My misconceptions about model railroading

Sure, it can be a bit overwhelming when you see the level of detail others were able to achieve.  It motivates me to make something equally nice with the resources that I have available to me.  Good luck, and I look forward to seeing a layout thread from you in the future.

I believe you will be just fine. Two years ago I placed my first piece of track in 25 years. I now have a fun layout and each day my skills improve and I learn a few new things reading the forum. 

 

I decided to go the command route with DCS and Legacy. It's been a blast. Piece by piece it all comes together. 

exactly what you are talking about is a nice part about joining a club.

you don't have to be skillful at everything.

As long as you're having fun it nullifies #1 thru #7!

Yes, what I love about  model railroading is that is offers so many different ways to enjoy the hobby.  All that you speak of, and more . . .

 

What I like about this forum is that there are so many people with different talents and different interests - not just the ones you mentioned, but an amazingly wide range of knowledge and interests.  For example, tinplate is really interesting - it's not what I do but it is fantastic in its own way, and there are some people on these forums who really know the stuff and make it sing, so to speak.  You will enjoy this particular forum but don't forget to prowl through the others here, too.  You can get lost in this hobby . . . .

I agree completely, fun is #1. The rest of the skills will come over time. 

 

Hang in there!!! 

Don't worry, when I finally get back to building a layout, you will always have someone to make fun of and feel better, no matter how badly you feel about your own efforts. What you don't know about the people you mention in their post, is all the mistakes that like with doctors, they manage to bury somehow *lol*. Seriously, everyone starts out where you do in one way or the other. The nice part is, no matter where you are on the spectrum, from newbie to MR god (Norm C for one), you are a model railroader, with all the rights, benefits (and derision from the general public) that come with it *smile*

I just got into Lionel in September after 15 years of no trains at all. Previous I had a HO layout which electrically is completly different then Lionel.

So for encouragement I was like you, so much to learn seemed to overwellming.

Joining this forum helped me tremendously. Any question I asked received overwellimg response with answers. My drive was watching Lionel operating trains on YouTube and I just had to have my own operating railroad.

So my suggestion is read as much as you can before designing your first layout so you are equipped to eliminate potentatial design flaws.

Best of luck to you on your layout.

Bob

You forgot banker. 

Smuggler (purchase smuggler) which has been posted frequently over the years..

 

I agree.....model railroading is a well rounded hobby.....you learn a lot of different stuff!!!

Don't forget politician !

You put things on the layout that aren't really needed or don't make sense!

 

Jerry

I am probably on Homeland Security's watch list as I have been importing electronics from China for this hobby.

I think this is good advice:

 

Don't do anything but enjoy running some trains for at least six months. Look around the forums, see everything you can, learn everything you can and then decide what you want to do. Even limit your purchase, because if you're like 90% of the folks here you will make purchases early on that you will regret later. If you dive in with a burst of enthusiasm and set the bar too high, you run the risk of getting overwhelmed and not being successful.

 

There is no sense of urgency. Set up some plywood and run some trains on bare plywood, envisioning what you want a layout to look like. You will be glad you did.

I second Harry Doyle's advice.  Get some trains going on a simple easy layout - plywood with a grassmat or felt or carpet is just fine.  And don't set your sights too high at first, plan on doing a test layout or temp layout to get some experience and try out ideas.  Its all fun.

Hondo, don't be frustrated or intimidated by what you see here on the forum. All that beautiful scenery started out with somebody shaking grass over wet glue or paint. All that fancy trackwork started out with somebody putting an oval together, hopefully without stabbing their hands on track pins. All that high-tech TMCC/DCS wiring started out with somebody running two wires from a transformer to a track lock-on. All the entry-level skills for O gauge are pretty well covered by the "guy" stuff we learned before age 15. You'll make some mistakes but you'll still have fun, and you're at the right place to seek help when you need it.

Jerry is right on. I would love to see Rembrandt's first painting. Don

Don't take the hobby too seriously. The main thing is to have fun, not to impress other people! 

 

Everyone here started at square one at some point.  The skills just come with practice and persistence.  The important thing is to just get started and the rest will come with time, practice, and a bit of patience.

 

There are more diverse skills involved in model railroading than any other leisure pastime I can think of.  That's a large part of what makes it such a great hobby.

I like banker, smuggler, and politician.

Philosopher, butcher (my previous layout), baker (my dirt), surveyor, teacher.

i can probably think of some more.

 

Eliot

Allan Miller said:

"Everyone here started at square one at some point.  The skills just come with practice and persistence.  The important thing is to just get started . . . "

 

I agree, disagree, and agree.  First, everyone does start at square one.  But no, sometimes I think the skills don't come with practice.  But yes, the important thing is to just get started.

 

I have met some people deeply into model railroading, including a freind just several blcoks away,  who will never, ever, be good at scenery, model building, models and weathering, etc.  They just don't seem to be able to do it.  I've another dear friend here in NC who can't, or won't, learn anything about wiring, wire sizes, electrics, electronics, etc.  The one just avoids modeling aspects by doing lovely tubular rail "toy train" layouts with all store-bought buildings and accersories, and the other bugs me and others for advice all the time.  Both do what they do well and seem to love "their version" of the hobby.

 

With me, the thing I will never "get" in any form is the "operations" I see some people do with a talent that defies my understanding.  They just have a gift for keeping in their head a puzzle of sorts: switch this train so that the so-and-so RR cars are grouped together at the head of the train and the such-and-such left at the siding by the warehouse.  Clearly, they can see the train in their mind, as it will be after they operate switches and move it back and forth, etc.  My mind just was not wired with that capability, or the ability to enjoy that.  It is like watching an artist to see some of them do it, and clearly they love to do it - all day long!  Me?  I removed my trainyards and switches entirely.

 

This is the great advatnage of model railroading to me.  I've made this hobby what fits me: detailed, scratch built, often very strange quirky modeling.  Watching trains run, often four hours, while working at inventing unusual accerssories (the moving ski-boat on lake).  My friends have made it a very different hobby, each in his own way.

 

So, ultimately, Allan's last point is the most important.  Just start, and go where and how you interests and talents take you . . .

Ther thing to remember is:

 

Model Railorading is a journey, not a destination.

 

Even this old dog has been learning some new tricks lately.

 

Rusty

And you get to make lots of bologna sandwishes, jumijo.  I think that is the sacred food of model railroading. 

Hmmm...

 

I could suggest...

 

8. A big happy kid in an adult costume.

 

Forget "model railroading" and start playing with toy trains.

 

Pete

Buy and Run what you like!!!

here's my first Lionel purchase 22

years ago. started with this one locomotive.

I now have 30+ locos and 100+ rolling stock.

AND Ive been taking a train board to local train

shows for about 15 yrs. Lots O FUN!!!

What you don't usually read about is the learning curve, the minor disasters, the fiascoes, the misfired attempts to stretch one's ability. These are usually edited out of articles but sometimes learning by others mistakes is well worth reading up on..here and elsewhere. Everyone makes an error or three. Read up on it, start simple and don't be intimidated to the extent you are terrified of making an error. I could fill several paragraphs with mine. 99% were recoverable by a "re-do" Above all suit yourself, what you like as there are no model train police..most of it boils down to common sense.

Amen to that! And while not everyone can or needs to develop the skills to any specific level of proficiency, you will surely end up knowing and becoming more skilled than when you started.

 

In the end, that is all that is that counts and that is needed to enjoy the trains - which is the ultimate goal afterall.

 

Alex

Electroliner is right on.  My PRR Panhandle Division on the Photo Forum is really a diary of all the screw-ups, triumphs, direction changes, and decision making I've gone through to get the layout to this point.  None of us were born with the skills you see on display in this forum.  I've gotten brave about scratchbuilding structures and electrical work.  My trackwork is sketchy and I've had to re-do things.  It's all part of the hobby.

 

You have to remember to have fun and please yourself.

 

George

You don't need to be any of those things to get started, but you'll become some those things over time. The key is not trying to do things yourself. Everything you'll face has already been faced by someone else, so use the forum, no matter how silly or simple you think a question is. Invest in a couple of books, track planning software and videos. The keys to almost everything you'll do are planning and patience.

My biggest mistake so far has been a degree of arrogance, thinking I could do things a different way simply because it looked good on paper or in my head. While my plans technically worked and I'm glad I tried, I've found I'll be better off using proven concepts, so that's what I'm going to do now. There are reasons why model railroaders do things the way they do, so learn from them, but don't be afraid to question things. Modeling is not a one size fits all hobby and there is always more than one way to do things.

I'll put a plug in for the Black Diamond Railway videos, even if you're not going to use MTH ScaleTrax. I've only watched Part I so far, but it's already calmed my fears about attempting landscaping. I'm sure there are YouTube videos that show the same techniques, but my goal is a layout that will mimic every aspect of the BDR, so I figured it was worth the $50 investment.

The same can be said about track planning software. Unfortunately, the free ones don't have libraries for MTH track, so that will be another investment for me, but I've found the software to be indispensable for seeing what is possible in a given space. If the software has the library for the track you select, it will save you money in the long run because you'll buy only the track you need.

Layout books are useful too, especially those by Linn Westcott and John Armstrong. Check the library for books on model railroading. Obviously, today much of the how-to stuff can be found on YouTube, but there is still something to be said for being able to pick up a book and read some of the history and rationale. If you join a club, you can often borrow books before you decide to buy.

Most of all, like others have said, have fun learning and don't forget playing with the trains is the goal.

You forgot the most important of all. You have become a comrade of all on this forum.

 

Best short answer and best way to start up in 3-rail !

You don't have to be "worthy" of anyone's acclaim but yourself.  If you like it, it's good.

.....

Dennis

And you spend money on stuff you can't afford.

For some, you get to play historian and/or inventor as well.

 

I have spent countless hours researching both prototype and model topics, and am confident I can accomplish most of the more sophisticated projects, but have never had the opportunity to venture out beyond anything simple and temporary.  As I have started out in HO scale, I lean more towards the hi-rail side, even if I don't use scale-sized equipment and do use traditional tinplate track.  I actually look forward to the challenges!

 

Aaron

Unless, like at our house, you sometimes have a filibuster by the opposition to your deficit spending plan.

I agree with getting the black diamond railroad videos. It got me moving in the right direction. This forum, you tube, and o-scale magazines are also great resources.I wish I had discovered these resources before getting started sooner. It would have made a difference in what track I used.