How many of you do model railroads HO etc?

I have some of that to deal with this winter!!!! Kind of fun but I like to keep it basic. Have seen some very elaborate set ups. Seems like it can be very costly?? Ho scale seems most popular around me but some have outdoor garden ones that you ride on!!! share your stories.

My elderly neighbor widow lady in a wheel chair that I tend to her lawn and garden--- her late husband was a big rail fan. He had a huge layout started in their basement which went from one end to the other. The basement is easily long enough for a bowling alley. Unfortunately he passed away before finishing it.

Got an American Flyer set when I was a kid. Grandkids discovered it a few years back. Spent a bunch of money on additions and a layout. We never did quite finish the layout. Kids have kind of lost interest. Can't quite decide if I want to finish the layout or tear it down to use the space for something else. And yeah, it can get real expensive real quick. It's kinda like restoring tractors! Lol!

i had h.o when my daughter was little, still have all the trains and accessories boxed up. pick up a book on track layout and dimensions, as the tracks need to have curves and such set up right or you get derailments!! i had a gandy dancer (little guy on a pump car) that would run on siding tracks, daughter would love to switch him on the main tracks when the big locomotive would come by, then she would switch him on a siding just before he got run over!!! hours of fun!!

I have an N scale layout in basement that hasn't been used in years. Trains in this area has died out because kid would rather play video games.

Still do it, but the eyes require cheaters and the fingers are not quite as nimble. Still fun to do, especially with the new electronics for speed, direction and noises.

I have been working on an O gauge layout for about 3 years. I started because I thought my grandson would love it, but the first time we worked on laying track he stuck with it for about 20 minutes and asked if he could go upstairs now. I came up for a cup of coffee and he was playing a computer game. I got interested because it is something to do in the winter. Ellis

N scale used a 4' X 8' sheet of plywood it is still a work in progress I did like the corn fields in the lay out gave me more ideas
Thanks John

I am doing a real simple O gague set up for my Grandson.

I have a buddy that owns a train shop in Florida. He got me a 20 year old Lionel set. Putting it on a sheet of plywood so grandson wont mess up the track (nailing it down)

We are gonna add a few things as we need, or he wants.

I wanted an older set cause thought it would be better made. plus I didn't want a lot of $$ invested, or have to worry about him tearing something up. I wanted something he could really play with.

I got $85 in the train, and probably another $40 in odds and ends.


Gene

Watch BOTH videos of our "Scioto Valley Lines", in Columbus, Ohio..Buckeye Castings Plant..(Parsons Ave)..

This started in 1965 and is a Fully Operating Railroad and the videos put you inside the cab of the Locomotive..(U-Tube)..

Look up " The Columbus Club"..

Most are retired RR employees and are pretty particular about some things...!!
Met every Tuesday evening from 5 to 8PM and Sat 8:A to 1P..

This Club started in 1934...!!!

2% grade out of the South yard requires some HP...!!

Ron..
It is a trip from Portsmouth, Ohio, to Sandusky, Ohio..with an impressive "Horeshoe Curve" on the way..

If you can, DO get a MRC "Advanced" DCC setup and go DCC..tho operation is SO much better and you can simplify the wireing and run any number of engines independently all at the same time ..!!

The MRC is the Easiest and cheapest set to get and the operation is so much easier than Digitrax...

Many with Digitrax use an MRC "Advanced" for programming, just because it is so easy to use...

I install DCC Decoders all winter and re-motor many older engines and install GCC and Sound...

Ron..

Ron..

Yes, it can get really costly. Former father in law had a big layout in part of basement. In order to expand, we built an addition to house, moved laundry & freezer upstairs so MIL didn't have to climb steps, moved electronics repair room into old utility room, took out a wall & expanded railroad to fill half of basement. He was old school, wouldn't allow factory made track. Bought straight rails, loose ties & spikes. We spent weekend evenings laying track, pushing spikes with needle nose pliers. One night, by counting sections of rail, we estimated over 400 feet of track, not counting switching yards.He made his own track switches. Would order a dozen or more boxcars at a time, then spend a weekend work session changing numbers, can't have more than one car with same number, change couplers too, to match what he already had. Designed an automatic turntable for his roundhouse using motor & drive from a phonograph, & relays & micro switches from old pinball machines.
The list goes on. He died 30 some years ago, one of the boys, now retired, inherited the house & still works the railroad.

Willie

Do you have any GOOD links for these videos? Sure would like to find them.....

I had an HO set as a kid and it seamed to small to me but I was given an American Flyer set and I was hooked. They started to get had to find parts and track so I went to .027 Lionel and I have collecting track switches locomotives and rolling stock ever sense. I think I have 12 or 15 locomotives 55 to 75 freight cars and passenger car and boxes of switches and maybe 1500 feet of track all boxed up that someday I will get out and make a big setup. Every so often I get some out and play with them with my grandson, But like others he's more interested in the computer and playing Sims train set ware he can crash them? I pick up parts and rolling stack and a loco or 2 off ebay, But I get lots of stuff at flee markets and pawn shops and garage sales. I really like the hunt for RR stuff and it's a hole lot cheaper than buying tractors and equipment. Hears a picture of a few locomotives I have, Not sure witch box the others are in. I think I have a problem now that I think about it, But it's only money right? Bandit

Up in my garage there are at least 3 boxes with HO engines and cars that I began collecting in 1978. They are mostly Denver and Rio Grand (DRGW)pieces. There is a steam locomotive new in the box that I have never run. Because I haven't played with them in at least 25 years, I'm going to sell them all this spring. First I will find someone with the local model railroad club to help me with the pricing. I might be surprised that I have a few hundred dollars of toys in those boxes.

This is an N scale layout I built over 25 years ago. I am in need of new power pack for it but haven't used it for some time.

Had a layout and table since I was a kid. Dad was tired of moving the stuff, so I took it. Started out strong, modified the 8 x 8 table with a 2 x 2 hole in the middle. Then suspended it in the garage.



Needed it to store, so rigged a boat winch on the wall to lift it so my pick up fits underneath



I got inspired to build a large grain elevator



It soon developed an electrical problem, I lost interest, so it has sat collecting dust in my shop for years.

10 years ago I bought a 6v train grand-kids could ride on. Two granddaughters loved it. Now my 3 year old grand son, who is crazy about trains, doesn't want anything to do with it, but he loves other trains. I have attached to plywood both an HO scale and larger Scale Christmas train in basement. Have another Christmas train on a 4x4 plywood that's battery powered. Just simple stuff. Make a 6000 ma-hr rechargeable Ni-Mh battery form parts out of an 18v dewalt battery. The only way I can get grandson out of basement it tell him there is ice cream upstairs. Going to celebrate Christmas this Saturday. 3 trains will keep him occupied and wired. I might move the battery power Christmas train upstairs, so we don't have to be basement full time. Also got my old toys working, pinball and bowling machine.

I have HO scale and 1/8" (7-1/2" gauge) scale that you ride around on

photo didnt upload

I started with HO as a kid but after I was given my Uncle's Lionel (O-27) set I went in that direction. HO I think is really nice if you want to go scale and do it with a reasonable budget, for me it was the size and action of the O gauge stuff that set the hook.

Postwar Milk Men, Cattle Cars plus all the loader and unloaders...for a kid what else could you dream of? I was all this in the late 1980s when most of these items were old...they're not getting any younger and they're still fun!

I ended up with a decent setup of postwar stuff, not a lot but what a kid could afford and supplemented by Christmas and what not. Then they all got packed away for High School College and what not.

After I got married my wife bought me some stuff. One item was the Lionel Polar Express set to go under our tree. It's since become a staple. Now my 5 year old son is in heaven watching the train go round and round. My daughter too (twins) but not quite like my son.

He doesn't know there's a Thomas set in his future, I bought it for him shortly after he was born. I think it will go under the tree next Christmas. I want to make sure we can setup some sort of permanent layout when he gets it and that's not in the cards this year. I was able to buy a few newer items from a good friend that was down sizing. The new controls, sound etc are amazing but also super expensive....

Trains are great, I spent many hours making mine go. I hope for the same with my kids.

K

Interesting to read the replies. I use to mess with both N and HO. The constant moves in the military the stuff just got tore up. Kinda lost interest but it's still cool to see.

Rick

I've been into since I was little. Belong to a club now. Yes it can get expense. I have a 3 drawer tool box with old diecast HO steam locomotives with DCC sound decoders on the top tray and cars in the bottom 3 drawers. I can barely left it! The swmbo asked how much the box was worth. I told her to replace the decoders was about $400, with used locomotives, another $400. Then I said replacing it with new would cost over $2000. And this is the stuff I use the most! LOL

We have an Open House once a year. We used to have a Train Show and Swap Meet, but the average amount of money made was around $600 with $200 coming from concession. I spent around $30 at the concession stand working both days! LOL

There is a Train Show at Mid America in Council Bluffs, IA on JAN 2nd and 3rd.
HO Train Club

My dad had a Lionel set when I was very little. I don't know what happened to it - may have gotten rusty sitting in a box in the cellar and gotten chucked. I begged for an HO set when I was 12, and got it. Started out on a 4x8, grew to hand laid nickel/silver track on benchwork that filled a 12x12 room. That got abandoned when I turned 19 and full time work and other pursuits took priority. My sister may still have the parts of the layout stored in her barn.

When my kids were getting old enough to develop an interest in trains, I took some of the old HO snap-track and rolling stock and set up a slid out tray from the bunkbeds I built for them - measures about 42"x78" IIRC. Started as 3 simple loops with interchange turnouts between the loops and one siding (totaling 7 turnouts). Divorce left them with the former, and everything sat collecting dust for years. A few years ago, I revamped it and made it more of a switching layout bringing the total to 24 turnouts, with the 3 loops that can be run in series (as a main line) with a reversing loop, and with a cut on a long side "off-table" to a "Timesaver" layout (already built) that can be attached to it acting as an interchange yard with another RR. In theory, it could keep 3, possibly 4 operators working it. This in a space slightly larger than a twin size bed.

The farm has claimed most of my "spare time", so it has yet to actually run trains as designed, but I have run A train over it on a couple occasions. Structures, while started over the years, have a long (long) way to go and scenery is basically non existent. AB Micrologix PLC for signaling and turnout routing isn't in place yet either, though I have the PLC (and programing software) and some of the signal parts.

I'm thinking that for all the sitting it's done, and time I'm now devoting to fixing old farm iron, I may not ever get back to it. It may just go on Craigslist, or e-bay.

(quoted from post at 09:53:08 12/16/15) I've been into since I was little. Belong to a club now. Yes it can get expense. I have a 3 drawer tool box with old diecast HO steam locomotives with DCC sound decoders on the top tray and cars in the bottom 3 drawers. I can barely left it! The swmbo asked how much the box was worth. I told her to replace the decoders was about $400, with used locomotives, another $400. Then I said replacing it with new would cost over $2000. And this is the stuff I use the most! LOL

We have an Open House once a year. We used to have a Train Show and Swap Meet, but the average amount of money made was around $600 with $200 coming from concession. I spent around $30 at the concession stand working both days! LOL

There is a Train Show at Mid America in Council Bluffs, IA on JAN 2nd and 3rd.
HO Train Club

Click to expand...

Looks like a decent layout.

I have a high school friend now a mechanical engineer that I talk to often. He's big into HO trains. He was in a club for a while but dropped out due to infighting between the guys there for fun and the correct police. Seems getting ready for their annual show some people wanted to get a Thomas the Train engine and cars to run. They thought that people with young children might become interested enough to get into the hobby if their kids got real excited about it. The correct police were against it but lost a vote. I guess after that they started getting petty about things so my friend and his Thomas supporting friends left the club. Got an email from him the other day. Guess him and his buddies are starting their own club. Will be interesting to watch the developments.

Rick