Green As All Get Out.


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ProXaQ

New Member
Hi!
I have wanted to do Model Railroading for most of my life. I am now at a place in my life where I can do that. So I am currently devouring any and all information that I can lay my hands on. I seem to always approach things in a "Nerd" type demeanor. I spent many years in the Army and after doing that, civilian life seemed rather tame, so I became a corrections officer. I have an idea for a layout but unsure.

I worked in Marquette Branch Prison in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and not too far away, there is K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, a now defunct shell of what it was. I would like to somehow incorporate these two things into a layout. I realize it seems like quite a large undertaking, but I seem to have the Railroading bug and I thought this would be a great subject.

Any comments or criticisms are most welcome. I was thinking of doing this in N scale because of the size needed to accurately depict both places. Not sure if there ever was a railroad connecting them or even close, but I figured artistic license may play a role here.

Oh and by the way, love the website and forum, lot of good information.

Thanks!

-Cory
 
ProAXaQ,

Welcome to the forums and to the hobby, trust me, it is addictive! Your idea is a great one and most definitely can be done. The scale you use will depend on how space you have to build your benchwork, but bare in mind this, not everything in between the two points of interest need to be included in the layout. More or less, selective inclusion for interest sake.

I am not sure if this will help, but, HO Scale equates to 1 real inch = 7.24 scale feet. Perhaps that will give you a starting point to base your scale on. I'm sorry I don't know the conversion for N Scale.

Have fun here and ask lots of questions. There are many many very experienced guys and girls here more than willing to help.

Cheers,
 
I was thinking I may not include evrything in between, that's a bit much, but there is some mountainous terrain in between that would be perfect to include in a train setting. Space is a non issue for me luckily. After years and years of military housing, a place where I can stretch out and wander is most welcome. So maybe HO would be a better fit, as far as availability of accessories and things are concerned. I haven't been able to find any B-52's in N scale, but there is an abundance of them in HO. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but they were stationed at K.I. so its almost a MUST to include them. Thank you for the info.

-Cory
 
Hey Cory!

First of all let me thank you for your service to our country.

Welcome to the forum, glad to have you onboard!

You will find that HO is the most abundant of all scales and in all aspects of model railroading. From buildings to vehicles and everything in-between HO has the most products available by far. I myself prefer O gauge but I am really more into playing with my toys then I am scale modeling. That is not to say you could not do N scale. If you are talented you can always scratch build what you can't find to buy.

The air base will take up a large area to model accurately, but don't let that deter you. Nobody is going to come to your place with a tape measure and tell you things are not perfectly scale accurate. If someone does politely ask them to leave. My point is the only person that has to be happy with your layout is YOU!

I think you have some fantastic ideas. I really love the idea of the B52s (BUFFs) Despite their nick names I think they are a thing of beauty and an engineering marvel! I don't think any aircraft has been in service longer. The prison will also be an interesting thing to model and certainly not something you would see on every layout. The mountain scene in-between Is a perfect way to separate the two scenes. If anybody is keeping score and no one is, but if they were you have really racked up some big points for being unique and interesting.

I look forward to seeing your layout develop and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I will tell you what I was told when I first joined the forum. "The only dumb question is the one you don't ask" You will find experts in every aspect of model railroading on this forum and they are happy to help you.
 
Thank you for the kind words. I am getting really close to getting my list done and ordered. There is SO much out there it is quite staggering. I plan on creating most things myself. I have been modeling since I was a little boy, my pride and joy being my SR-71 model. I have always marveled at trains, so it is an obvious progression of my hobby to model railroads. PLUS, I get to play with them as well.Win-Win all around.

-Cory
 
Welcome to the Forums, Cory and to the best hobby around! The first and foremost thing to remember about this hobby is the fact that it's your railroad and you can run it anyway you want! N scale will leave you the most room for larger overall modelling but HO will give you an easier time of detailing the same item, plus there is usually a greater availability of items in HO but not always. HO can also require more detail to satisfy the eye than N scale. Do your homework and lay your hands on actual models so you can get a good idea of their relative sizes and your available space for your desired layout. To model the area you want doesn't require recreating the scene in it's entirety. You may be able to just have a building or two with the rest of the scene being done with a backdrop photo of the rest of the area. This can save a large amount of time, space and money yet be very effective in modelling your desired scenes. There are plenty of good books that explain ways of doing this as well as designing an interesting and functional layout. Have fun and if you have questions or need help of any kind all you have to do is ask. Nobody here will get on your case for asking questions because this is the best and friendliest site for all things concerning model railroading. Oh, one other thing I almost forgot............we love pictures!
 
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