Okay, I'm getting into this hobby because I think trains are cool, and I think bridges are cool, and this will give me a focus for doing bridges. I'll be building my own bridges, by and large (mostly large), but I won't be building my own trains, nor am I a prototyper by any stretch of the imagination. Nor am I inclined to restrict myself to any given era.
As a longtime cyclist, and a woodworker, I know that all man made products, including model railroading stuff, comes in three grades. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (Ugly, in my assessment, is just that: functions fine, but is ugly.)
I want to avoid the Bad, be they companies, or simply elements of a company's product line. Unfortunately, there seems to be a dearth of information on what out there is schlock, junk, POS, etc, aside from the "don't buy a trainset at Toys R Us".
That said, I'm planning on going with Code 55 (unless the arguments against C55 are pretty compelling), and no, I won't be handlaying anytime soon.
I'd appreciate some insight on the pros and cons of the different tracks, AS well as their interoperability and any difficulties I'm likely to encounter with locos and rolling stock. Backward compatibility is NOT a concern, since, aside from a single Atlas Warren Truss Bridge I picked up yesterday, I have zilch, zip, nada. No locomotives, rolling stock, track, nuttin'. And yes, I will be implementing DCC down the road.
Knowing what you know now, what would you do if you were starting from scratch with a modest budget? (Fret not about space, as that goes to layout.)
Grace and peace, BD
As a longtime cyclist, and a woodworker, I know that all man made products, including model railroading stuff, comes in three grades. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (Ugly, in my assessment, is just that: functions fine, but is ugly.)
I want to avoid the Bad, be they companies, or simply elements of a company's product line. Unfortunately, there seems to be a dearth of information on what out there is schlock, junk, POS, etc, aside from the "don't buy a trainset at Toys R Us".
That said, I'm planning on going with Code 55 (unless the arguments against C55 are pretty compelling), and no, I won't be handlaying anytime soon.
I'd appreciate some insight on the pros and cons of the different tracks, AS well as their interoperability and any difficulties I'm likely to encounter with locos and rolling stock. Backward compatibility is NOT a concern, since, aside from a single Atlas Warren Truss Bridge I picked up yesterday, I have zilch, zip, nada. No locomotives, rolling stock, track, nuttin'. And yes, I will be implementing DCC down the road.
Knowing what you know now, what would you do if you were starting from scratch with a modest budget? (Fret not about space, as that goes to layout.)
Grace and peace, BD
ros:cheaper
