New Guy with New Trains

It's a disease worst than a pandemic except you wont die. It starts with a 4x8 sheet of plywood on saw horses and grows uncontrollably and  exponentially from there.

Jerry:

Welcome aboard!  Your comments about “not going to be a huge layout” and “just want a basic setup” are thoughts all of us entertained early on.  This hobby has a way of “growing” so I’d suggest you don’t mention the current self imposed limitations to your wife.  😉

Curt

hello jerry

welcome to the train world if you celebrate xmas you set it up under the tree and have a village 

kevin

Welcome to the club. I believe the Strasburg set comes with a loop of Fastrack and everything you need to get up and running, except batteries for the remote. You may even be able to put the coupler release tab back in place on your own if it just came loose during shipping rather than being actually broken. 

Like many, many other hobbies, once you get started you may get "bitten by the bug" and want to expand beyond your initial layout. 

Welcome, Jerry! We' re all addicted here, but its the best addiction. Hope it doesn't take much to correct your coupler!

Salutations Jerry! 

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will enjoy it here! This is a great group of folks who are very friendly and will always try to offer help/advice in any train-related problems you might have.

Model trains are the best kind of addiction, I will second what already ahs been mentioned above: setups grows uncontrollably and exponentially from their humble beginnings.

Could you show us a photo of the damaged coupler release tab on your knuckle coupler? As @Richie C. stated, you might be able to fix this without the need for a new part.

Bryce

Welcome back. I still have my post war trains and they are easy to find on the Bay. You could probably find what you had as a kid.

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by some of those outstanding videos. Some folks are talented artists. I would start subscribing to O Guage Rail Roading magazine. There is regularly so much good information that covers postwar and modern. Plus, you can’t beat the experienced consultants available on this forum.

Hi Jerry. Welcome to the forum. 

I grew up in Baldwin, Trainland was and still is my go to Train store. I still live about a 20 minute drive away.

My story started with some tinplate cars my in-laws found in their garage about 4 years ago. I think I've redefined the slippery slope. I grew up with HO but moved to O. 

Hope you get your coupler fixed. Strasburg is one of my favorite spots. 

Bob

Let me, let you in on a little secret about this hobby. 2 years ago I would have been happy with just a 4' x 8' layout. I presently have a 12' x 16'  with plans to add 8' x 8' to that. At that point, I will have to stop as I will not have any more expandable room. The 8' x 8' expansion is going to be a yard area. I presently have 4 loops ( forth in the midst of being built ) and they are O84, O72, O63, & O54. so If you can stay to just a 4' x 8' I'm happy for you, but let me warn you, it will start as just a small expansion on that, say 5' x 8' or 4' x 9' and then it just keeps growing. Anyway, welcome to the group. here are some pics of my collection on shelves, I got very carried away in the buying department in the last 10 years

Is the part you speak of the decorative lift handle that on real trains is used to lift the coupler pin, or are you talking about the actual tab on the operating coupler on the car? 

If it's decorative, you're probably better off trying to use a dab of Super Glue to put it back together. A decorative part most likely is not going to be a simple swap out with a new part. Not seeing that, I can't tell you for sure.

Welcome, Jerry!!  We all start about the same place, and where we go from there is up to each of us.  Please post any questions you may have.  Someone will be able to help.

Bill

Face it you need a bigger house.

Jerry,

I suggest you buy a good book on fastrack track plans, there are several of them out there, or visit http://www.thortrains.net/ and scroll down to the fastrack for small spaces link and click on that. Find a track plan that speaks to you and build it verbatim just like it appears. Then you can put your Strasburg train on it and operate for a while. This will give you a good feel for what you like/don't like etc. Welcome to the hobby. I have been at it for over 50 years now.

@rtraincollector posted:

Let me, let you in on a little secret about this hobby. 2 years ago I would have been happy with just a 4' x 8' layout. I presently have a 12' x 16'  with plans to add 8' x 8' to that. At that point, I will have to stop as I will not have any more expandable room. The 8' x 8' expansion is going to be a yard area. I presently have 4 loops ( forth in the midst of being built ) and they are O84, O72, O63, & O54. so If you can stay to just a 4' x 8' I'm happy for you, but let me warn you, it will start as just a small expansion on that, say 5' x 8' or 4' x 9' and then it just keeps growing. Anyway, welcome to the group. here are some pics of my collection on shelves, I got very carried away in the buying department in the last 10 years

 

Aw, you don't have that much. remember passenger sets take up a lot of room but only count as "1". And you need something to decorate the walls!     Jeff

I started with a small oval, then went to 9 x 5 (027 2 loops) then 13 x 5 (didn't last long maybe a couple of weeks) then 13 x 9 (072 curves) and stopped but only because I have to take down a wall - which I could do and make my workshop smaller. Who has time to run anything given all the remodeling? 

@AlanRail posted:

Bill

Face it you need a bigger house.

I know, the worst part is I have about 1/2 as much again under the train table

Jerryc41 don't worry.  Not all of us are like rtraincollector.  Rtraincollector, That is an impressive collection to acquire in such a short time.  

Welcome to the forum! You've publicly stated your name - now you just need to admit you have a problem.  This forum is where you'll find treatment for your pending addiction. 

-Greg 

Welcome, Jerry, to this Forum and the World's Greatest Hobby.

You can think of the hobby as an addiction, especially if you acquire more over time than you could have ever imagined at the beginning, which is also true of me. However,  you can also think of it as a wonderful pastime, and even good therapy, which could greatly enhance your life, especially during these challenging times. 

After being involved now for 6 decades in the hobby and 3 years on this Forum, as I reflect back, the greatest benefit has been to have a common interest with others (some of whom are fascinating people who have become great friends) that brings joy and happiness.

Train repairs is not my forte, but I have found that if you post photos of the item that needs fixing and provide details explaining the problem, the train doctors on this Forum (the best of the best IMO), will amaze you how much they are willing to help you.

Arnold

Welcome Jerry. Good to have another Jerry on the Forum. Enjoy the hobby and do as little or as much as you want. No matter how much you do on your layout, you will find a lot of helpful people on this Forum. So when you have questions, ask them. And once we get past this pandemic, you will be able to go to train shows and meet hobbyists. The most rewarding part of this hobby for me has been the people I've met and become friendly with over the years.

Gerry 

Small layouts are fine...I have 4 of them.  At the very least, set up a Christmas tree this weekend and put a loop of track under it. 

Set up a tree?  You mean some people take them down?  

I have two dogs, so the floor is not an option.  Maybe I'll set up a circle on a table.  I looking online for 4x8 layout ideas.

@AlanRail posted:

It's a disease worst than a pandemic except you wont die. It starts with a 4x8 sheet of plywood on saw horses and grows uncontrollably and  exponentially from there.

When I was a kind on Long Island, our house had a basement - perfect for trains.  No basement here.  : (

@Train Nut posted:

Is the part you speak of the decorative lift handle that on real trains is used to lift the coupler pin, or are you talking about the actual tab on the operating coupler on the car? 

If it's decorative, you're probably better off trying to use a dab of Super Glue to put it back together. A decorative part most likely is not going to be a simple swap out with a new part. Not seeing that, I can't tell you for sure.

It's the round, flat button under the coupler.  Pull it, and the coupler opens.  It is actually broken, and it must have broken during delivery since I found it in the box.  Is that really necessary?  I'm not expecting any results from Lionel, so I'll have to try to reattach it.

@RSJB18 posted:

Hi Jerry. Welcome to the forum. 

I grew up in Baldwin, Trainland was and still is my go to Train store. I still live about a 20 minute drive away.

My story started with some tinplate cars my in-laws found in their garage about 4 years ago. I think I've redefined the slippery slope. I grew up with HO but moved to O. 

Hope you get your coupler fixed. Strasburg is one of my favorite spots. 

Bob

 

Since you know Trainland, how about The House of Mulraney?  That was its original name in the 1950s.

I know all about addictions.  I spend time on a camera forum and a ukulele forum.  Ukes are the worst.  I started with a cheapie years ago.  Then I found the forum.  My ukes are forcing me out of my bedroom.  It's not going to be that way with trains, mainly because I have no room for a layout.

@AlanRail posted:

It's a disease worst than a pandemic except you wont die. It starts with a 4x8 sheet of plywood on saw horses and grows uncontrollably and  exponentially from there.

As Alan says.....except  that there is no known cure...

Hi Jerry and welcome to the hobby and the Forum. As Gerry Morlitz said plenty of info and answers here.  As for the broken uncoupling tab you can run the trains without it as long as the knuckle locks in the closed position.  Since you've just started you probably don't have an uncoupling track anyway.  As for track plans there is a section for layouts and track plans here on the forum, check there or even use search to find posts about the size you may be interested in.

Hi, Jerry.  Welcome to the forum.  I suggest you take a picture of the broken coupler on your car and post it.  Someone here on the forum will almost certainly have a spare part for you.   That's if it can be repaired.

@Phil McCaig posted:

Hi, Jerry.  Welcome to the forum.  I suggest you take a picture of the broken coupler on your car and post it.  Someone here on the forum will almost certainly have a spare part for you.   That's if it can be repaired.

Thanks.  I'll do that.

@Jerryc41 posted:

It's the round, flat button under the coupler.  Pull it, and the coupler opens.  It is actually broken, and it must have broken during delivery since I found it in the box.  Is that really necessary?  I'm not expecting any results from Lionel, so I'll have to try to reattach it.

No - it's not mandatory - it just makes it easier to couple and uncouple cars so you don't have to line up and lift one car's coupler down onto the next and possibly have to re-rail one or both cars. 

Happy railroading !

@Jerryc41 posted:

I don't know where I am going to set this up - maybe the living room - not many visitors these days.   Whatever I do with it, it's not going to be a huge layout with collector's items for running gear.  I just want a basic setup like when I was a kid.  I'm overwhelmed by some of the layouts I see online.

Jerry, believe it or not, most folks do not have large full basement sized layouts. There are a good many who have layouts built on a single (or several) hollow core doors. Personally, I've always had small layouts. They have their own set of challenges, but can be just as rewarding and enjoyable.

The search function on this forum can be a little difficult to use at times. I have found using Google more effective. And convenient. Click on the link below and on one page you can scroll through all sorts of photos of smaller layouts.

Small layouts are also more of a challenge to photograph and make them look as good as they do to the human eye, which is why you might not see photos of as many of them. Yet as you look through the photos on the link below, there's some real creativity and proof it can be done.

https://www.google.com/search?...bih=604&biw=1280

Jerry, one more website for you to bookmark. This is really a super website. You have to scroll though and read the topics rather carefully, but there's lots of information here for a beginner as yourself, including ideas for small FasTrack train layouts.

And if you hit the link below my signature, the "check out my repaint" link, you'll see there are ways to enjoy the hobby (at least from my view), without having to spend a fortune. And the smaller 027 trains look much better on a small layout.

Though the beauty (and detriment) of the hobby these days is that opinions on that will differ. 

http://www.thortrains.net/

@brianel_k-lineguy posted:

Jerry, one more website for you to bookmark. This is really a super website. You have to scroll though and read the topics rather carefully, but there's lots of information here for a beginner as yourself, including ideas for small FasTrack train layouts.

And if you hit the link below my signature, the "check out my repaint" link, you'll see there are ways to enjoy the hobby (at least from my view), without having to spend a fortune. And the smaller 027 trains look much better on a small layout.

Though the beauty (and detriment) of the hobby these days is that opinions on that will differ. 

http://www.thortrains.net/

Thanks for that!  One less reason for me to get out of this chair.  : )

@brianel_k-lineguy posted:

Jerry, believe it or not, most folks do not have large full basement sized layouts. There are a good many who have layouts built on a single (or several) hollow core doors. Personally, I've always had small layouts. They have their own set of challenges, but can be just as rewarding and enjoyable.

The search function on this forum can be a little difficult to use at times. I have found using Google more effective. And convenient. Click on the link below and on one page you can scroll through all sorts of photos of smaller layouts.

Small layouts are also more of a challenge to photograph and make them look as good as they do to the human eye, which is why you might not see photos of as many of them. Yet as you look through the photos on the link below, there's some real creativity and proof it can be done.

https://www.google.com/search?...bih=604&biw=1280

I tend to go overboard with everything, so it's good I don't have a large basement.   The hollow core door is a good idea.  I think I have two of them in the garage.  Maybe I can make a hide-away layout.   Put it on pulleys and raise it to the ceiling.  : )

@Richie C. posted:

No - it's not mandatory - it just makes it easier to couple and uncouple cars so you don't have to line up and lift one car's coupler down onto the next and possibly have to re-rail one or both cars. 

Happy railroading !

Thanks.  I'm all about ease of operation, so I'll try to reattach it.

Google to the rescue. Change the wording a little bit, and here's the results. Click on any photo, it will appear in a separate box, then click on that to come back to where it was posted on the OGR Forum here.

There are challenges to hollow core door layouts, but there's solutions too. For example, getting wire through the hollow core door. Easy: Drill a hole as straight as you can, then use a sipper drinking straw to find it's way through the hole, then run the wire through the straw, pulling the straw out from the bottom. It's much easier to try and poke a stiff straw through a door, than a piece of flexible wire.

If you go the door route, I can give you lots of pointers, as well as others who have done "door" layouts.

https://www.google.com/search?...bih=604&biw=1280

Jerry,

Here is the largest layout I have ever attempted, and I have been in the hobby since the late '60s. 

It is 11x8 in an 11x11 room.  If you have insomnia I invite you to view my current layout topic at this link Blackwater Canyon Line This shows my attempt to get beyond the 4x8 layouts of the past.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Jerry,

Here is the largest layout I have ever attempted, and I have been in the hobby since the late '60s. 

It is 11x8 in an 11x11 room.  If you have insomnia I invite you to view my current layout topic at this link Blackwater Canyon Line This shows my attempt to get beyond the 4x8 layouts of the past.

Looks good.  Tight fit.  I'll take a look at that website.

I also lacked the space to do a typical 'table' layout. Once I became a homeowner, I built this around-the-wall loop atop elevated 1x3 's with 1x2 supports and curves jigsaw-cut from 3/4" 4x8's in my living room to test long-boxed trains: (owing to basement clutter not owned by me)

...and over time this became my "normal" running place  despite having no scenery. It's roughly 11'x17' with a lift-out module spanning the entrance in one corner, and was designed with clearances to handle long cars and large locomotives. If it wasn't for the multitude of train boxes stacked in the middle of the room it would still be able to function as a normal living room (even with that track running right behind the top of the couch

---PCJ