ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.
I had a train when I was younger and it just got boxed up and sat, well I dug it out the other day and started playing with it. I decided that it would just be easier to start new. I bought a new set and some extra track and here is what I have so far.
Great to have you along on the journey, you will have a wonderful time here.
What kind of set did you buy?
I noticed the track is on a black roadbed, If this is Bachmann EZ track that would mean it is steel rails, if it's Life Like, I am not sure if its the same.
Before you buy any additional track, I would recomend that you use Nickel Silver track for better electrical properties and less corrosion on down the road.
There is lots of good information to be gathered here, and everyone is usually helpful. Even though I started as a kid, restarted as an adult around 30 years ago and have now restarted again, I am still learning, and I suspect that I will be as long as I am around.
Welcome aboard. You've at least got a start. It looks like Life-Like track, which is nickel-silver, so you should be OK there. However, that typoe of sectional track is very limiting in terms of laying out larger or non-standard curves. At some point, you obviously want to get a better layout surgace also. Have a look at http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html. This is an easy, five minute read written by one of our members, Chip (Spacemouse). It will give something to chew on about what you want from a layout.
I got a new board so the surface is all the same its screwed to the table. I did not like that grass that the used to have that was like sand paper and made a mess. I just wnet to the fabric store and got some green and layed it out, nice and cheap. I don't plan on makeing a bigger layout, I also race r/c cars which is kind of put on the side now due to new work schedle, kind of why I am back to this bee home and spend time with the family. Well I even got a some snap together buildings, is it worth buying kits or premade? Well this is what I will have for a while until I raise more fun money.
As far as layout I do not want to go to large because I plan on moving in the next few months, I would like an l shape or some other design. My wife wants a city look so a few buildings will make up the scene. When I get sick of one layout build another.
I'm deciding what to do for roads, grey poster board, material road or no road. I want something that is removalable to change when I change my layout.
Those buildings will work just fine for what you need. You obviously need some roads now that you have buildings. If your main concern is making the roads removeable, I'd buy some of the "For Sale" type signs at Walmart and use them for road material. Get some gray primer and spray the signs. Cut them up to the shapes you want and then glue them down with two thin beads of latex caulk. It will be easy to get them up again by just running a putty knife under them.
That would work too as long as you're not concerned about reusing the roads, since you'll tear them up when you remove them. The other issue is neither material likes water or even humidity so you're liable to get your roads curling up or getting weird humps in them. Styrene is a lot thinner and lot more stable.
I was thinking about running another loop all the way around, I have an extra power suppy and engine etc, do you think that would be to much tracl for size?
You could do it but you would really have almost no room left over for all those buildings you bought. I'd add two switches, one by the station and one on the opposite side by the chyrch. You could then have a team track behind the station for local merchants to pick up goods dropped off by your train and have an industry on the other side served by an industrial spur. That would be a lot more interesting than another loop of track.
Well another weekend has come and gone, my buildings are built and I should be getting my others any day now. I started painting my roads city and country, I am gone to go over them again after I am done, I decided to put a lake in to. Where the church and the other buildings are is the main town, the arm stuff is going to be a war memorial park when I am done. I have western buildings that I have not decided what to do with yet, those might make it to the top right for ether the old part of town or just a western town.
