Where y'at Model Railroaders? (1 Viewer)

[Bleu Raeder]

This was somehow inevitable (especially if you've read the threads and stories I shared about my Dad).

I am considering building a small model railroad. I was inspired by some videos that came across my random YouTube feed. I have jotted down some notes as I have a very specific idea in mind for the theme. I have started doing some research to support my idea and have watched a few more model railroad videos, just for grins. I haven't learned anything I really didn't already know in terms of model railroading in general, save for power options (DCC looks like a lot of fun and simplifies wiring.). Working with Dad all of those years on his railroad stuff provides me with a lot of tribal knowledge. The other modeling and electronics stuff I do now dovetails nicely with the whole idiom.

Since I have a theme in mind, I think a small layout in N scale would be perfect. I have plenty of room in the basement, where I do hobby stuff now. I can make it large enough to ensure the scenes blend smoothly into each other. No complicated train operation either: a couple of long looping lines with minimal switching at one or two stations. I think it would be fun and the grandkids would love it.

I can also build everything in a modular fashion, which allows for all sorts of flexibility. A couple of the scenes I am thinking about would be detailed enough to take quite a while and the scenery would be fun. To make it more fun for the grandkids, I would set up most of the benchwork initially (after planning out where each scene would live) allowing for one or two loops to be run on the bare benchwork and add the modular scenes/scenery as it is completed.

As for the theme? Well, until at least part of one scene is done and I can post a picture or two, I'll keep that to myself. I will say a lot of what I am thinking about is not readily available, so I'll have to be designing, printing, and/or scratch-building quite a bit of stuff to realize my vision. As luck would have it, there are quite a few model railroad shops near me (one less than two miles away) and it isn't like having to plan a jaunt to Hub Hobby or Hobby Towne, so I've got that going for me.

Is anyone here a model railroader?

 

[Sailorsaint]

I was at a younger age. Starter out with O when I was about 7 or 8 and graduated to HO at about 10. By the time was a teenager, I had lost interest because....girls. If I had stayed on the straight and narrow and continued with trains instead of girls, I probably would have been much better off.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

interesting that you bring this up...my youngest was just talking about this
when I was growing up we'd usually visit my mom's parents in N Miss. and gdad had a module train he'd set up from xmas - loved that thing
anyway when my oldest came along dad asked about what he might like and I said 'maybe a train' thinking we could start small and keep building
well dad just got him a self-contained plastic set - he liked it well enough but aged out of it then kinda moved on from trains to transformers or whatever
his brother otoh never lost the love for trains
we used to go to the mini train tracks in City Park and there is a group in Metairie who used to have quarterly showings (basically out of some guys garage, but set up very well with maybe 16 different lines)
we'd also talk long walks through audubon (visit the horse stables) then go watch the train if there was one running
and my parents lived in Chattanooga, so we'd visit the choo choo most times we went up there
but those kinds of adventures/activities also faded over time

now after the move to a bigger house and when xmas time approached, all of a sudden he started talking about trains again (he's about to be 11 now), I told him i'd look into maybe getting us a small set-up, but...they're not giving those sets away. I'll keep looking though

 

[saintmdterps]

Put up HO trains for Christmas. will upload video. I wish I had the room for a permanent setup, I enjoy them!

Edit: can’t upload the video. It says file is too large, but I believe I uploaded a video of the trains a couple years ago with no issues. Probably this stupid *** phone