Must be newbie day


B

BillB

New Member
Hi everyone,

I'm new to the hobby, and the forum so maybe a little information about myself would be in order.

I live in Columbus, Ohio and will be 62 in January, but still feel every bit of 30. My interest in model railroading came from a different source than most I think. Being a car nut all my life I had build a faily large slotcar track (125') in my basement even though I had no one to race with. I figured they would come later. It was 1/32 scale and I wanted it to look really nice so I turned to the only place I could go to find out how to landscape my layout. I was dropped jawed impressed when I saw what you guys when making. I couldn't stop looking over your work. Well, after a few years of not being able to get any real interest going in the slotcars and knowing how much I love to build, it didn't take much of a push to get me to take it all down to go railroading.

That of couse lead to the thousand or so questions I need answered. I've already started my RR library with information on benchwork, scenery, layouts and such. I even see where there are books on how to operate a yard, but I do have a couple of questions that I can't find answers to.

I want to model (HO scale) the transistion period from 1930 to 1950, using the north east US as the area of interest. The problem I'm having is in finding information about railroads in that area. What industries to model, and especially - what does it look like? Any suggestions on what books to get would be great?

I also want to do the plan myself, but don't want to use a computer program. I just enjoy the experience of drawing it out on paper. Are there any tools or template specific to railroading that would make the task move along faster?

Sorry for the windy post. I guess I just feel like a kid about to open a new package.:)

Regards

Bill
 
Howdy, Bill and welcome aboard. The first thing I would do is go the the Kalmbach site and order each of their basic modeling books (benchwork, track work, scenery, and electrical) to give you a grounding in the right way to do things. Having already built a large slot car track gives you a leg up because you'll use many of the same techniques building a model railroad.

Second, the internet is a wonderful resource. There are people who have probably already modeled much of what you want to do. Just Google on Northeast US model railroads and you'll find plenty.

There are literally millions of photos online of almost any time period since 1870. The Library of Congress American Memories site is a wonderful place to begin. You'll see thousands of photos of what the country used to look like. I think you'll find that, rather than not enough information, you'll be overwhelmed with information so you'll have a lot of picking through to do.

The Walthers catalog carries things like templates, graph paper, and tools especially for things like laying out curves and easements if you want to draw your plan out by hand. You should at least take a look at the free layout planning program offered by Atlas to compare what you can do on a computer compared to paper. An advantage to using computer plans is that you can post them here and we can all tell you why you're doing everything wrong. :) Just kidding, but it is nice to get input from those of us who have made almost every model railroading mistake known to man.

You are about to start a great adventure. Read everything you can, make sure your bank account is in good shape, and then go to it.
 
UP2CSX said:
, make sure your bank account is in good shape, and then go to it.
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I guess this is where I go back to the theory that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission. :)

Thanks for the information Up2. Good point on using the drawing program. I'll look into what they have. I really do love pencil and paper though.:( Maybe do both:rolleyes:
 
Hi Bill. Welcome to the forum. I am also fairly new to model railroading .I also used to have a pretty big Strombecker slot car track.Jim is right about the internet being a valuable resource for us newbies.I have found pretty much everything I needed to know here as well as bought most of my equipment over the net. I saved myself thousands of dollars buying this way. These model railway forums are the best resource in my opinion due to the wealth of knowledge from the experienced fellows here. I know everyone here has helped me out a lot. Good luck with your project, Ron.
 
Hi Bill and welcome!
The forum is a great source of info as well as the web which your aware of I'm sure. UP2 made some good points and even I'm going to look into the Atlas program even though I too have drawn out all my former layouts [1 - just kidding] by hand and do enjoy it but I'm now enlarging/completing the layout I started some time ago and would like a cad program to aid me in track planning. I've tried Xtrakcad but find it to combersome to learn.

There are many fine layouts around but one you should definitely take a look at it that's in the time period you want to model is George Sellios's, 'Franklin and South Manchester'! George has created some of the most highly detailed building kits for many years now although there are now others that are following in his footsteeps. You can see a variety of shots of it and others at: http://www.horailroad.com/a_layouts.shtml
 
Bill – welcome to the wonderful world of model railroading and to the best model railroad forum on the web. You have selected the most popular scale in the most popular era. That means that there is a HUGE amount of material available to you.

But you still have a lot of questions to ask and answer. The "north east" is a vast and diverse area offering a tremendous number of choices. Steel and heavy industry in Pennsylvania. Farming and dairy operations in upstate New York. Forestry and mining in Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine. Port operations on the Great Lakes: incoming or outgoing ore, grain and milling, pulp and paper. Port operations on the Atlantic seaboard. Urban operations anywhere. If you're looking to model a specific area, the library can be another great resource. During that era, every locality published a guide of local businesses. It's been so long since I've done that kind of research. I've forgotten exactly what they're called, but its something along the lines of "The Woodbury County Business Directory". The reference librarian should know. They may even be able to get out-of-area books on inter-library loan.

I've found the Trackside Around … series by Morning Sun Books to be great references. They even have one you might want to start with: Trackside in the Northeast 1946-1959.

If you have a specific railroad in mind, consider joining their historical society. The societies typically have a wealth of information and knowledge available.

Layout design can be a real challenge. I would suggest joining the NMRA and the Layout Design SIG (Special Interest Group). There is a drafting style template available by CTT (Walther's 233-5000).

On that line, spend the 10 bucks and get (if you don't already have) a copy of the 2008 Walther's Model Railroad Reference Book. Talk about kid-in-the-candy-shop.
 
Nice to meet you, Bill! I'm 62, but have been in my retirement for a few years and HO modeling is my retirement hobby. I have never regretted the choice. There are so many facets to the hobby, you will never burn out on any one thing. Get tired of trackwork...build some kits...wire up some lights...or work on scenery. Later, go back to trackwork when you find it interesting again.

I would like to suggest you go to the NMRA site and look at the links. You will find one that leads you to photos of home layouts around the world. I did this and got some very good ideas from many. One thing to remember, when you find a track plan or a layout that you like only part of, just use that part and pick more ideas from other ones, or even modify the ones you like. Good planning is essential, so take your time, study your available space carefully, learn as many options as you can for that space, and then "Go for it."

I wish you luck and very glad to have you on board this forum. There are many members that are willing to help you at each step you take.;) :)
 
Hello and Welcome.

Might I suggest you read my Beginner's Guide in my signature line. Takes about 5 minutes to read and might give you a few ideas.
 
Sorry, Chip, I always forget about your beginner's guide and what a good resource it is. Glad you posted it.
 
Welcome to the Forum!
I love slot racing. We use to have a slot track with a railroad crossing. Thats what started Dad and I into the railroad. :)
 
Thank you everyone for the welcome, and all of that information. I had to get out a note book (yes I know how to cut and paste :) ) and jot down all the info so I could search soon as I finish this post.

SpaceMouse, I did infact read your bigginers guide while I was lurking here. It was helpful in chosing to do the plan myself, and take my time doing it.

I'll research all of the industries, and links also.

I still have the mess of my demolished track to clean up. I had so much glue holding it together I had to saw and litteraly smash it apart. But I have the start of some very sturdy benchwork which I'll break up into smaller sections. Interesting to see others have also done the slotcar hobby.

Your enthusiasm is contagious. I wonder if my wife knows how much trouble she is in.:) JK, she's a wonderful lady.

Thank you all again.

Bill
 
Muskieman said:
From one noob to another Hello
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ROFL. Same from me too.


I was gonna' pipe up and mention Chip's (SpaceMouse) links and articles but I see he already has. They are an excellent place to start not only for new folks to the hobby but also for those like me who have been away for a few decades and need a refresher.

Scoot
 
Welcome to the forum, you'll learn a lot from people in this forum. I know I definately have.
 
Welcome Bill!
As you probably can already see, there is a wealth of info available here, and nice folks, too. I echo all the suggestions given so far. I can't emphasize too much how valuable research is before getting started. It will save you money in the long run.
 
Welcome to the forum! I'd offer some info on the northeast, but well, I don't know all that much myself. I'm sure someone else can offer way more info on that then I can.
 
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