| August 17, 2009 |
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| In This Issue |  |
Rick's Writings: My freight yard disaster.
What's New: Blog & website updates.
Train Tips: Model Railroading 101
Featured Project: Model Railroad Ebook Guide Review.
(Please add info@model-train-tips.com to your whitelist or address book in your email program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!)
| Rick's Writings | |
I get a call Friday asking if I could come in Saturday to cover for another volunteer that can’t make it in. Normally, I volunteer at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum on Tuesdays, but I didn’t have any plans for Saturday so I said yes.
Coming in on a Saturday would give me a chance to work with some folks I normally don’t get to work with, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to learn something new. I did learn some new stuff but I also re-learned something I already knew; or so I thought. Read about My Freight Yard Disaster
Rick
| What's New? | |
I've been very busy working on updating the blog with a new look and adding posts. The blog appearance now matches the website. I really didn't like the original appearance of the blog and learned out to change it to how it looks now.
The blog also now has several new posts. Check out the new blog look.
Website
Last month I told you that I had the opportunity to acquire an already established model railroading website from someone who no longer wanted to devote the time necessary to maintain it. The site is chock full of content including tips and techniques submitted by many new and veteran model railroaders over the past eight years.
I've started moving articles from that site to the Model Train Tips blog. Here are links to those articles:
Building a Trestle Span
Tree Construction Technique
Using RTV Molds for Creating Scratch-Built Models
The Art of Applying Decals
How to Apply Ballast
I will be providing additional info from the other site in the coming weeks.
Twin City Model Railroad Museum
Over the past few weeks I have been volunteering one day each week at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota. The first thing I had to learn was how to operate the Point-Of-Sale system (cash register) to handle admissions and sales.I'm the new guy so I have to put my time in on this task most of the time I am at the museum. I don't mind, because it's a new experience for me and I get to talk to a lot of people coming to see the trains. It's great to see the kids (and many of the adults) get excited watching the trains move around on this huge layout.
I have had the opportunity to operate the trains a little each week. I especially enjoyed moving cars around in the freight yard which is partially visible in the photo at right. I plan to blog about this (no, really) in more detail to show you how the controls for the yard are set up. I found this quite interesting and want to share it with you.
| Train Tips | |
Here are some model railroad basics; things you should be know before investing in model railroad trains. If you're planning on building a model railroad layout then this is the essential information you'll need before starting out.
Pick a Railroad... Any Railroad
Choosing a specific railroad to focus on can make the hobby much more more economical. Your railroad can be modern day like the Union Pacific, BNSF, or Canadian National. Or it can be a "fallen flag", a railroad that's been taken over by a larger company. Many modelers choose the railroad whose trains they watched passing by as a child.
Home Is Where You Lay Your Track
A model railroad takes space. Whether you're playing with toy trains on the floor, building landscaped modules to participate in a club, or devoting your entire basement to a railroad empire you need to decide how much space your railroad is going to take.
I actually think it's better to play with your trains and track for a while before thinking about building a permanent layout. The experience will help you plan a better layout. A 5 x 9 foot ping-pong table is great for experimenting with temporary layouts to get started, provided its not too flimsy.
Plan Your Layout
Once you've selected your scale and identified your available space, you can start planning your layout. There are a number of track planning software packages available to help you design your layout. First you need to decide what kind of you'll be using.
It's also helpful to look at layout plans on club and manufacturer web sites. These plans specify the use of a specific brand of track, but if you find a layout that you like on a web site, don't choose your track simply because the design calls for it. With a little work you can implement nearly any track plan using any brand of track.
Power To The Trains
A packaged train set will usually come with a transformer or powerpack. The photo shows a DC powerpack that comes bundled with Kato track and train sets.In recent years serious model railroaders are turning to computer controlled trains. Digital Command Control (DCC), the industry standard for digital model train control, is widely available today. Three-rail O scale manufacturers tend to have their own proprietary digital control systems instead of using DCC.
Form Follows Function
Okay... we've covered the mechanics of model railroading; now let's talk about the aesthetics.
Model railroading is as much an art as an engineering discipline. I've seen one fellow posting on model railroad forums refer to his layout as a “kinetic sculpture”, and this is a completely accurate description of what we do. A model railroad layout is a sculpture in motion. This is what distinguishes it from most other art forms.
There's a Time and a Place for Everything
So where exactly is your railroad? The Canadian Rockies? The plains of Texas? Downtown Chicago? What time of year is it? Is it spring, summer, fall, or winter? Is it 1888, 1952, or 2002?. All of these factors influence how you will decorate your layout.
You need to decide these things before investing in any trains, landscaping materials, or structure kits. You don't want to be running a Japanese 21st Century Shinkansen Bullet Train alongside an 1880s Consolidation steam locomotive that's pulling Overton passenger cars on an elevated track through downtown Chicago in the 1970s... or maybe you do.
The Bottom Line
What's it going to cost? The real question is, how much do you want to spend? If you want to buy quality equipment you'll need $350 to $500 to get started in HO or N scale, and more for O scale or Z scale. Of course that's just the beginning. Whether you're collecting trains, building and painting kits, or landscaping your layout, like most other hobbies, model railroading will have ongoing expenses. It isn't about the money; it’s about the pleasure you derive from it.
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| Featured Project | |
With all of the projects on my plate this is taking longer than anticipated. I'll keep plugging and get it to you as soon as I can. So far, I am very impressed with Model Train Help.
| About Model Train Tips | |
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