Lately, I’ve been struck with a desire to get into model railroading. This is something my dad did when I was young. I remember him having a giant (to a 4 year old) railroad in our basement in New York City. I thought it was the coolest thing to stand under the mountain and watch the trains drive through the tunnel. When we moved to Maine, dad had plans to build another railroad, and I remember him teaching my brother and I how to lay track and ballast it and do some basic scenery. It never panned out, and in the end He built a lovely table which ended up being the table my brother and I played D&D on for the next 10 years.
So, I’ve decided that I would like to get started in the hobby myself now. After some thought, I’ve concluded that I will be better off trying to build an N scale railroad because I have little space to work with. After consulting with my Dad I decided to buy the book N Scale Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby, Second Edition. I chose this book because the second edition was published this past November, and is updated with the newest technologies in use. Granted, the core technologies in use in railroading haven’t changed much in the last 50 years, but there are add-on technologies which I wanted to be aware of and utilize. So far it’s a great read and is getting me informed and excited about starting my railroad. Which is where I make a request for help:
I am thinking I would like to start small. Just have a simple oval track with one or two trains running on it. What I am struggling to decide is how I would like to scenic my railroad. I could go completely random, and just put some features that don’t really mesh, but I don’t think that’s what I would like. It seems like I would most enjoy building a prototype railroad modeling a specific area and time. But I am having a hard time coming up with a time and place which I could do. So I ask for your help. Go ahead and comment with a suggestion for a railroad design. Do you live by a railroad now and think it has a nice look to it which would be worth modeling? Did you grow up by a railroad and have fond memories of the station in the old town? Do you simply have a vision of something I can model? Let me know your thoughts.
Whether I choose to do what you suggest or something completely different, I will be chronicling my journey through the model railroad process in photograph form. This way you get to enjoy the fun of building without the hassle of actually doing it, or the financial drain of buying all the components and tools I’ll need. Speaking of which, don’t expect this thing to show up next week completely done. My progress will be dictated by the little money I am able to put into this hobby as it is slowly rationed to me. Nevertheless look forward to future updates.
Here’s some suggestions: Ogden union station, or salt lake or provo would probably be fun too, trains in space, lego land train set, or do disneyland with the the train that they have around it. wild west theme, or the polar express. A snowy train village… I don’t know, any of those ideas sound fun to me
have fun on your slow train journey!
My hometown (Old Town, ME)for a hub of railroad activity. See the map on my blog. I have postcards of the railroad station, too.