Military Motor Pool Structure (My first shot at Kitbashing)

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I guess I'll need to start with making a benchwork before anything else can be built, but I can build up my supply of locomotives and cars whilst I wait. I have decided that I will need about one-two used locomotives, about three-five more cars, and some more pieces of track.
 
Okay I have decided on what I am looking for in my locomotive. I want either a Conrail or a Santa Fe, it needs to work, and it needs to be cost-effective (in other words, it has to be low-priced). If anyone here finds a locomotive like that on the internet, post the link here.
 
Brian Hi from the other side of the pond, i started off with a conrail SD40-2 and a Santa Fe Bachmann GP40 !!!. The Bachmann loco's are good reliable runners, they are not "show pieces" but are good basic hard wearing quality, as for rolling stock Bachmann "Silver Series" wagons are fantastic runners with metal wheels and are the same basic hard wearing construction, and they come with knuckle couplers.

I'll come back to structures when my brain wakes up, but for now this was my second attempt at a depot in a small place, this kind of structure can be built from three basic kits for well under $30, buggered if i can remember the make
10-08-071689.jpg

10-08-071794.jpg
 


Brian, that BNSF unit on e-bay will end up selling for between $50 and $75. You often see low prices when the auction has many days to run but the price will usually jump as the auction gets ready to close. In addition, it's really too large for you layout, now and in the future, unless you get a lot more space. Those big GE Dash-8's don't like to run on anything less than a 22" curve and you have 18" curves now. You should be looking for locomotives with two sets of four wheel trucks, not six wheel trucks. I'd be looking at bidding on this Cotton Belt GP-35 at http://cgi.ebay.com/Athearn-HO-GP35...3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1318. I suspect it probably won't go for more than $50 and it's brand new. It's also about the right size for your layout.
 
If you can find a low-cost Conrail Diesal-Electric Locomotive, that would be great. I already have a page with an Athearn HO Santa Fe F-45 up. I'm keeping an eye on it.
 
building kits,,, the one in the pics is made from three Pikestuff kits -/+ $10 each. As Jim says go for 4 axle units if you can, the six axle units don't like track with radius of below 20", so if your circle of track is below 40" you could end up spending money on something that derails at every opportunity which just annoys you to the point that you give up.
 
Well if you can find a Conrail or a Senta Fewith four-wheeled trucks, that'd be great. I want to start off with a Conrail or a Santa Fe. But I suppose that any Diesal-Electric locomotive will have to do, so long as it is cost-effective.
 
AUGH! I can't find any thing for my frieking layout. I can't get locomotives for one, just because my track is to small. I can't get any rolling stock because my couplers are wrong. I can't do anything with my frieking layout except put buildings on it which I have no money to buy! What do I do!?!
 


mike8693 said:
Army, or military.
Not to be rude but you seem to be all over the place as ideas come to you. Why don't you start by reading Chip's guide http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html getting a trackplan down and then start to worry about structures and such. To start off, what do you currently have, as far as track, engines, and controls (dcc, power pack) If you are strapped for cash you may want to work with what you already got. What space do you have to work with?
Click to expand...

The branch that I plan on modelling is the U.S. Army or the German Army. I seem to be seeing that a lot of the military products in the Walthers catalog are German vehicles. Should I stay all-american, or should I start to lean towards the German way of the rails?
 
Nobody knows. I'll tell you. But first I have a question, does it really matter? I'm 13 years old and my parents bought me my first model railroad layout about a year ago. I just recently started to get into it.
 
Steve B said:
Brian Hi from the other side of the pond, i started off with a conrail SD40-2 and a Santa Fe Bachmann GP40 !!!. The Bachmann loco's are good reliable runners, they are not "show pieces" but are good basic hard wearing quality, as for rolling stock Bachmann "Silver Series" wagons are fantastic runners with metal wheels and are the same basic hard wearing construction, and they come with knuckle couplers.

I'll come back to structures when my brain wakes up, but for now this was my second attempt at a depot in a small place, this kind of structure can be built from three basic kits for well under $30, buggered if i can remember the make
10-08-071689.jpg

10-08-071794.jpg
Click to expand...

Steve, you need show some more pics of your layout. It looks nice! Nice work on them buildings and such. Start your own thread and give us a tour of your layout! :D
 
Please keep in mind that I created this thread for help not for chatting.
 
With your age at 13 it seems that you have no desire to have alot of switching with prototypical operation and stuff. It seems that you want to make a layout out of one train set. Most kids are content with just watching a train go round and round, and thats fine, I was at that age too, don't get so frustrated model railroading is a hobby not a job, that you can grow into. If money is an issue, wait till, birthdays, christmas', its a thing you can't do in a day. There are many layouts that are 25 years in the making and still not finished. One last thing, from expirence, wait till you can buy what you want, don't buy something just because you can afford it.
 
Ya. Well, the entire reason of me wanting a layout was so that I could have fun with it, and i'm already bored out of my mind just watching it go around and around in a circle. I was thinking just now, if I can get my hands on a Model Power locomotive and some more rolling stock, in addition to some structure kits, I will probably have much more fun. I think that the only reason I don't have fun is because I don't have much to do/use. So if I can get more stuff, my level of fun that I have with this will be multiplied.
 


But then when you get done with buildings you'll be bored again. The only way to have a fun layout is to have fun trackwork. You said nothing works with your couplers. What are you using?
 
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