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Ask Slashdot: Tips For Getting Into Model Railroading?
An anonymous reader writes: A relative of mine has been hinting that he'd like me to take over his model railroad collection in the event of his death (or even before that, to make this a bit less morbid-sounding). I'm intrigued by the idea, because I've been interested in model railroads for years, but too commitment shy and too transient to actually start a collection. That's changed enough that I'd like to start planning a train system, and am looking for advice from people who have been at it for a while. A couple of parameters: 1) I'm only interested for now in HO-scale stuff, so I am not all that interested in the relative merits of the other kinds, cool as they might be. 2) Related, I am somewhat less interested in the rolling stock than I am in the construction and control of the track and surrounding landscape. Interested in learning from experienced model railroad enthusiasts what lessons you've learned over the years that would be useful for a newbie, especially if you've made some cool automation for your system, or have built extensive support structures. This includes negative lessons, too, if you've overloaded circuits or floorboards. I'd *like* to integrate some interesting sensors and control systems, and I see some interesting open source software for this. So: What advice would you give to a late-start railroader? For reference: this set-up may end up living in an unfinished suburban basement.
One of the areas many people don't concern themselves with, and regret later, is track/layout stability. The smaller the gauge the more critical this is, in N cause a small expansion or contraction of a area of track will result in many derailments.
Check out Model Railroader magazine. Kalmbach also has some excellent books for noobs, which you can probably find used on Amazon.
Also, check out your local meetups via meetup.com . Good luck
If you're not willing to blow up your own train, you are NEVER going to be cool like Gomez.
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For example, if you like hiking in the mountains, then set up the trains in a mountainous terrain, with tunnels through the mountains and bridges across the valleys.
Familiarize yourself with "scale" vs "gauge". HO scale (1:87) refers to the proportion of the model to the real-life train. HO gauge refers to the distance between the tracks. So you could enjoy HO scale models of narrow-gauge real-life trains that actually run on N gauge tracks, and you could on the other end run O scale (1:48) models of narrow gauge equipment on HO scale track. Second, learn about Digital Command Control (DCC). It's a worldwide standard for electronic control in model railroading and you can do far more than just run a train - you can control and automate lights, track switches, train paths around your layout, sound effects, moving scenery elements, etc. etc. If you're in Europe, Marklin 3-rail HO powered by AC current is popular and their control system is called MFX, but most of the rest of the world powers HO trains with DC current and uses DCC for command control. HO modeling can be surprisingly affordable compared to other scales as it's by far the most popular. Agree with the other commenter that track stability is paramount as if your trains don't run reliably, you will quickly lose interest. Lastly, don't be afraid to just lay some track down and later on rip it up and start over. Track isn't *that* expensive, and you can often reuse a lot of it when you pull it up off whatever surface you've mounted it on. Get your trains up on some sort of surface (table, piece of plywood, whatever) for starter because running trains on the floor rapidly becomes no fun, and you can't appreciate the details on the engines and cars when your viewing perspective is from an imaginary 500 feet in the air.
Model railroading is fun but like heroin it becomes addictive and can consume every penny you have; next thing you know you are blowing people behind real boxcars to pay for model flatbeds.
Take my advice, save money and take up private aviation.
The Digital Command Control (DCC) standard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... has made operation and control of hobby trains more realistic and allows for much better computer control and sensing of layouts.
Of course, it also adds cost to what already can be an expensive hobby, but just being able to run two trains on a single track without a collision is pretty cool.
Mission: To provide products that consume time and energy as entertainingly as permitted by the laws of thermodynamics.
As we all know, we are now in the post-scarcity downloadable atom society. Simply buy (or get your neighbor to 3D print) a 3D printer, download what you want. If you don't like it, no harm, no foul, simply download something else.
And of course, if your shirt is missing a 10 cent button, you can now spend weeks and hundreds of dollars 3D printing buttons too.
If you don't see this, you are a Luddite.
My main comment is to to do anything too big or to complicated - if you start something too big, you will probably never finish it and maintenance will occupy a disheartening number of hours.
If you like scenery, look for a copy of Model Railroading with John Allen so see what one modeler built in a suburban basement half a century ago. If your a lone wolf this is probably about as big you can sensibly make a line on your own. There is also a set of DVD's of pictures of the line," John Allen's Gorre and Daphetid Railroad", unobtainable now, but there is a torrent of them on Kat at the moment.
N.B. this user is far too lazy to write a witty and intelligent sig.
When i was growing up my friends dad was a pro; He would spend months on a single house, making if from scratch with wood and match sticks etc etc. The finish product was something out a of a magazine and of course we weren't allowed withing 50ft of any of it. Anyway, that being said, you dont have to spend months anymore; There are websites dedicated to CAD designs specifically for model railroads; So now you can just 3d print out anything you want. You want a oil rig? There's a design for that; Some of it is open source, some of it cost like $5; Normally the sites have the option to outsource the printing for a relatively cheap price; But then you have to wait, and if you mess up the paint, you might have to buy another. The only problem is that you have to get really good at painting. Since all of it comes out creamy white. You also have to sand the plastic down to get it smooth.So a good drummel and lots of mineral spirits. But still a lot less work then my friends dad.
Have fun.
I am sure he will. Along with all the other benefits, model railroading is a fantastic way to meet chicks, even better than chess tournaments.
Desmond Bagley's novel 'the Enemy' features a model railroad layout that should appeal to nerds.
Look at the prices for things. You'll be surprised how expensive it is as a hobby.
The best single book I know to get started in the hobby is Dave Frary's "Pennsylvania Railroad, Middle Division" which you can buy as a downloadable PDF here http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pennsy...
There are good videos on YouTube. Dave Frary also has some good quality DVDs on his website, http://www.mrscenery.com/
There are multiple groups on Facebook, and also some discussion boards such as http://www.railroad-line.com/ (tends to be pretty serious) and http://www.modelersforum.com/ (a bit less serious).
Finally, don't buy a cheap locomotive! There's nothing more frustrating than getting everything set up and then having your loco break.
dave (in the hobby for almost 50 years...)
Seeing how you have already decided on scale, HO, and what you want to get out of it, Automation over prototyping and collecting rolling stock, there is still plenty for you to do. As mentioned DCC is a great way to start, converting all the existing engines requires adding circuit boards in each and rewiring the track. DCC is standard so in most cases you can pick and chose manufacture between the trains and the controllers you want to use. Then go with block detectors that will return a signal whenever a train is on a given section of track. For complete automation, and using open source you can go to JMRI, Java Model Railroad Interface, with that software you can start small by just using it to control your trains with your phone or web browser to complete automation by running the whole layout, starting, stopping, controlling switches, even turing on lights you may install in building on the layouts. This alone will keep you busy for many many hours.
Your relative has a hobby, and they think you'd enjoy it too. Why not share it with them instead of going solo?
Let them guide you through the novice stage, it may not be as efficient as asking for help on forums but it'll probably be more enjoyable for both of you and be a good chance to generally chat- even if it's just by phone or email if they don't live locally. It'll probably be good for them to see someone else sharing their interests, it doesn't happen too often with minority hobbies.
If you are likely to inherit their setup it'd also make sense to talk, find out what they have, and make sure you get things which will be compatible and complement their existing track.
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You've come to the right website for advice!
The AC trolls get younger every year.
How your grandpa learned to master hardware and low-level software
In your area, look for model train shows. You can get lots of ideas, see what is available, and usually pick up old stuff at low prices.
Second tip:
Look up your chapter of the NMRA. They will have meetings, contacts, and activities where you can 'talk tains'. And fine new buddies.
Third tip:
Find a local train club. They can help you get started or show you what not to do.
Fourth tip:
Model railroading has something for everyone, but one person has trouble doing it all well. From automated train control and Loco management with computers (JMRI) to painting buildings to show soot and grime, there is something you can enjoy.
On the finance side, clubs unfortunately have experiences handling estates of former members. My Club has 3 estates for sale at this time. (Lots of old farts like me!)
Good luck and have fun.
Thomas Stephens, Superintendent, Texas Northern Model Railroad Club.
BTW, the local NMRA group is having an Arduino Clinic next month, showing how Arduinos can automate things on a layout, like Signals, crossing gates, etc. THAT is very /.
No.
I know a few model railroaders, besides friends ones in each of four generations of my family.
Those people have one thing in common, all have or had girlfriend / boyfriend when younger, and married later.
So I challenge anyone with named slashdot account to refute my assertion if their personal experience different, in other words who is a slashdotter who is a virgin and/or has OCD but is a model railroad buff.
I love the idea of automating the environment. I'm not sure this is what you had in mind, but maybe it is:
You could build an intersection sensor that detected Hot Wheels cars on the tracks. Then you could program an HO-scale realistic stopping distance into your train, and maybe some sound effects or even spark generators to give the appearance of a real panic stop. Together, these allow you to simulate the kinetics of a train vs. car auto accident: the car stops on the tracks, and the train cannot stop before the collision, even in a panic stop with sparks flying off the wheels. Don't forget to include the train's horn as the engineer sounds the collision warning.
You could put some little cups of chicken blood in the driver's and passenger's seats to simulate the impact on the passengers.
Finally, you could get a motorized HO-scale ambulance, fire engine, and police that can drive on the streets, and "respond" to the accident. You could even have a hidden speaker that makes radio broadcasts like an emergency dispatcher, something like "Fire Response: MVA Code Red, Main St. and Park Pl, west of, at the train tracks for train vs. auto."
Then the ambulance could drive to the hospital. A few HO-scale hours later a hearse would arrive at the hospital from the funeral parlor and return with a body inside. You could make a little servo-raised platform in the back of the hearse so it could be empty on the way to the hospital and full on the way back. Either put two coffins in the back, or have it make two trips.
Ok, I'm just kidding, really, I know this is pretty far from the fun of model trains, which are actually really cool. I just thought of this and had to put it out there.
If a man wants to meet women, he needs to do things that women also do, or to do things that women find interesting. The fewer women in the hobby or interest area the lower his chances. Even in some areas where women have interests they might not, on average, value the same aspects of the hobby as, on average, the men do. In automotive circles I've found that women care more about how a car looks than how fast it goes or how it otherwise performs. The Chevelle with the beautiful deep blue metallic paint polished to a mirror finish with a 2bbl 305 and stock suspension will get much more attention from the ladies at the cruise-in than the Chevelle with the dual-quad carbs on the 454 with the full Hotchkiss suspension with dull factory paint that has weathered throughout the years, even though arguably the latter means business.
I don't doubt that some women like model railroading. It's not where I would go to look for a date, but to each their own.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Being on the local steam railroad, I have encountered plenty of people with quite impressive model railroads. My own isn't impressive as railroad time end up being on size 1:1. Still, being interested, I looked at what other people have made to figure out what I might do myself one day and now somebody else can benefit from it. This mean the following list is a summary based on experience of several layouts over multiple decades.
Use quality tracks and join them correctly. Poor tracks causes many derailments and takes the fun out of it.
Make all tracks accessible. Regardless of the quality of the tracks, derailments can happen everywhere. I know somebody, who put up tracks, placed a closet in front of it and then had to remove the rear of the closet to get to a derailment. He left the rear as a door for easy access to the next derailment.
Think of what to do with trains you aren't using. Constantly placing new trains on the tracks is time consuming and quickly becomes boring and leaving them on the tracks quickly fills up the sidings. Maybe add a layer of sidings underneath your model just for storing not currently used rolling stock.
If you plan for trains to go uphill, test how they perform at the chosen grade. It's no fun to add the hill and then realize half the trains can't climb the grade. Also severe slowdown or wheelslip is likely unacceptable as it wears out the engines way too quickly.
If you add a section of tracks, which can be removed, like for gaining access to a center command center or whatever, then do remember to prevent trains from driving when the track is incomplete. One working solution is to make the nearby tracks get power from a wire, which automatically switch off unless the "bridge" pushes down on a switch, hence a sensor for the track being where they should be. I have seen that working and told it was installed after the owner had to catch an engine in mid air. Something about the wife suddenly opening the door and hence push the track out of the way.
Figure out if you want overhead wires. Depending on where and which era you aim for, they could be needed or they could ruin the atmosphere. At the same time if you don't have a specific goal, then you should still consider if you want those. Also you should consider if you want them powered or not.
Make enough clearance for the trains to pass under everything. Some cars are taller than others. I know of one guy, who had problems with driving a camera car underneath overhead wires. The battery pack was simply too big to fit without occasional hits and the power from the rails was too unreliable for the camera while driving. The concept of having a screen showing the front view from a model train sounds cool though.
Think of if you need a signal system. If you want to take the role of a dispatcher, then it would be nice to have tracks with automatic signals, which turns red automatically if there is a train behind it and red signals removes the power from the tracks right next to the signal. That will allow trains to queue up until you make a controllable signal green to make the trains enter a terminal. There are also some digital solutions, but personally I prefer the unpowered track as it seems to be more reliable in my point of view. There are many pages on how to set up circuit breakers for signals. I will not write about that here.
Don't make one huge plate and glue everything together on top with plaster and whatever. Instead divide it into decent sized sections, which can be taken apart and easy moved to a new house if you need to do so in 5-10 years. Remember easy take apart of everything, including tracks and wires.
Don't name your stations after real life stations. It might be fun at first, but a few years from now, you realize how much it limits you and you will regret it. Also by keeping it fictional, you no longer feel the pressure to update if the real station is updated or get new trains.
Think about curves. Not all trains can drive in all the curves you can buy.
Why is this crap on slashdot?
Still more genre-relevant than the article on the French train attack from yesterday.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
It's both, depending on the standard one is referencing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Beware of the Leopard.
The subscription will quickly get you up to date on the various aspects of the hobby and you'll get a better idea of what you'd like to do. The magazine publisher, Kalmbach, also has a number of very good books geared for the newcomer. Visit your local hobby shop and take a look.
If you want to build a layout, start out small, 4x8 is very popular size so you'll find many track plans to choose from. Better to start out small and build it to completion. Many plan too big, never finish, and loose interest.
Most of all, find a club that has a good size layout with regular meetings and operating sessions. Operating sessions are where the club members get together and run a simulated railroad with time tables, train orders, waybills. Essentially the goal is to move freight around like a real railroad along with the typical challenges of building the train, avoiding blocking the main line so passenger trains aren't delayed, handling the puzzle of setting out freight on a spur that's facing the wrong way, etc. It gives model railroading purpose and is so much more fun than running a train around in a continuous loop. Joining a club will also give you the opportunity to run your rolling stock without having to build your own layout.
If you are into computer programming, you can put your skills into computer controlled dispatching. Traditionally operating sessions with paper, white boards, or perhaps a panel with a schematic of the layout and LEDs to indicate switches and occupied blocks. There is move to do this on a computer. And if you are into electronics, there is the whole aspect of interfacing this with the switches and signals.
Later in life (at 50, actually, and yes, I still cut code 10 years after that), I took up figure skating as a hobby. (Warning, it's a) addictive, and b) very tough, oh, and c) quite dangerous ... and expensive).
Yes, it's well and truly dominated by females.
So, anyway, I was at the National Championships, at the after competition ball. Another chap and I looked out over the sea of fit, healthy femalehood, and he commented - "To think I spent most of teenage years with my head stuck up another blokes bum playing rugby. What was I thinking?"
This made me wonder why I spent some of my younger years on model railways - and why more females did not. It's surely a heck of a way to meet guys ...
So, good advice to younger male chaps, seeking to meet girls. Take up figure skating.
And, good advice to younger female chapesses, seeking to meet guys. Take up railway modelling.
"Cats like plain crisps"
First, I've been a model railroader and general railfan for most of my 38 years. I took a bit of a break from modeling myself during my 20s on account of wife / career / etc, but during the whole time I was working on other layouts. I dug back in with a passion about four years ago, ripped out the abortive start of a layout from a decade prior, and started construction of a new layout. I'm an N scaler myself, but most of the other layouts I work on or operate on are HO or O.
Model Railroader is good for beginners. Also be sure to check out Model Railroad Hobbyist, which is a free (er, advertiser-funded) online model railroad magazine. It's aimed a bit more at experienced modelers, but there's still lots of layout tours and the like in there that will be of interest and inspiration. Besides, the price is right to try it out.
One thing you'll start to figure out fairly quickly is what interests you and what doesn't, and that will start to steer you towards certain things. Some of us are interested in exactly replicating some prototype area and railroad down to the most minute detail, whereas some are more interested in just running trains through fantastic scenery that is purely a work of imagination. There are segments of the hobby who enjoy scenery, others that are fascinated with equipment or structure modeling, some that like to create accurate operating practices, and some that really like control systems.
My starting recommendations would be:
- Just get something running so that you can start figuring out what you like and what you don't, with the full anticipation that it'll be temporary. If you start too big of a project on your first try, you'll lose interest before you get enough of the pieces together to make it run smoothly.
- Go find a local show and see what others are doing
- Talk to your relative and learn from him, particularly if he's a relative you like. (And, well, skip this if he's equivalent to my weird uncle Gary.)
If you're interested in the controls side, there's a decent DIY electronics community within the hobby. Two Yahoo email groups I'd recommend are mrrelectronics (general MRR electronics) and Arduini (focused on Arduinos in model railroading). There's Digitrax's Loconet, CMRI, the NMRA's new LCC standard, and a couple dozen other ways to connect a layout to the computer. Then there's things like JMRI, which you've already found, which are great for linking everything together.