Model Railways / Train sets

Post by **BazR** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:12 pm

Im considering building in the spare room for something my brother and I can do together. He is 13 and is glued to the Xbox 24/7.
I think its time he got away from that thing for at least a few hours of the day and enjoyed some of the simple pleasures...

...and yes I want one too, was always interested in a proper railway.

Now, has anyone here got one? or even some info on what is the proper gauge to use?

peteT16 · Post by **peteT16** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:24 pm

I'm no expert, but N guage is very popular for small areas, I think OO guage is also widely used in spare room/attic layouts, perhaps this thread will flush out a few RT trainspotters

BlueRover · Post by **BlueRover** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:31 pm

N gauge is a bit fiddly, OO gauge is better for most people who are starting out. I have my old OO gauge stuff and some chipboard to make a layout but when I was at home and using my bedroom (which was quite small at 10' x 7'6") I had a 6' x 5' layout hinged on my wall. When lowered it rested on my desk on the opposite side of the room.
It had three main loops and a couple of sidings too.

Please bear in mind that when you start building a layout, it WILL take over your life (and your wallet too).

Post by **BazR** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:43 pm

Got plenty of room here and have seen a lot of 00 gauge stuff online as well. A couple of sidings are a must I think. Unfortunatly I think my Eurostar met an unfortunate end years ago, but wouldnt mind the new Bullet.

Is ebay the best choice for this type of gear though?

Semproxion · Post by **Semproxion** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:02 pm

I think I still have a lot of 00 gauge stuff in my attic. Hasn't been used since I was a kid and I suspect some of it is knackered. I had a 12ftx8ft setup in one of the bedrooms. Never really did finish the layout (I was a kid, pocket money went nowhere lol)

In the end though I had 6 tracks, remotely operated points, fully working turntable and overpasses, stations, crossings and allsorts

Roverdose214 · Post by **Roverdose214** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:20 pm

00 Gauge Hornby trains ftw. And +1 it will take forever and lots of money to get something you really like and you will end up changing it over and over again. They do look great and are fun for quite a while but you get bored of something going round in an extended circle lol.

I hope your missus is understanding lol.

Post by **BazR** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:32 pm

Roverdose214 wrote:I hope your missus is understanding lol.

Well, I have ten Rovers, so if it takes me away from them, she might well be pleased

Roverdose214 · Post by **Roverdose214** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:38 pm

Yeh then you will end up with a houseful of train track lol. Do it Wallace and gromit style, bring the breakfast etc on the train!

zozzie_9t9 · Post by **zozzie_9t9** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 11:37 pm

May I suggest you sign up here -

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/index

Loads of great members there who can share advice and knowledge!

I'll be honest I love railways! I have been a professional model maker too for a time.

My full interest is recorded on my blog - http://eastmoor.blogspot.com - and a couple of my locomotives, but on other people's layouts -

If you want to know anything, just give me a shout!

gsi richard · Post by **gsi richard** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 2:30 pm

im also just starting out building one in my loft im useing ebay a lot to buy things for it mainly track at mo till ive got enough to build 3 full loops which will be around 45ft each all track im buying is new as the new stuffs nickel silver so wont rust up like the old stuff. i have bought other stuff wagons coaches ect of ebay im finding buying an actual train set to be the biggest money saver as you get a bit of everything in there specially if you get an older set 70s /80s period to be fait building a model layout i think only you yourself can draw the line as to when its finished cause you could just keep adding and adding to it.

Post by **BazR** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:12 pm

Superb, and quite a blog you have there as well

MGJohn · Post by **MGJohn** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:23 pm

zozzie_9t9 wrote:May I suggest you sign up here -

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/index

Loads of great members there who can share advice and knowledge!

I'll be honest I love railways! I have been a professional model maker too for a time.

My full interest is recorded on my blog - http://eastmoor.blogspot.com - and a couple of my locomotives, but on other people's layouts -

A Class 60 ~ my all time favourite Diesel Locomotive. You have to look closely to see that is actually a model ~ the detail of both Locomotive and Trackscape is so real at first glance ... superb.

Stealth213S · Post by **Stealth213S** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 12:26 am

My Dad is just starting out building a new layout, he used to work for BR/BREL/ABB and has models of all the trains he was involved in during that time. He also used to have layouts before work took over his life so now he is retired and moved to a house where one room is going to be his hobby (train) room.

One surprise is just how much things have gone up in price since his last layout, like track cost me £32 for a simple 3rd radius oval to start him off, (PECO) points start from about a tenner to £15 for a curved one (without motors).

The models are alot better now than they used to be too, lots more detail on them and they seem to have lost the rubber traction tyres of old.

tyke71 · Post by **tyke71** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 11:05 am

I got to admit, i am into railways and got nearly every diesel class in oo guage plus nearly all the prototypes stored in the loft. If you are starting to build from scratch i suggest you look into buying digital sound and making a layout in digital on the points. iIf you go on youtube and type in oliviastrains you will see what you can achieve throuh digital sound.

When my young boys get older, i am going to build a layout myself in the loft.

zozzie_9t9 · Post by **zozzie_9t9** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 12:24 am

Roverdose214 wrote:00 Gauge Hornby trains ftw

Just one thing, don't get blinked, there is far, far more to the hobby than Hornby!!! Though Hornby's stuff from the last few years is superb mostly, having drawn them out of the 1970s in terms of the their standards.

reggy5 · Post by **reggy5** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:10 am

heres my sons! lol..

mg-richard · Post by **mg-richard** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:21 am

i'd be tempted to buy up someones old collection

you would get a real bargain and some interesting stuff you wouldnt normally buy

zozzie_9t9 · Post by **zozzie_9t9** » Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:58 am

mg-richard wrote:i'd be tempted to buy up someones old collection

you would get a real bargain and some interesting stuff you wouldnt normally buy

It depends whether you want to be a 'colector' or a 'modeller' - the latter I think is far more satisfying ultimately as building your own things gives you a real sense of achievement. Trust me on this one.

Also some older (ten or more years) models are no where near as good as what you can buy now in terms of running, detailing or general standard and you won't save so much. However once you have abit of knowledge buying older models to use as a basis for a project to detail and upgrade can be a great way to develop skills and make your budget go much further.

Again, join this forum for lots help and advice -

http://www.rmweb.co.uk

Rovertech 2.0

Model Railways / Train sets

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