MODEL RAILWAYS

[Purno]

Z and N can be expencive (over here in the UK any way)

In the Netherlands N scale is somewhat cheaper than H0 scale.

Besides, all N scale manufacturers use the same coupling and rail systems, which is not at H0.

Z scale however is only produced by Märklin (AFAIK) so there's no real competioton, so prices are too high, I think.

[DanMacK]

Actually, there are several manufacturers offering Z scale, MicroTrains in the US being one of them. Most "other" Z scale manufacturers offer limited runs, but at least for us North American Z scale modelers, Micro-trains is 10X more detailed than Maerklin.

Can you tell I model in Z Scale I've got limited rolling stock at the moment, and my layout's in planning, but I plan to get some pictures once I get started.

[Villem]

I chose N, but H0 would be cheaper around here

[Birdey]

the bad thing is that... i never have had a train set around when i wasa kid so i don't know if i would ike them... are they boring or is it the design and construction parts the best... also i think maybe i am too old for trains but then again too young for model railways... when did u guys start making/plaing model railways?

Birdey

[chevyrider]

I've had many model railways, most after i was married and got the time, and more important the money.
A nice layout with about 6 trains and some 20 electric junctions is so expensive, even when bought secondhand.
The nicest thing for me was the design of the tracks on paper and calculating all the slope gradients to keep proper speed in the trains during hill climb.This can take weeks before your satisfied with the design.
I always build on an open frame with layers on every foot.
Then make vertical bearers? to attache the track base.
so every hight is possible.Only the main station i build on the baseboard.
Then wiring the thing and make a switchboard to activate the electric junctions. Build my own thyristor speed controllers for the trains.
This was before the computerized trains.
Then making the scenery.That is great fun. Making hills of styrofoam and rivers with resin.
Building houses and altering them.
Roads bridges and avalanche walls and even painting people in 1:160 scale. Hight of them less then a quarter inch.
Then when that was finished i plugged the power in and all worked well.
For me that was always the boring part and almost never lasted for a month.
Then was all taken down and i started to build a new design.
So you see it's for me only a way to model and work with my hands, not to play with it.

[Purno]

...

Well, when I was very young I had a toy-train of 'PlayMobil', later I got a toytrain of 'Lego'. I never had a real model railway until my parents found a N-scale box in a garbage container (including transformator, steam engine, some rails and some cargo carriages). I did use it for a while, but later I prefered the computer. Today I have 'displayed' my train in a transparent cylinder so I can watch at it.

Anyways, you're never too young for model railways.

As a kid you might just have fun with letting the trains drive as fast as they can, and when you're old you might enjoy making the landscape. If you think you like model railways, start small, and expand slowly. (Although the first investment is a big one). Also, you can consider buying some things second hand (maybe it's better to buy engines brand new, but rails is about 50% cheaper second hand. (1 piece of N-track of 10 cm can be bought for 50 eurocents second hand in the Netherlands. )

If you think you're too young, you have to think that you get older

[Birdey]

so how big does the space need to be? rembering that i am new at this... and also what do i put into my design? stations, scenery, yards, turntables etc. and what programs and free programs can u use to plan a layout ? or do u just plan it on paper? and if so could u show me of urs?

[Purno]

I plan them on the table, just lay the rails until it fits. Rails is not that expensive, so it's not really a big problem if you have too much.

Anyways, a N-track minimal radius curve needs about 50 cm. I had a space of about 100x100 cm and I could make a small nice track. Altough if you want a station, I think it needs to be about 100 cm long. (A passenger coach is 2500 cm / 160 = 15,6 cm long).

So I think you want 100x200 cm or something. Remember that your arm can only reach +/- 80 cm, so your track layout shouldn't be much deeper then 80 cm, or else you can't reach to a derailed coach if it's in the back of your layout.....

Also, I think it's best to start small. Buy a transformator, a electric-connected piece of track, some curved track (about 2 full circles) and some straight track, a engine and a few carriages.

As long as you don't have anything attached to the table, you can still easily move your layout to a bigger table.

___

Remember the sizes I mentioned are for a N-scale track. A H0 circle is at least 100x100 cm.

[chevyrider]

For N scale 1:160 seeing your plans i should say 8 á 9 feet wide and 3 feet deep. Note: Not more then 3 feet if you build against a wall, otherwise you cant reach the outer side.
For drawing the tracks i use the plasticboards of the manufacturer of the tracks you are going to build the things with.In that board all tracks . curves and junction are cut out, so you can draw with a pencil the thing in scale 1:5 or 1:10.
For H 1:87 Every thing is twice as large.

[chevyrider]

I forgot to mention that i only use standard track for the stations.
Every other part i build with flextracks, which looks much better and realistic.

[Birdey]

just to make it a bit easyer... do u guys have an msn email account and do u talk on them? also so u don't use any programs? and is locomotion like planing a model railway?

Birdey

[Purno]

1. I have a MSN account (see profile)
2. I talk on it
3. Locomotion is not a good planner, since it has:

• A totally wrong scale
• Not the correct pieces

[chevyrider]

Sorry, i haven't MSN, either digital pictures of the traintables.

[chevyrider]

I found this drawing board for Fleischmann Piccolo.

[Birdey]

thanks that looks really helpful... ill print it ouy on cardboard...hope fully it is to scale... anyway it doesn't matterif you aren't on msn... so have you got any designs i could look at?

Birdey

[chevyrider]

Re: Birdey,
I've only pictures on dia's, no digital ones.
About that board, every manufacturer has his own.
The radius of the curves and junctions are different.
So first make your choice what track and what scale you want it.
Here is the link to fleismann:
http://www.fleischmann.de/

[Purno]

IIRC, the tracks of different manufacturers can be connect together in N scale

[chevyrider]

IIRC, the tracks of different manufacturers can be connect together in N scale

Yes, but all curves are different, so when you design a big station you have to know what kind of tracks you are going to use.
Now i'm not talking about simple plate laying

[Geo Ghost]

Hornby Virtual Railways 2 Desin, "Best Layout"
Part of this railway has been constructed by me and my friend.
The outta oval, is not complete, only half as there wasnt enough space, but my design is going to be this, plus a turn-table for other engines and coaches.
Theres a 'smart' switching siding there aswell where the points go like this...
_________________
........\____\_______

Small trucks can be parked one side of the sidings, while the engine (Preferable small) can un-couple, turn round, and couple the other end.

There are to be two controllers, one at the end of the line with all the sidings so theres contact to all the sidings, and the turn-table.
The second, is to be next to that, on the outta oval.
There really is just so much to it!
Anyone who can, try it out. Please read the .txt file before ANYTHING else. Just incase you forget something like the updates, or where to put it!

[Observer]

Hey all,

Ive been away for some time again, but a well, I keep coming back from time to time... anyway:

I found myself a nice appartment, so Ill be moving out on my parents very soon. That means that there will be one free room in my parents house. Which is a good thing because... my dad will be able to persue his old hobby again, which is ofcourse model railways (if it wasnt, I wouldnt be posting this here...).

Today he went to the store and got a load of folders and catalogues from different manufacterers. Hes going for the N-scale, to put as much trains as possible in the relatively small room. I was looking through those catalogues with him... I can hardly wait to see him start building .

He used to have model railways when I was a kid, but when I got a sister and a brother, the house became too small and he sold everything. That was HO if I remember correctly. Anyway, he thinks thats too big now.

He also made some scetches of the layout he would be building, looks very exciting! Ofcourse I will come by every day to watch his progress . As soon as he has something set up I will start taking pictures (since Ive lately bought a new digital camera and like taking pictures of everything) and maybe post some of those here, if theyre good.

Some additional information:

Since N is too small for realistic electric with the power lines that still look good, he will go for probably a mix of steam and diesel like they still run in germany.

There will be no digital stuff involved (although he will connect everything to a PC). He's going to build it the old fashioned way.

I think hes aiming at a track for about 4-5 trains. Maybe some double-loc cargo or passenger trains aswell.

The room he will be using is about 2.20meters x 4meters and he will build a U-shaped table around the room.


Its been a while since anyone posted in this topic, so I hope I put some life in it again by posting here.