Model Trains/Railroading

[Bakershalfdozen]

Anyone into this hobby? It is something dh and I would like to do with the kids.

What is your favorite brand of engine, cars, track etc.? What is a good idea vs. a bad idea?

[zealyouthguy]

Anyone into this hobby? It is something dh and I would like to do with the kids.

What is your favorite brand of engine, cars, track etc.? What is a good idea vs. a bad idea?

lol, this is a hobby that I've always like the theory of, the presentation of, but just can't get into the execution of it... lol.

[Anon]

We haven't gone any farther than the wooden Thomas stuff. haha.

[pneu-engine]

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just cannot get enough of it.

My dream is to some day be awarded a project wherein I would build for some high-powered financier a whole working-model layout including a steam-driven locomotive and many cars. The site would need about 20 to 25 acres complete with a little creek running thru it. :Green YOWZA!!!!!!!! What a fun project that would be. :cooldude:

[pneu-engine]

Anyone into this hobby? It is something dh and I would like to do with the kids.

What is your favorite brand of engine, cars, track etc.? What is a good idea vs. a bad idea?

Favorite Engine:::: Union Pacific Challenger. This one --->>>

Favorite Cars::: Freight Cars (refrig., Box cars, Flat-bed, Coal cars, etc.)

Favorite Track::: Standard Steel T-form.

A Good idea:::: Examine all the details of the various gauges, extent of layout, i.e. how much stuff to put into it, vs. how much money you want to spend.

A Bad idea:::: To buy the first thing that meets your fancy.

I have seen gauges that ranged from very small to very large and that were still considered models. Way back in my growing up years ('50s to early '60s) the "in-thing" was "HO" gauge, which stood for "Half-O". It is still quite popular today. :tum At that time the smallest gauge I had seen was "TT", which stood for "Table-Top", as in card-table. A whole city layout complete with countryside and all the accouterments could be built on top of a card-table.

Here is a chart of scales available:::::::

1:12 Large Scale
1:13.7 7/8 inch scale
1:20.3 G, Three-Foot Gauge on Gauge 1 Track
1:22.5 LGB and Bachman
1:24 Half scale
1:29 Aristo-Craft, USA Trains, standard gauge on #1 gauge
1:32 I scale
1:48 O scale
1:64 S scale
1:87.1 HO scale
1:120 TT scale
1:160 N scale
1:220 Z scale

Where I used to work there was a woman whose husband built an entire layout that consumed his whole basement, 28' x 60'. He had over $25,000.00 invested in it and had everything imaginable and stuff I never even thought of. His gauge of choice was "O".

As mentioned in my previous post, I would like to build a layout that would completely consume 20 to 25 acres. The gauge would be 7-1/4 -- 7-1/2 Scale. This train would carry passengers. :thumb

[pneu-engine]

Here is a very interesting site I found::::

http://www.nmra.org/beginner/why.html

An exerpt::::::::::

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NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION
WHY MODEL RAILROAD



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Why Build a Model Railroad?
As with any hobby, the obvious answer is because it's fun!

If you've made it this far, you're probably already interested in building a model railroad for some reason. But maybe you're still on the fence. After all, a model railroad requires an investment in time, money, and energy.


Family Oriented
We are constantly looking for things to do together, "as a family".
Building a model railroad is a great family-oriented hobby. Everyone can get involved and everyone can participate "together".

Every member of the family can be working on some part of things. Mom can be building this part, dad working on that, while the kids are working on something else.

It is also a hobby that can last a life-time. Many people in the hobby started when they were kids and it stayed with them.

Many people worry a lot about the influences our children are exposed to on television, music, and video games. We don't want to get into a debate on whether these are problems or not, but, regardless of your side on the debate, Model Railroading is a great hobby. You build the model railroad that you want. You are not "forced" to have something that you deem improper or unhealthy on your layout. Actually, given the small sizes of things on a layout, even if you wanted to, it would be pretty hard.


Model Railroading is Educational
You probably don't want to tell your kids, but Model Railroading can be very educational. You can learn a whole range of things:
History
Railroads reflect the times they operated in, and vice versa. Building a model railroad leads to learning about the real things. Railroads embraced the full range of history. In the United States, railroads were major factors in, and were greatly affected by, the labor movement, race relations, the rise and fall of the Guilded Age and its robber barons, and so on. Railroads were, and are, equally important in the histories of other countries.
Basic Carpentry and Electrical Skills
If you've never sawed wood or stripped some wire, You Will! Building a model railroad requires these skills. You might think that they are "hard" -- they aren't, you just need to start down the path. You'll be surprised how easy it is to pick them up!
Economics
Railroads are economic entities. They move raw materials and manufactured goods from place to place. The patterns of these movements are all driven by economics.
Modelbuilding
This is pretty straight forward! After all, we are building a Model Railroad. There are a whole range of skills that you'll develop over time.
Artistic Techniques
Building scenery and weathering cars, among others, all require a bit of an artistic touch. We can learn that "less is more" (for instance, sometimes just a bit of weathering on a car is all that's really needed). we can learn that we don't always need a perfect rendition of something, sometimes all we really need is to give the impression.
How To Research
As you get more interested in model railroading, you might decide to build more accurate models. To do this you will need to research "the real things". You'll want to know exactly how something was built or used. To do that you'd need to locate documents or pictures. All of this takes research.
Logical Thought and Planning
From novice model railroader to Master Model Railroader (MMR), logical thought and planning are important. Everything from figuring out the right steps for building a kit to designing a layout to developing an operating plan for your railroad all require logical thought and planning.
3D and Spatial Visualization
When you decide to take on scratch-building and kit-bashing, you'll quickly learn some of these skills. We often have to visualize how things will finally look, or how they will go together, long before they are done.
Develops Manual Skills
This is pretty self-evident. To build a model railroad requires some manual dexterity and skills. You can't be "all thumbs" to build one. And if you think you are all-thumbs, you'll quickly discover that you are not all thumbs.
Basic Engineering
Model Railroads themselves require a bit of engineering to construct. We don't want the benchwork to collapse or the electrical wiring to burst into flames! This is self-evident. But we can also learn a bit of engineering by studying the prototypes for the models we are building; Why are bridges build this way and not that? Why did the railroad go this way instead of that way? How does an engine work?
Geography
Railroads don't exist in a vacuum. They go through the landscape. There are mountains and plains, forests and rivers, towns and cities. Model railroading can develop basic undstandings of all of these geographic features. Furthermore, if you decided to research and model a specific real railroad you can learn a lot about the specific geographic regions where that railroad operated.
The Internet and The Web
You can even learn a lot about The Internet and how to make and run web sites. After all, we put together this web site!
But the best part of it all is that you are not forced to learn much. You can derive as much, or as little, education from the hobby as you want. After all, sometimes we just want to have fun!
Social Aspects
Model Railroading can be a very social hobby.
It's a great way to meet new people.

There are clubs and associations (such as the NMRA) that you can join. These clubs run the whole range, from swapping stories to teaching skills to each other, to actually building and running a permanent model railroad.

There are model building contests.

It's also a great excuse to travel! You can go on rail-fanning trips, go to conventions and shows, or to visit people you've met.

Model railroading appeals to people in all walks of life. If you find a group of model railroaders, you'll find doctors and lawyers, engineers, shop keepers, business people, military folks, mechanics, carpenters, artists, atheletes, and politicians. Young and old, rich and poor. And it is fun.

It Takes Time
One of the big concerns today is that we're a culture of "instant gratification". Model Railroading is anything but instant gratification. You can get things up and running quickly, as we hope to show you in these pages.
But you can also then go back and work on things some more, spend more time. You can perfect your skills over the course of years. And as you perfect your skills, you go back and look at the things you did in the past and say "it was good then, but I know I can do better now"; what was great two years ago is barely acceptable last year, and this year it's sub-standard.

Model railroading is an activity of constant improvement and learning. From that, we often learn that the true gratification is not in attaining the goal, but the journey we take to get there.

Model Railroading Is Not Just For Men!
Some folks think that model-railroading is a "guy thing". Perhaps a long time ago it was. But this is the twenty-first century and those stereotypes are pretty much gone. Or at least they should be!
One NMRA division holds a "build a kit" clinic at its yearly show. This clinic is aimed at young children and their parents. The idea is to show them that "it's not hard". Someplace between 1/3 and 1/2 of the attendees are girls, mothers, or grandmothers. So it's obvious that you don't have to be male to be interested in model railroading!

The NMRA has a Master Model Railroader (MMR) program. It takes dedication and a lot of hard work to become an MMR. To become an MMR requires demonstrating skills across the entire spectrum of the hobby. There are 4 women MMRs (here's an interview with Mary Miller, one of the NMRA's MMR's).

Model Railroading is not just for Geeks
Finally, some people may be a bit uncomfortable about "adults playing with toy trains" or may be worried about what their friends and relatives might say. Who cares what they think? But just to set your mind at ease, there are many celebrities who are (or were) also model railrailroaders, such as
Winston Churchill
Tom Brokaw
Phil Collins
Joe DiMaggio
Walt Disney
Michael Gross, the actor
Ed Dougherty, the professional golfer
Merle Haggard
Tom Hanks
Elton John
Michael Jordan
Ricardo Patrese, the Formula-1 race car driver
Frank Sinatra
Joe Regalbutto, the actor
Bruce Springsteen
Rod Stewart
Donald Sutherland
Mel Torme
Neil Young, the rock star. He's also a part-owner of Lionel...
It's Fun!
In case you missed it, it's fun!

Back To The Trains
(Index)

Page last updated January 23, 2001

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Copyright © 1995-2002 National Model Railroad Association. All Rights Reserved.
"NMRA", "National Model Railroad Association" and "National Train Show

[pneu-engine]

Now this is model railroading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please click here:::::::

http://www.livesteamlocomotives.com/id9.html





All the castings have arrived.


Getting started.


Fully operational and running.

[Bakershalfdozen]

Way cool! :thumb Thanks for all the info, Jim. You sound as excited as dh. :lol:

[pneu-engine]

Way cool! :thumb Thanks for all the info' date=' Jim. You sound as excited as dh. [/quote']
Yes indeedy, :thumb :Green ...most likely because we are cut from the same cloth, and are kindred spirits. :cooldude: :lol:

[thinkbible]

I owned a Hobby Store (HobbyTown USA) in Raleigh NC for five years. Trains was one of my better categories. Still have some stuff from my closing in my attic I need to get rid of! Just a few odds and ends...

I had a really nice HO layout that I had built in the store. Very detailed and realistic.

[John81]

When I was in my teens our neighbor really got into this. He built a huge display that took two hay wagons to hold it. He would take it to the local fair for show.

He got so into this that he bought an old house just for his trains! He had trains running all over that house, complete with all the accesories like towns, bridges, farms, etc.

[qwerty guy]

I'm going to offer my services simply because it's a way for me to do something I love without taking a loss

I love drawing, but I gave it up until I started selling my cartoons to christian publications
I love construction, but I stopped doing "free projects" (except for the truely needy)
I love writting, but no longer write unless it serves the Lord or produces tithes and offerings

Foundation laid, here's my offer:

In the past I've won compitions for model cars because of the detail, painting, ect. I put into projects.
I've built scale models of buildings and places.

If my costs are covered, and a donation to my local church, I will build what ever anyone wants for their train set. Scale model people plastic injected? No problem. scale 2x4 structures, with working lighting, removable roofing, down to the tear in the 5th seat in the 4th row detail on a church building? Easy.

I love doing this stuff... I lay brick for a living because it's like legos for adults, and generate more tithes for the Lord with 3 other outlets.

If anyone wants something built, a scale of their church, their own home, anything... simple exterior, full detail... down to the carpet detail.. it doesn't matter, I can provide.

open offer, any time... pm if you want.

[GlenBurnieMD]

I have a lot of trains (mostly modern era Lionel).

Several years ago I built up very large inventory and sold a lot of stuff at train shows and Christmas tree stands. I sold off most of the show stuff after the time committment got to be too much. It is amazing how much someone will pay for a collectible car that is just a hunk of plastic and metal.

Best advice is to be patient and decide what you can handle with $$ and space. Buy quality and remember it is just a toy.

[282Mikado]

I've inherited all of my Dad's HO stuff when he passed away in 2002 and have been trying to get something built for the past year, but it has been difficult. We just moved into a new (to us (blt. 1830)) house and there is little room for a train. I'm going to see what I can do in the garage.

For very good information and "how to's" I have found the two magazines "Model Railroader" and "Railroad Model Craftsman" are very good from the basics up to the more complex.

Expense is an issue, but e-bay and garage sales (especially garage sales) can provide good items relatively cheap.

My favorite locomotive is looking at you in my avatar. It's a 2-8-2 Mikado. I like most engines from this era (early 1900's) though: Ten-Wheeler, Consolidation, and Pacific's being the top of the list. My dad had all diesels so my plan is just to freelance a RR that incorporates all eras. We have a very active church so I plan on using many of our activities in the scenery i.e. street preachers, banners, door knockers, outdoor concert, etc. I am going to set speakers up in stategic spots so I can hook up my laptop and have a sermon or music come from appropriate areas as I desire. I have the plan all thought out, now I just need the location.

God Bless!

[JerryNumbers]

My train from a Christmas long ago hanging on the wall behind me along with a few other things. such as my mothers 2 irons from when she was a young girl, her fathers pocket knives, and a pocket knife an uncle gave me when I was quite young that mother would not let me carry in my pocket. I suppose if they had let me carrying it in my pocket I would not have it.

The irons are the type you would set on a wood stove and let the heat up.