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[Maxitrains]

I am new in here, I found this forum while I was browsing for some help, and got in here, read a couple of threads, and joined. I am a beginner in model railroads, and unfortunately we have no trains on our Island ( since its small ), and if you are wondering which Island I am talking about, its the Island of Malta ( Europe ).

Maybe I started on the wrong step, but when I started this layout I didn't have internet and so I couldn't get the information I needed (started about 7 yrs ago ). The layout is still in its bare state, only rails laid, and now I'm wiring the system. You all might say what is taking me so long to build, its time that I don't have much of, work and house maintenace and family, I also couldn't find any help at that time, so I stopped working on it for about 4 years. Now I started working on it again, and I can see that alot of help can be found on internet, and also lots of items that can be purchased over the net.

This is how my layout is comming out, as I said its still in the initial stage, but now I will try to find more time for it as I would like to see it finished some tiem in the near future

I will also be building bridges myself from scratch, its alot of work but worth doing it, here are a couple of bridges I built myself

This one is a prototype ( not going to be included in layout )

Both are not ready yet, the upper one needs weathering, and the second one needs more details and weathering.

The layout I am building is a place in the United states, and the only reason I chose this layout is because it had mountains, maybe and I know that I was thinking a little careless at that time, but all I wanted was a non flat layout ( this one rises 8" at its highest track point ). I modified some parts of the layout too, because not everything fitted according to plans, but so far I managed to make the locos run on it. The most puzzling and difficult thing at the moment is the wiring and circuits ( I'm not thinking about going DCC, I like it simple and manual ( but more hard to build )).

Anyway, I would really appriciate comments and help on this project, since as i said earlier I started with the wrong steps, but now not willing to scrap it or start it all over again, since I have all the layout prepared.

Thanks

 

[jbaakko]

I'm not the person to talk about DC blocking, but as for the layout, it looks good! And taking your time is better then rushing any day. It allows you to make sure you get it right, so it makes you happy later.

By the way, Welcome to the forum, whats it like to live on Malta?

 

[SpaceMouse]

Welcome.

Nice bridges!

 

[Maxitrains]

Thanks for your comments about the layout and bridges, I will be posting all my improvements as I go along, I will also post my problems

As for your question Josh, on how is it to live in Malta. It has its good and bads as for any other places.

The goods are, we have no or very few earthquakes, its easy to reach from end to end, sea is all around reachable within 30 mins drive from the island center and mostly we have good weather.

The bad things are, we have taxes like any other country :S, since we are in the middle of the sea, the humidity is very high and there's alot of haze covering the island ( bad for photography ), in summer sometime we have heatwaves that go up even to 42° C ( luckily they only last few days ), since the population is small ( about 400,000 ) the consumption of goods is low, so importers can only order small quantities and therefore you cannot find everything you need in shops, especially hobby shops, luckily there is internet now adays, but also comes at a cost, shipping costs are sometimes high. And even though there are places where to have fun, there's always a sea surrounding you, so not much places where you can go unless you take the plane .

Well the list of goods and bads is much longer but cannot write it all , if you have any questions about "whats it like to live on Malta?", just ask I will try to answer best I can

Most bad thing of all there are no TRAINS here, so I have to look over internet for all related topics, there was a railroad in Malta many years ago, but was closed after 50 years of service, only some stations of it still stand, it worked from 1880 till 1930 ( somethign like that ), then went bankrupt because of public transport busses and closed. I was thinking and trying to create it in miniture, but creating it in HO scalecomes too big, 17 kms of rails in a straight line ( cause it was mostly straight ), that comes 197 mts, where the hell can I find a place of 197 mts for a model RR. So I gave up the project. Some people told me to cut the in between scenery and make the stations closer, but that would sacrifice alot of landmarks which were more noticable at that time, one of them is the aquaduct ( which still stands today ) which crosses ¼ of the island and happens to have been passing close the the railroad at that time. There were more of these landmarks along its route, and half of them would be lost if I shorten the distances in between stations.

Well I don't want to annoy anyone with my stories.

Thanks

 

[jbaakko]

Landmarks are the name of the game when it comes to re-creating. I have that same feeling when I plan out Cajon Pass, here in southern California. Seems like it could have its fun times, though, I'd assume it also had that time where, the population base ins not enough...

Anyways, hopw to see more of that layout!

 

[Maxitrains]

I think that my aim in the begining was to have a couple of trains running in a scenery (childhood dream), so I basically picked up a layout (from a layout book), which had hills, mountains and gradients, so not to be a flat layout and started to work on it, little knowing that while I was going along and learning about model railroads, the most important thing was to recreate the place in its detail ( in my layout, Jellico & Ashville ). But since I live far far away from that place, I cannot even visit it to get any pics or ideas about the ambient, so it will be up to my fantasy and brainwork to make it as real as possible. I also mostly like US diesel heavy pullers and steam locos, no modern locos. I will be trying to combine the time of these two beasts.

One of my problems is that in Europe I will find little or no US diesel and steam locos for sale, and that I have to get them directly from US. If anyone knows about a good supplier in Europe with good prices, that sells US locos, kindly let me know. In my country Model railroad hobbists can be counted on 2 hands and as foe hobby shops selling model RR items there aren't any at all.

This is why I joined this comunity, maybe I can get some help in continuing this hobby to the end.

Thanks