Hello to everyone. I've just gotten interested in this "sickness" again after more than 30 yrs. Things have really changed since then, what with dcc & different couplers & such. But I'm looking forward to all the great info & help that I see posted here. I have a bunch of old HO stuff, Lionel; Athearn; plasticville & all. Just ordered a brand new Bachman spectrum Illinois Central 4-8-2 dcc ready? loco. Payed $62 for it. Is that a good price? Anyway, glad to be here.
Newbie here
- Thread starter jomazz
- Start date
SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Welcome and howdy.
Sounds like a decent price. Ask away your questions. Some good folks hereabouts.
Sounds like a decent price. Ask away your questions. Some good folks hereabouts.
wheeler1963
Aurora & Portland Owner
jpmazz. welcome back to our sickness!!! 
$62 sounds good for any engine these days, let alone a good ole Illinois Central!! Get a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and get comfortable. You won't find a more knowledgeable and friendly group of people.
$62 sounds good for any engine these days, let alone a good ole Illinois Central!! Get a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and get comfortable. You won't find a more knowledgeable and friendly group of people.
rhoward
S.L.O.&W. Trainman
Welcome, welcome, welcome! Yep, this is the best forum around and the most helpful. Just a really friendly and helpful bunch of people who love the hobby. $62 is an excellent price for that 4-8-2. I paid around $85 for the same loco in NYOW colors about a year or so ago.
Don't forget to stop in at the Coffee shop. Chop is buying breakfast today.... As long as you want scrambled eggs, that is!
Don't forget to stop in at the Coffee shop. Chop is buying breakfast today.... As long as you want scrambled eggs, that is!
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Welcome aboard. You are now getting the flu, for which is there is no vaccination. That's a real good price for the 4-8-2 so you're already ahead. Indeed, things have changed a lot. I'm also building my first layout in 30 years.
You need to do a lot of reading, most of which can now be found on the web. Check out Spacemouse's Beginner's Guide as a start. You'll run into the term DCC a lot. It's Digital Command Control and it's rapidly replacing the old DC and powerpack methods of controlling trains. Just remember that you don't have to do everything at once and there are people here that will be happy to answer your questions as they come up.
That's a real good price for the 4-8-2 so you're already ahead. Indeed, things have changed a lot. I'm also building my first layout in 30 years. You need to do a lot of reading, most of which can now be found on the web. Check out Spacemouse's Beginner's Guide as a start. You'll run into the term DCC a lot. It's Digital Command Control and it's rapidly replacing the old DC and powerpack methods of controlling trains. Just remember that you don't have to do everything at once and there are people here that will be happy to answer your questions as they come up.
OldGettysk
Running the MC & Buffalo
Welcome to the forum .Hope you sit a spell and enjoy the company !!!!!
Another newbie diving in while the waters warm.....
Appreciate the hospitality folks! I've been researching as a complete newbie for about a month or so now. Somehow I haven't bought anything yet which has been very tough considering all the goodies available these days. However, Im a bit on the anal side and want to do it right, or at least educated, the first time. Whats the point of folks prior to me making mistakes and communicating them if I'm not going to learn from them right! Anyway I want to completely plan out everything before I buy my first part......hoping this practice will keep the cost reasonable and eliminate any unnecessary purchases. With that being said Im looking at running an HO scale passenger layout with a very clean look to it. I dont want it to be over complicated and cluttered. I'm going against lots of tables I've seen by keeping a conservative approach initially. We'll see how that goes right! Anyway couple of quick questions if you guys dont mind!
1). Whats the longest (per car) passenger car I can run on a 22" and 18" radius turns using a standard 4x8 homebuilt table (based on simplicity of the build);
2). or I prefer a 5x10 table for the additional space if needed but am waiting on a "building benchwork" book to arrive to research how to build a larger table.
3). I want to start out from the gates with a DCC setup to keep from having to change things up to much later as this technology continues to grow. With that being said, can you guys recommend a good, reasonably priced dcc compatible passenger train setup or at least a great online location to get great prices on one?? Also a few brand names would help so when I search on Ebay I can eliminate the cheapies.
Guys I really appreciate the info and apologize for the looong post. Remember your excitement when you first started? I wanna do it right with a great foundation to build upon!
Thanks so much!!
Appreciate the hospitality folks! I've been researching as a complete newbie for about a month or so now. Somehow I haven't bought anything yet which has been very tough considering all the goodies available these days. However, Im a bit on the anal side and want to do it right, or at least educated, the first time. Whats the point of folks prior to me making mistakes and communicating them if I'm not going to learn from them right! Anyway I want to completely plan out everything before I buy my first part......hoping this practice will keep the cost reasonable and eliminate any unnecessary purchases. With that being said Im looking at running an HO scale passenger layout with a very clean look to it. I dont want it to be over complicated and cluttered. I'm going against lots of tables I've seen by keeping a conservative approach initially. We'll see how that goes right!
Anyway couple of quick questions if you guys dont mind!1). Whats the longest (per car) passenger car I can run on a 22" and 18" radius turns using a standard 4x8 homebuilt table (based on simplicity of the build);
2). or I prefer a 5x10 table for the additional space if needed but am waiting on a "building benchwork" book to arrive to research how to build a larger table.
3). I want to start out from the gates with a DCC setup to keep from having to change things up to much later as this technology continues to grow. With that being said, can you guys recommend a good, reasonably priced dcc compatible passenger train setup or at least a great online location to get great prices on one?? Also a few brand names would help so when I search on Ebay I can eliminate the cheapies.
Guys I really appreciate the info and apologize for the looong post. Remember your excitement when you first started? I wanna do it right with a great foundation to build upon!
Thanks so much!!
