the MRH Forum

Newbie's first thoughts... Getting started
Reply
Regular poster 128 posts rswinter Regular poster 128 posts
rswinter
As the title says, I'm a complete newbie at this... We've (My 6yr old son and I) have some hand-me-down life-like HO locos and rolling stock along with some basic track and a few switches. We put it on the dinig table whenever we're allowed, but can do to much with the limited temporary space... We're in "negotiations" for a more permanent space, so I'm looking to prepare for the future... Space will still be an issue, most likely one wall along one of the bedrooms, at most an L-shape. It would be 9ft on one wall and maybe 5ft on the other with 24" wide benchwork, maybe up to 32" at one corner. Given this space, I'd prefer to go N scale as we would like a loop track as well a few industries to give us some operations ability. (Logging/Mining/??) As it stands right now, I've got some ideas, but nothing concrete, so I was thinking of an interim setup to get something to experiment with while we figure out what's going to work best. Track: Looking at this set of track. http://www.atlasrr.com/trackpack.htm Not sure I'll use the proposed layout much, but it will give us a good variety of track to experiment with different layouts. I'd probably add a few more switches. My main concern with that track set are the curves. They are tight, so we'll be limited on the length of the locos and rolling stock... Another reason I looked at this was I (think) I want to look at doing modules (nmra standard type) as part of a local club and Atlas Code 80 is part of their recommendations.. There are a couple clubs in the area (Washington State). I talked to a few of the guys at a local show a while ago, and I like the idea. We both like Steam and Diesels, so we'll be looking at eventually modeling the transition era. Can I get DCC equipped locos that will work on a standard DC setup? We will eventually go DCC on the "real" layout, but will start out DC on this trial one... I thought about "DCC ready", but I'm not all the psyched about opening up a little loco and adding the decoder myself... As for the DC controller... Can I use the one that we use for the HO layout? I'm guessing they are basically the same (this one being one of the bottom of the line life-like disposable ones) I'm assuming I won't hurt the locos or DCC decoder by using this power supply... There's probably a lot I haven't mentioned here and I'm sure there are other things I haven't thought about yet, but at this point, I'd like to get something to play and experiment with while we decide what we really want that will fit the space we have. Any and all comments welcome! Thanks. -S
Reply 0
pierre52 MRH Author 1,496 posts
pierre52

Use the Force and think Modular

Hi Newbie (it would be nice to know your name)

Welcome to the forum and the hobby.

Join the local Club (the Force) and act like a sponge - there will be lots of helpful advice on tap. Think long and hard about what Gauge is going to suit you best in the long term. Just because you have some hand me HO locos is not a good basis for any decision.

Most DCC fitted Locos can have the Chip unplugged and run quite happily on DC.

With the amount of space you have Modules is probably a very good way to go.  You can build a small module quite quickly and learn all the usual newbie mistakes before moving on to the next one.

Buy Lance Mindheim's books http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Lance+Mindheim

Read back issues of MRH magazine - they are all available here and all free.

Plenty of people here will be genuinely interested in your progress and will offer some excellent advice along the way.

Cheers Peter

Peter

The Redwood Sub
Reply 0
rswinter Regular poster 128 posts
rswinter

Ahh.. Sorry, I should have

Ahh.. Sorry, I should have introduced myself a little better... My name, Stephen. mid 40's and live in the Pacific NorthWest, north of Seattle a bit. My preference is to go N-scale at this point. Our HO gear is old and the Locos are dying as it is.. I've been told they are the disposable type, so honestly, its no great loss. The only piece I was thinking of temporarily using is the Power Pack, but only until we decide on what the real layout is going to be, then I would replace with something that has the power to run it. If that's a bad idea, then I will just want to make sure what ever I get now has room for growth... Thanks -Stephen
Reply 0
Dave K skiloff Prolific poster 4,031 posts
Dave K skiloff

Some Answers

I likely won't answer all your questions, but I'll just throw out some random answers and let others chime in.

Any DC power pack for HO will work with N.  Some are better than others, of course.

As for installing decoders into N scale locos that are DCC ready, virtually every new N scale loco will have a "drop in" decoder replacement that are super easy to install.  Literally, you take off the shell, slide out the old DC board and slide in the replacement board.  Don't be at all intimidated by that.  And you'll save yourself a bit of money up front by buying the DC only locos.

I wouldn't get too hung up on standards for modular just yet for your first layout.  Crawl before you walk.  I would actually recommend Kato Unitrack for a beginner.  Its very easy and quick to set up and tear down and play around with different setups, there is a lot of variety of track, it looks good and it is extremely reliable.  Definitely costs more, but it will likely save you many headaches while you learn more about wiring, track planning, scenery or whatever.  And if/when you determine you are ready to move on to more "realistic" track using flex track or even handlaying, Unitrack holds its value well and you'll get a good chunk of your investment back selling it.  You won't get that with the Atlas track.

My thoughts.

Dave
Playing around in HO and N scale since 1976
Reply 0
Reply