Hello from Illinois


B

benny_en_fuego

New Member
Hello. My name is Ben and I'm from the northern Illinois area. I am completely new to model railroading and have recently entered the hobby (probably like many) because of my young son's interest in trains and model railroads. We live in an area with lots of railroad activity. Truth be told, I used to be annoyed by trains because of their inconvenience, but once I took the time to learn about railroads because of my work and to educate my son, trainspotting is now an enjoyable activity we look forward to. I have no experience with model railroading, but quite a bit of experience with carpentry, woodworking, and electronics (car systems, etc.). I'm underway on building our first model railroad layout, but struggle with determining an actual track plan. We have an 11.5' x 57" benchwork table built, a DCS-52 DCC controller, and lots of flex-track and snap switch turnouts. I'll be seeking some advice in the HO forums on layout design. I've already perused this website and the amount of information available is eye-watering. Thank you to those who readily post advice here, because it is vital for those of us lurkers who are working their way into the hobby!
 
Ben Welcome on board. A good crew here. dd

As Hogger says ' Keep it simple'.

Make sure the layout can be operated easily by one person as well as two. Most times only one will be running trains. (Been there.)
Don't have complicated trackwork. Have easy access to all parts of the layout. Things go wrong or derail in difficult areas.
Treat it as a hobby and it will repay a thousandfold.
 
Welcome to the forums Ben! I'm relatively new to the hobby also. Think you'll find it quite a bit of fun as a hobby.

I'd highly recommend getting some track planning software (e.g. SCARM, Anyrail) to help do your track plan. It can help you visualize the track plan, revise it easily, and save money and frustration while doing so.
 
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