Almost pulled the trigger


B

blvdbuzzard

Member
I have been shopping for stuff that catches my eye. I have a large box of HO stuff and just recently opened it and started to look at it again.

I have a MRC Prodigy Advance that has a total of about two hours worth of use on it. All boxed and pretty. Most of the stuff is in the box, packed all nice and secure in a plastic tub to keep the critters away.

So I have been bitten by the bug again so I am cruising the net and looking at all of the new things they have out there. Lots of VERY nice things out there.

I put together a list in my cart and was just about ready to pull the trigger and order it. Then I remembered that the longest run of track I have is a single 36 inch piece of flex track on my cluttered work bench.

If I do go a head and order, I must be a collector and not a runner? I do have an idea of what I want in a layout, yet, getting the permits, impact studies, brides, sweet talk to get the real estate set a side makes it a long process.

So, talk me into it or out of it. That way I can say they made me do it. :D

Buzz.
 
I used to buy a new motorcycle every couple years and spend thousands on better, faster, more awesome parts for each machine. Now my back can't ride one anymore....and I could have had an epic room filling mega train layout for less money. So I say go for it.....it's less dangerous and more fun too. :) In fact it's a no brainer.


Mike
 
blvdbuzzard said:
I have been shopping for stuff that catches my eye.
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Instead of shopping for stuff that catches your eye, I might suggest that an overall plan for your model railroad be developed and then buy things that match that plan. In the long run it will cost less and result in a more cohesive looking model railroad.

Looks like you like the SP and west coast commuter trains. I don't know that the Santa Fe ever had any F59s.
 
Railfan is dead on! I've been telling my brother-in-law to get with the program before it's too late. He collected trains for over 20 years and never ran any of them on anything more than a small oval of track three or four times.

He loves trains but other things seem to get in the way. I finally told him one day it would be too late! All the things he wants to do with trains and not be able to do them for one reason or another. I have never had a big, fancy layout but I had a place to run my trains. And it made me happy!!

Then I went for over twenty years without a layout and just dreamed about the "big one". Well, I decided that it was time to get going on it. I've been busy acquiring new locos and some new rolling stock to run with some of my older equipment along with a Digitrax Zephyr Xtra, code 55 track, etc. This time though, the stuff I buy is going to be appropriate to the 1960-65 CB&Q that I plan on modeling. Not just buying something because I like the way it looks!

Make a plan and follow through on it. Don't go overboard on spending (well, within reason :rolleyes:) and have fun! It's your railroad so don't let anybody tell you that's no way to run it!
 
"cause I want to!

Plans are all good and proper, BUT... I am not looking for a cohesive, date, location, prototype, planned layout. How could I run my UP Big Boy, CB&Q Pioneer Zephyr, PRR and all other red roofed locos, SP Daylight, SF War Bonnet PA"s. I like to run trains, not a switch-man, and I will NEVER say "I wish I could buy that, BUT it is NOT my Line, Era, Location!
Sorry about the rant, just the way I am.

Armchair
 
I've got boxes of real neat stuff that caught my eye and I never really used. And I've sold lots of real neat stuff that I never really used for a big loss. Not worth it. Figure out what you want, where you want to run it and then buy. Buying trains to stuff into a box will not make you happy.
 
I've been pulling the trigger frequently this week. I've got my eye on one more RR item then I can start buying lumber....then track, then styrofoam, then more track, plaster/stucco, then trees......you know the drill.

Fortunately this is a lot less expensive than my last hobby. The lumber mill I've been eyeballin' is in the not cheep catagory however. I'll wait till it's needed.....around Christmass I figure.
 
By Armchair:

Plans are all good and proper, BUT... I am not looking for a cohesive, date, location, prototype, planned layout. How could I run my UP Big Boy, CB&Q Pioneer Zephyr, PRR and all other red roofed locos, SP Daylight, SF War Bonnet PA"s. I like to run trains, not a switch-man, and I will NEVER say "I wish I could buy that, BUT it is NOT my Line, Era, Location!
Sorry about the rant, just the way I am.
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No need for a rant.:eek: As I said earlier, "It's your railroad so don't let anybody tell you that's no way to run it!"
 
When I do build a place to run trains, this will be #6 or #7. I am not much of an operator, but I do like to watch them run around as I work on the layout. I think Armchair said it pretty well. I have great respect for those who can pick a place and time and model that to perfection. Yet I do not mind watching a nice steamer run along side of a modern container train.

I am not looking to model a specific time or even a place. I do like the SP though. I live in Southern Kalifornia and have been watching trains run through the deserts for a long time. I remember as a kid camping and riding cycles and dune buggies at Glamis sand dunes watching the domed passenger trains fly across the desert at night. I had a nice folder of pictures I had taken of trains, building, bridges all over the Imperial Valley. It has been lost to the sands of time. Have no idea were it is.

Most of my collection is what I like. I have a Bachmann GS4 in SP daylight with 7 cars. She looked good running around the small layout I had. I have a set of pass cars that would go with the F59PHI in Santa Fe colors. Yes I know they never had one, but it looks good to me. :) My two favorite schemes the SP daylight and the Santa Fe.

I do see the trains running up and down the coast and they look so good. That is one reason I wanted the Rail Link. I would have had the coaster or Amtrak but they are a long way off.

I would say I will be doing something around the south west desert and the mountains around there.

I have a plan I really do like. It is plan #62 from the book 101 track plans. It has almost everything I am looking for in a track plan. Of course I will make a few changes along the way. The next one on the list is the Granite Gorge & Northern from the Seven step by step HO railroads from Atlas. The LHS had this setup and I just could not stop watching the trains run around. They even let me bring my trains in to run them.

I had gotten to about the 1/2 point in collecting to build the track, turn outs. I even have the two Cornerstone double track truss bridges, 3 stall round house, Atlas turn table with motor unit, Prodigy Advance and a bunch of the small stuff. I had the wood work all done and was almost ready to start laying track. Had life come up and kick me hard. So I have all of the stuff packed in boxes.

Now, if I did not have as much HO stuff as I do have. I would be looking at building plan #59, Great Northern Pass from the book 101 track plans in N scale. I would not be able to get much for the OLD Athearn BB loco's I do have. They have the price stickers on them $19.99. SO I am not sure I could sell them and then start with N scale.

Like most I have an idea in my head of 10,000 square feet of space to run trains when in reality, I might be able to afford and maintain a 3 foot by 7 foot flat piece of ply wood on two saw horses. :)

Buzz.
 
blvdbuzzerd

Glamas, Imperial valley, drove through there last Thursday and often at least once a month. I live in Yuma, used to live in El Centro. Glamas is larger but the graveyard is mostly gone.

Run what you like.
'
Glen Wasson aka Armchair :cool:
 
blvdbuzzard said:
I have a plan I really do like. It is plan #62 from the book 101 track plans. It has almost everything I am looking for in a track plan.
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That is an interesting plan. Even though I've had a 101 track plans book for over 40 years, that one never caught my attention before. It could very easily be addapted to the Santa Fe double track running through the desert southwest.

The next one on the list is the Granite Gorge & Northern from the Seven step by step HO railroads from Atlas. The LHS had this setup and I just could not stop watching the trains run around.
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That is an intersting choice considering it is very different from #62 above. Many people seem to like it, as I believe I've participated in more discussions about it on the forums than any other. Technically I think it is an "alternate route" plan, but I call it a whack-a-mole layout. One really has to know the track arrangement to get the train to take the desired route. When the train doesn't take the desired tracks, one wants to whack it. If you go with that plan I would recommend checking out some of the threads of other people who have built that one. There are apparently some track geometry and grade issues with it. Easily resolved but easier if expected instead of a surprise.

Now, if I did not have as much HO stuff as I do have. I would be looking at building plan #59, Great Northern Pass from the book 101 track plans in N scale. I would not be able to get much for the OLD Athearn BB loco's I do have. They have the price stickers on them $19.99. SO I am not sure I could sell them and then start with N scale.
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That is the beginning of a really nice plan. Once again way different from the two above. It is an inside folded figure-8 with reversing loops. Basically a single track main line. Not enough industries for me though. It is actually an expanded version of plan #29. The lack of industries is the reason I didn't build #29.

Like most I have an idea in my head of 10,000 square feet of space to run trains when in reality, I might be able to afford and maintain a 3 foot by 7 foot flat piece of ply wood on two saw horses.
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Sort of like this 4 x 8 in my train room. The room is 22 x 22.
trainroom.JPG
 
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You really need to develop a plan with flexibility. I'm doing the Rutland Railroad. It's a bit of an oddball, but being that way does keep the expenses down. If I was doing Pennsylvania RR, I'd be flat broke because there is so much PRR stuff available. The flexibility part comes in because I love my streamlined locos, such as the N&W 4-8-4 J and the NYC 4-6-4 Hudson. I can get away with the NYC because I recently aquired some rail yard photos of the Rutland and discovered several other operators there, including NYC, B&M, SOO and a few others.

As was advised to me, don't choose a layout to build. Throw down some track and run some engines while you build dioramas. Let the dioramas tell you what the layout should look like.
 
The last one I had up and running, was an N scale. I had the bench work done, folding legs, cable and pulley system to lift it up to the ceiling. It was 14'X12'. I started with one idea of the way I wanted it and it had a mind of its own and it ended up completely different from when I started. I liked how I could pull it up and it was out of the way, pull my truck into the garage work on it, then move the truck out side and lower the layout.

I track plans I listed above each have what I want yet are vastly different from each other. The granite Gorge would be built on top of the ready made drawer cabinets from the big box hardware/lumber stores. I had drawn up the the list of what I needed. It would have them on both sides. I was going to put all of my train stuff in, on and under the Granite Gorge. Plus it would be on wheels so I could roll it around the garage. The plan had a pullout shelf that was the right height to sit at so I could work on the engines, cars and other things with all of my train tools right at hand. This was going to be a one stop model railroad center.

Then I acquired more room so the plan #62. It had larger radius curves, longer main line, easier to follow tracks. Plus I could run longer cars and longer trains. Yet it was not beyond one person to build and maintain. It is the reason I went DCC. I could have a lot of fun with this one.

I do understand I may start out with a certain plan in my head and it may go in a different direction as I build it. I had thought of building small sections that could go together in different orders. Not sure if that would take more or less room?

Right now I have a space that is 6'x11'x4' sort of a "C" shape but it is only 2 feet wide. I am in the process of getting the impact studies, permits and bribes all arranged to acquire more land. Another plan is to trade area for area. I have a shed outside I could make work, but would have to find a home for the items that are in the shed at this time. Not sure where they will go.

This is the start of the building process. It will take a lot of turns before it is done.


Buzz.
 
i went ahead & finished up your order for you & its on the way to your house , cant believe i could hit ur buy button & it finished your purchase :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
I'm trying to figure out what size house I can buy with no job. Maybe I need one of these online real estate calculators. Most of the serious model railroaders own a house, so I can't let some minor detail get in the way of that. I may need to scrap the extra bedrooms, library, den, and family room. It's just me though so I'm sure I'll have enough room for my N scale empire.

Mike
 
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I have been busy with land acquisitions. Been trying to wheel and deal my way to more room. A little money here and there is helping the process. Sooner or later I may end up with a enough room.

I have found that I have several projects to complete to get the extra room. It is like domino's. I need to get one area complete to clear a second area so I can get a third area.


Buzz.
 
blvdbuzzard said:
I have been busy with land acquisitions. Been trying to wheel and deal my way to more room. A little money here and there is helping the process. Sooner or later I may end up with a enough room.


Buzz.
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Buzz, way to go man! That's pretty much the process I went through, except it took me almost 15 years to get it. My layout was originally gonna be only 12 x 15, in a spare room in the basement that had terrible lighting, and I wouldn't have rooms for any staging of any kind.

But I kept reasoning, (ie, begging) with SWMBO, and she finally relented.
I'm now working on the third level of my dream empire with a size of 17 x 23 ft. The track is 95% handlaid, with staging and other hidden track being the only track I didn't make myself.
 
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