New guy here..

[David]

New to the board and looking for ideas... I had a train set when I was a kid but now I have 2 boys.. My little one who is 4 loves trains .. He saw me watching a show on model trains and now hes asking santa for one.. So Im here doing santas homework..

Im looking to build a good size set in my basement. I think it would be great for me and my 2 boys to be able to do this together and in great detail.. So elevation in land and so on is a must. Also looking for the right way to wire up more then one line of track and if its possible to switch trains in between them?

Any kind of tips and info would be great and apreciated. As for now IM going to troll around and see what I can come up with.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

First a word of advice. Don't start too big. A 4x8 or and out and back or continuous run along a couple of walls. Many people getting into the hobby wind up scaring themselves out of it by starting too big. Start small. You can always add on later. If your boys are going to be handling the trains you definitely want to avoid the expensive finely detailed ones for now. Those can be gotten later. I would suggest a good starter set from Athearn or Atlas. If the set comes with steel rail track ditch that track and get track with nickel-silver rails. You'll spend a bit more but you'll save yourself some headaches in the long run.

 

[Trussrod]

Hi David, [From one to another]

Welcome to the forum, it's a good place to get a lot of helpful info from a bunch of real friendly people with a lot of knowledge.

Jefferies advise is probably pretty good to start with, I'm not sure about the starter set though as I think you might do better determining a Railroad your interested in modeling and the Era and get a few pieces of equipment that fits rather than having to settle on what is in the set. That way you can add to it as you go along and get what you want.
Also the transformer that comes with a set usually leaves a lot to be desired.

You also need to determine a scale for the area you have and your space requirements HO is very popular but you might also want to take a look at On30 which is a narrow gauge O gauge but much smaller than standard O gauge but bigger than HO and yet won't cost you an arm and a leg and it runs on standard HO track.

A lot of the engines now come with very realistic sound already built in to add to the enjoyment but the sound can always be added later in most all cases, one way or another. A lot of equipment is DCC equiped which can have it advantages but I've also heard about it draw backs too. I'm straight DC and can still get most of the great sounds and only loose out on a couple of operating features that I can live without.

Not trying to complicate things for you but generally give you an idea of your options.

I like steam and the very early Box Cab deisels as I'm modeling in the early 1900's with a Colorado theme. The track issue is important as Jeffery mentioned and again why pay for something your not going to use. Also there are different weights of rail, from code 40, 55, 70, 83 & the standard 100 for the very large modern HO deisel.

If you were going to model earlier steam like I am code 70 rail for the main line is very appropriate with code 55 for the sidings which make everything fit together to look a lot more realistic and the various sizes can be inter connected with a slight bit of work but no big effort.

Hope this give you a better idea as you read through magazines to get you started.

Btw, I been involved with the hobby for last 55 years and learned a fair amount but still learning.

Good to have you abord!

 

[UP2CSX]

As I always advise newcomers, the first thing you should do is read the Beginners Guide at www.nmra.com. Lots of us here have many decades of experience, which can be very helpful. We have also developed a lot of biases over the years, some of which make sense and some don't . The NMRA guide is pretty objective and will answer a lot of your basic question like scale, layout planning, and wiring. I would, however, echo Jeffrie's advice to start small. If you and the boys really like model railroading, it's easy to exapnd. If it turns out a you aren't really interested a year from now and have built a big layout, you'll be way deep in the hole, and used model railroad equipment is worth about a dime on the dollar.

 

[David]

Thanks for the advice its greatly apperciated. I think where going to go with a HO track. As for size I have a huge basement but I think where going to start out as a 4x8 and go from there. The main idea was to make this or eventually when speaking with the boys is 3 4x8 making a big L shape. With the backside being a mountain range higher then the rest and conintuious with the rest being rail yards and so on.. I think for now there isnt really a era in mind. The boys seem to like all trains but building wise and cars and so on Id say 50-60s .

Alot of the small train sets I see are that ez snap track stuff.. Should I stay away from that? I was initially thinking buying like 2 atlas train sets and some extra track to start out with .. Wasnt sure tho if I should stay away from the ez track...

 

[hamltnblue]

Good Luck and have fun
I agree with jeffrey and starting small. You might go just a little wider platform, say 5x9.
With kids just get a starter set and a couple of buildings, trucks and cars.
Keep the tracks away from the edges to avoid accidents, especially with small kids. Using a 5x9 would help here.

 

[David]

Good Luck and have fun
I agree with jeffrey and starting small. You might go just a little wider platform, say 5x9.
With kids just get a starter set and a couple of buildings, trucks and cars.
Keep the tracks away from the edges to avoid accidents, especially with small kids. Using a 5x9 would help here.

Thanks I jus thought the same thing when I saw a 4x8 layout.

 

[Selector]

A big problem with beginners' plans is that they don't know about some of the problems that turn up later. One biggie is that you can't easily fix what you can't easily reach. For most of us, a practical reach across/into our layout without damaging things along the way is about 26-28". Taller guys reaching across a layout that is near belt-height will do better, but the layout is best observed and enjoyed near chest height. That means your elbow must be lifted that much more to clear poles, trees, roofs, other train items between you and a derailed engine or car.

So, by all means, use as much space as you can, and keep your curves wide. Just be aware that whatever dimensions you have in any one spot on your layout, it has to be accessible. A 5X9 table is great, but don't shove it into a corner so that it takes up less space...unless you put in on casters so that you can pull it away from the corner to get access to all four sides. Trust me, you'll need it!

-Crandell

 

[GrampysTrains]

Hi David: Here's my 2 cents worth. I agree with Crandell's advice, and I would suggest you purchase at least 2 basic books, Linn Westcott's How to build Model Railroad Benchwork, and John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation. You could start small, but have the option of increasing the layout size as your sons get older and/or you really get hooked on model railroading. I'm partial to L-girder construction, as that worked for me. The choice is up to you. As you progress, there is plenty of literature on the other aspects of layout building, ie, wiring, DCC, scenery, etc. DJ.

 

[UP2CSX]

+ 2 on the above advice. Atlas True Track has the plastic roadbed but also allows you to remove the track and sue it as standard sectional track. It's a little pricey but works well. What I would avoid is Bachmann sets that contain E-Z tracks. The track itself is fine but the switches are terrible and will give you no end of grief. A pity, really, since the E-Z track actually has about the most realistic spikes and profile of almost all the HO tracks out there.

 

[Tuna]

I recently switched to Kato Unitrack in HO for my trains and can't be more pleased. It's easy to layout, the switches work perfectly, it's silver-nickel and code 83. And Kato sells boxed track sets designed to fit a 4x8.

 

[David]

So the plastic bed tracks should I avoid? Are they good for the long run over time? And is there anything I should know about them if I where to expand past the 4x8 range using them?

 

[Selector]

Yes to your three questions, in my opinon. When you go to expand you will have to configure your expansion so that your ends meet up with whatever ends you create on your first module.

What I mean is that the curved sections have defined lengths and radii, so their orientation to what you had previously will have to match the two rail ends that mate to your previous tracks. It really limits you to what you can do. With flex track, you can make any number of adjustments to configure anything you like that won't be a problem for the trains you run. More bend, less bend, eased bend, curves in vertical planes for grade transitions....you can't do any of that with sectional/snap track, with or without roadbed. Or, poorly at best.

-Crandell

 

[UP2CSX]

I wouldn't avoid the Kato UniTrack or Atlas True Track for a first layout. It fits together securely and allows you to get smooth even curves better that regular sectional track. When you're ready to expand, using flex track to make larger and non-standard curves will be a much better choice. You will have lost nothing with the tow brands of track I've described. YOu just lay new track on foam or cork roadbed so it matches the height of the plastic roadbed track. I've done this with my layout and it works fine, but I'm glad I started with the easy stuff first.

 

[David]

Yes to your three questions, in my opinon. When you go to expand you will have to configure your expansion so that your ends meet up with whatever ends you create on your first module.

What I mean is that the curved sections have defined lengths and radii, so their orientation to what you had previously will have to match the two rail ends that mate to your previous tracks. It really limits you to what you can do. With flex track, you can make any number of adjustments to configure anything you like that won't be a problem for the trains you run. More bend, less bend, eased bend, curves in vertical planes for grade transitions....you can't do any of that with sectional/snap track, with or without roadbed. Or, poorly at best.

-Crandell

Right thanks note taken..

I wouldn't avoid the Kato UniTrack or Atlas True Track for a first layout. It fits together securely and allows you to get smooth even curves better that regular sectional track. When you're ready to expand, using flex track to make larger and non-standard curves will be a much better choice. You will have lost nothing with the tow brands of track I've described. YOu just lay new track on foam or cork roadbed so it matches the height of the plastic roadbed track. I've done this with my layout and it works fine, but I'm glad I started with the easy stuff first.

Great info.. I was wondering if that was possible but didnt wanna look like a clown asking.. There are 2 atlas trainsets I might buy and they have that track . I wasnt sure if I should buy them because as it would be fine now when it came time to expand I didnt wanna have to go and change out all the track right away.