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Hello all,
After a ten year hiatus I am planning to get back into the hobby. When last I practiced I was doing HO but now I want to start with N scale. When I first got into the hobby I bought a book on HO with tips on beginning in the hobby and layout plans. Is there a recommended modern book that talks about beginning the hobby, the difference between DCC and regular controllers, and has track layouts that I could build out? I imagine many things have changed in the last ten years especially availability of information on line and I want to get an understanding of all that. Am I better off getting a book or is there enough information I can use in this forum and online? Any suggestions would be helpful. Also I wouldn't mind opinions on whether I should try to get a lot of the materials used from other hobbyists and do DCC or go less expensive and start out with a regular controller. Sorry for the rambling but I am very excited about getting started again and want to do it right. Thank you in advance for all your help.
First off welcome aboard and back to the hobby. There are plenty of books as well as online information that can help and guide you. The guys here are friendly and there is a wealth of knowledge so if you have any questions feel free to ask. I too am coming back into the hobby after a long break and a lot has changed. I model HO and when I thought about coming back into this hobby I was going to use DC. However after posting and asking and getting opinions from others, I will be starting out with DCC. At first I was turned away from digi control because of the prices but I have found a system that I will be buying in the next couple of months. BTW it is the NCE Power Cab starter kit and from what I found it will suit my needs fine. I am still in the track planning phase and as soon as I get one I like I will post for everyone to look at and tell me what they think and if there are any changes that I should make. So yes I have learned a lot in the past couple of days. So don't be afraid to ask. And in my opinion there is no right or wrong way of doing a model railroad. As long as you have fun doing it is what counts.
So tell us what you have in mind? Time frame? Prototype or freelance? Point to point or continuous run?
Thank you for your reply. Well I am thinking prototype but as I did with my HO layout I went adding on to it freelance. I would like a loop and a yard and/or terminal in my layout. Time frame varies but if I want to do it right its going to take a lot of time and if I want to find deals on eBay it will probably take lots of time also. Any suggestions on a book I could buy with layouts and information?
I have not actually bought any books, but I have looked at 101 trank plans moel railroad handbook #3 and 48 top notch layouts model railroad handbook #39. I just look online and if I come across a plan that would fit my space or could be modified to fit, then I print it out and have at it.
Only 2 months ago I was exactly where you are now, only I had gone twice as long without trains. This forum and the internet in general will have more than enough general information for you I think. The only time you should need a book is if you're after a lot of factual information on a very specific subject.
Like Photogdad I jumped straight into DCC, and you'd be mad not to do the same unless you plan on sticking with a single train on a small loop. The things it can achieve are amazing and the costs really aren't that bad. The people who say that DCC is expensive are generally the ones that have a full roster of locos that aren't DCC ready and don't want to shell out to convert every single one of them, and that's a valid & perfectly understandable reason. For the returning engineer that isn't tied down to older tech however, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going DCC.
Thanks guys for all the info. I did want to go DCC and I am finding alot of information online. Any thoughts on a good DCC system? I am probably going to my local train shop this weekend to do research on DCC and what my needs are. I have noticed there are good deals on ebay for DCC systems and track lots but am skeptical on buying used track. I gues I have to measure cleanig track versus just spending more money and buying new.
Any thoughts on whether Bachmann ez track or cork railbed and track is better? If I remember correctly track and cork bed is less expensive. Is there a big quality difference between Atlas and Model Power track?
Look into the NCE Power Cab starter kit. Comes with all you need to get started. I am going with roadbed and flex track, but if its not going to be a large layout with sidings and spurs or a yard, the the EZ track would suit your needs. But I would look into sectional track on cork roadbed.
Ok I went to the train store and saw DCC in action. It was so cool. When I left the hobby ten years ago it was just starting to come out and I never saw it work. From what I was told though, not very many trains are available with power and sound chips installed in N scale. I saw one demoed that cost 425.00 and came to the conclusion that it is cheaper to buy a regular model and add the power/sound chip, almost 50% cheaper. At this point I need to decide if I want to do the inside of a coffee table or just build on top of one. What is a good site to find plans? I couldnt find any books that really helped with what I want to accomplish.
That is what I am going to do. Buy a DC loco and the decoder and wire it in. Though DCC ready locos are not that much more expensive and all you would buy is the decoder chip. Theres just now way I could afford a loco that has it all including sound. As for the coffee table issue, there in another guy here that is getting ready to do the same thing. He plans on having a N scale layout built into the table with glass sides and top that can be removed for easy access. Though his name here slips my mind but you can find his thread easy though.
Thanks, I will look for it.
Hey good discussion......I was thinking about using atlas code 55 flex track. I'm just starting so was going to start with intermountain diesel locos that have small wheel flanges and can use low profile code 55 rail. And this rail is supposed to be and look more realistic.
Some older locos with large wheel flanges.......the flanges hit the ties I guess making for not compatible. I don't care about using those locos so thinking I'll be good with code 55. Can anyone else talk about code 55 and/or the issues/concerns with different rail profiles or other track tips to know about?
I want to start with track I can stick with and hopefully get it for a good price. So far I'm liking the atlas I've seen on amazon.com.
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