Intoduction and First layout

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Amrap1

Member
Nov 11, 2006
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Cleveland, Ohio
Hello ALL!

Ed here from Ohio. I'm 50 and never had trains as a child. I found an old Marx trainset last year and went to a train show to see what it was worth. I was blown away by some of the layouts I saw. I bought a cheap $50 trainset and a 4x8 sheet of plywood and ran the train around a few times. I was hooked. Fast forward a year.......

I've been to maybe 12 train shows, 50 hobby stores and many flea markets. Being a bargin hunter, I found good deals on structures (built and kits), track and tons of other thngs to put together a great layout. I've also scoured the Web looking, reading and learning. I like HO scale because it offers the most possibilities without needing a magnifying glass and a large room. I'm ready to start and have build my tabletop. I chose this configuration because it seems to be the best for my room and for accessability. These are the best pictures I have for the tabletop so far...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/amrap1/album?.dir=/2462re2&.src=ph&.tok=phTDmzFBoyaOo1ka

Thanks for looking and any advice will be welcome!
Ed
 
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Dan McDonald

New Member
Sep 21, 2006
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Miramichi, NB
Hey Ed, I like that layout, not huge but big enough to squeeze in some great scenery.I have a similar idea for when I build one in my basement.
Keep the pics coming. Layout progress topics are great to watch!
 
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jr switch

Member
Oct 11, 2006
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northern Indiana
Welcome aboard Ed and happy Thanksgiving----I am also relatively new to the forum and I have not seen a more helpful group than this one. I think the first suggestion that they will have is to lay down a couple layers of dense pink or blue foam sheets on your table top. This will provide a certain amount of depth that you can use for rivers or a creek or ravines etc. Then you have spots to put bridges or culverts. The foam is also used to build the basic forms for mountains, hills and tunnels or just to give you different elevations on the layout. Read thru a lot of the recent threads on the forum and you'll see how they are doing this. Looks like you are off to a great start, keep posting pics of your progress--John R
 
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Amrap1

Member
Nov 11, 2006
132
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Cleveland, Ohio
Thanks for the replies and YES this is the best place I've seen so far for ideas. I'm wondering if I should "cookie cut" my outside track to raise it for tunnels/mountains, which I really want or build it up with foam.

Ed
 
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COMBAT

Member
Oct 28, 2006
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Phoenix
It looks like you are running DCC? :thumb: Since I am getting back into the hobby from 15 years a go I am going to go DCC. Since your new, what do you think about it? Do you like it? Has it been easy for you? Did you engines come with DCC installed? If I am wrong about the DCC then just disreguard all the questions. :eek:ops:
 
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nicknero

New Member
Aug 19, 2005
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dont you just love how you start 4X8 and than it goes to a 10X12 with a 4X8 engine service facility yea Welcome Bob hope you got more room your gonna want it
 
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oldtanker

Member
Feb 24, 2006
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West central Mn
Welcome and good luck! I started getting back into to it after many years too....right about a year ago.


Combat, I'm going to DCC. None of my engines were equipped with decoders. I converted one the other day, was easy! My others are plug and play types so will be even easier.

Rick
 
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Amrap1

Member
Nov 11, 2006
132
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Cleveland, Ohio
Combat,

Yes I did buy a DCC Bachmann Loco and so far so good. I've only laid out a long loop and it runs fine. This weekend I hope to lay down more track and some turnouts. We'll see how it handles it then.

Ed
 
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COMBAT

Member
Oct 28, 2006
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Phoenix
Thanks for the replys. I think DCC is the only way to go. I mean it "sounds" so much better then the way it was.:)
 
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slagpot

Member
Jul 11, 2006
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Beaufort,SC
Welcome to the best darn hobby in the free world!!!! Never to young or old to enjoy this hobby. Marx huh.....man i should have held on to my Marx O scale train set,checked e-bay last year and the one I had was worth a kings ransom. Oh well water under the bridge.

Very nice start there lad. Although I wouldn't have used OSB,but as long as it doesn't get wet,should be fine. What railroad ya gonna go with or anything goes ?

Patrick
Beaufort,SC
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}
Modeling an HO scale steel plant.
 
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fsm1000

Member
Jun 4, 2006
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Coquitlam BC
fsm1000.googlepages.com
Hi Ed and welcome. Looks like you got hooked pretty good there :D
Glad to have you aboard.
As for raising the back track. Cookie cutter will allow a better transition as the plywood will bend in a slow slope way and not do it jarringly. It will help with the transition anyhow.
Foam will work to but be careful it does not snap.
:)
Hope that helps.
 
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rfmicro

New Member
Sep 24, 2006
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Welcome Ed,

To achieve more layput space I have designed a three level, modular system of benchwork. The lower level wiil be my staging area. The middle level will be my main level with all the toys and scenery to support a mining, lumber mill, turn-table/roundhouse, steam and diesel maintenance yard and filler structures. Lots of big trees (pines and redwood).

I will be using mostly foam (for base scenery to include hills, mountains, and rivers) and Woodland products (risers and inclines) and wooden trestle bridges for risers and to span rivers/gorges, etc. There are lots of ways to solve the beast. No one is necessarily perfect, it just remains how comfortable you are with the process to achieve your goals.

Regards,
Trent Mulkern
Mechanicsville, MD
 
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TN_Trainman

New Member
Nov 14, 2006
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Ed, sorry for the late welcome, but if you are half as hooked as I am we are both in DEEP trouble sign1 , it looks like you have a really good start, keep us updated and welcome aboard!!



George
 
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Amrap1

Member
Nov 11, 2006
132
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Cleveland, Ohio
First I want to thank everyone for their Welcomes and following along in my trek to build a descent train layout.

Secondly, I want to thank Don (not in this group) for telling me how to join flextrack in a way I have never heard of before. It sure makes long runs easier.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/amrap1/album?.dir=1006&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/amrap1/my_photoshttp://f3.yahoofs.com/users/41c429c6z445240b8/2462re2/__tn_/db4fre2.jpg?phgMlaFBPcBvAC0O

Thanks Don Z. wherever you are!:thumb:
 
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