. I'm not wanting a lot of buildings, maybe just a feed mill, and two furniture factorys, and two granite quarrys along the lines somewhere. And a few trees, here and there.
 
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I wanted to learn how to use a track planning program, I tryed the atlas, and xtrack, and I could not figure them out.

Guess I'd better study real hard, N scale seems to be more along what I should go with, being my limited space, budget.
 
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