New to the Hobby - Questions

[Big Sol]

Hey. My name is Justin, and I'm getting into the hobby of...well, what do we call them? Model trains? That seems to fit best. A little history, first.

My great grandfather, whom raised me, was the first one to get me into trains. I was always fascinated by them, and he had two model trainsets. One of them was a G-Scale, I believe...G or O...it was large, anyway. The second was my personal favorite, HO scale. Now, when I was a kid, I was a destructive brat...my favorite thing to do was run the trains at full speed and watch them fly off the tracks in tight turns. If I ran across my younger self today (I'm 26 now), I'd probably slap myself upside the head for not appreciating what I had, especially now that it was all lost in a fire about ten years ago. My great grandfather's setup was very basic...track, trains, and that was basically it. Very little in the way of scenery, though we used matchbox cars in places, which weren't quite on scale with those trains.

My grandfather had a very impressive, albeit small, setup of his own, also HO scale. This was also over a decade ago. He lived in Vegas, and had set up his own miniature representation of the Las Vegas / Pahrump area. He'd actually put work into it. There was grass, trees, buildings, people, cars, roads, you name it. It was an ongoing project of his and, unfortunately, he never lived long enough to complete it. What's worse is that he and my grandmother didn't quite get along, so after his death she simply trashed his entire setup, all of his trains, locomotives, track, everything. Such a waste, too, since he had thousands of dollars invested in it.

I personally don't have much experience with trains. Most of what I've learned actually came from playing Railroad Tycoon. For those that don't know, it's a series of computer games where you build a railroad and connect cities, manage shipping lanes, buy industries, etc. That game, along with my grandfather and great grandfather, got me interested in trains in the first place.

So, here I am starting into the hobby on my own. I don't make much money, so I'm buying it a little at a time. Before I go and spend TOO much money on this, I have some questions along with personal input.

First off, I prefer HO scale. N scale I can see has the clear advantage of space, given that you don't need as much space to set up a track, and space is an issue for me as I live with my great grandmother and don't have much room to set up a model set. However, N scale trains just seem too small and 'dinky' to me, no offense to anyone, and HO just feels more solid to me. That being said, on to the questions:

1. I'm not a pure enthusiast in that, while I understand the appeal of laying your own track tie-by-tie, rail-by-rail, it's not something that appeals to me. I want to spend as much time 'playing' with my set as I spend building it. That being said, can anyone give some advice as to the best type of track to buy? I've seen both the older type of track which is put together using small metal connectors and then nailed onto corkboard, and I've seen the newer 'snap-together' kind. The snap kind seems almost too 'toy-like' to me, but I've never used it so I don't know.

2. I spent around $40 today at a local hobby shop and got myself a basic locomotive (F9) and a handful of cars, two of which use the wrong couplers and I'll need to return. Turns out only the Bachmann cars I got have the right connectors. However, the loco I got is the 'simple' type. That is, it goes forward or back based on the current flowing through the track. At first, when I saw locomotives 'on sale' for between $70 and $120, I thought to myself 'Yikes! This hobby is more expensive than I thought!'. However, I then learned about digital control, which implies that now each train can be run separately even if they all share the same track, which is great compared to what I'm used to. The question here, I guess, is "How much can I expect to pay before I can create a simple setup?". What I'm looking for is something small, preferably that will fit into a 10'x10' area, with at least two circular routes that I can use switching to move between. Scenery is optional at first. In fact, it's optional at all, really, since my love for model trains revolves more around operations than appearance, though I do hope to eventually have a setup that looks as good as it runs.

3. Once I get going, I want to simulate cargo weights on my trains. Meaning, I want a train that's more cargo-laden to travel slower, hence simulating the need for additional locomotives in certain cases. Along those lines, I was wondering about how safe for the equipment this is. Obviously, I don't want to burn out any motors. Along the same line, I was wondering if any of the older models of engines are available in HO scale, such as the Iron Duke or, heavens forbid, the Grasshopper, and if these older engines have less pulling power than the more modern engines just like their real life counterparts. I've noticed that 90% of the locomotives in my hobby shop are all G-Series locos, with a few of the F-Series thrown in. Very few steam locomotive models, and even fewer of the classics, like the Consolidation, Iron Duke, Mikado, etc. In fact, the only steam engine I saw in the shop that was HO scale was a Pacific. Are these uncommon? Or is it just that the G-Series are more popular and there's not as much demand for the older models?

That's it for now. I thought I had more questions, but that's all that came to mind. I'm at work, too, so time is short. In any event, hopefully I can dive headlong into the hobby and find a way to fit it into my limited income.

Happy trails, everyone.

[Jake]

Hey Justin. Glad to see that there are more people getting into this hobby! As to naming it, Model trains is fine. But to me that describes the old rinky-dink $20-$40 sets that you'd get every now-and-then as a kid. I just call it model railroading. But before you start building, I advise that you do some more research on the hobby. (I've poured $100-$150 on books & videos that explain the hobby and some aspects of it. [which took a while to save up for as I'm only 13] I'll post appropriate links to some books as I go along.) Alright here we go.

Question 1. While most sectional track can seem toy like, that doesn't necessarily mean it is. Take bachmann E-Z track, it is sold in sizes appropriate for small layouts, but is great for beginners who want to tackle a medium-large space. Now as for the track that is put together with metal connectors (simply called rail joiners) and nailed down onto corkboard roadbed, that is flex track. Which is sold in 3 foot or meter lengths. And as its name implies, you can bend it this way and that without much limitation. It is really up to you. And for some books that may help you in this department, there are Basic Trackwork for Model Railroaders Trackwork & Lineside Detail for Your Model Railroad & Track Planning for Realistic Operation, Third Addition And lastly I may recommend that you check out Woodland Scenics for their foam construction system. (while I have yet to use it, It has worked extremely well for people I know...)

Question 2: DCC & prices. Well, the price is all up to you, (that is what your selection of scenery, trains, track, Benchwork, etc. is) As far as some DCC systems go, bachmann has a good system, but it very basic, and can only control 10 engines at a time that is if you have a booster to give you more power (don't worry about that now. Do some reading up and you'll figure it out.) and cannot program CVs. (other wise know as Control Variables or something like that... -repeat last parenthetical-) Another DCC starter system is the Digitrax Zephyr Basic Set which is nicely priced (not inserting the price out of courtesy for B-mann) Or if you are willing to wait, bachmann is coming out with a new system EZ-Command Dynamis. (I haven't read up on this, I'll let one of the other users fill in here.) And as for book suggestions, this is a list of books for people starting out in the hobby. I'll let you choose what you want to buy. And for DCC, might I recommend some of the books from this list

Question 3. Cargo weight simulation. No secrets here. With DCC you can program Acceleration/Deceleration values for the engines' decoders and some decoders are able to sense strain on the motor and act accordingly. (Called Back-Electromotive Force, Back-EMF or BMF) I.e. big load, the decoder makes the engine accelerate slower. Or if the train starts to go uphill the decoder will make the motor apply more torque to keep the train's speed constant. And the same for downhill, it applies less torque to keep the speed constant. No books here. It is covered somewhat in DCC mad easy.

[SteamGene]

Justin,
With your coupler issue - don't return the cars with the "wrong" couplers.  Instead, do the first thing that a modeler used to do back when most cars came with the "wrong" couplers.  Go back to the store and get as many packs of Kadee Number 5 couplers as you need to replace the wrong coupler.  Each pack has four couplers - so two cars per pack.  In addition, buy the following tools:
a jeweler's screwdriver set
a small, fine tooth file
a set of X-acto @ knives
an HO NMRA gauge.
a small needle nose pliar
Note - most of the above, if not all except the NMRA gauge, may be found cheaper at Lowe's, Home Depot, Ollie's, etc.
If you really want to dive into the deep end, get a small tube of graphite lubricant. 
Now, probably after removing the trucks, remove the coupler pocket lid, take out the horn hook coupler, and throw it away.  (Or save it for later use as part of a junk load for a gondola).  Take a Kadee and use the file to strip the paint from the shank end - the end with the hole in it.  File across the length of the coupler - which is the normal way, anyway.   Us the pliars to GENTLY turn the curved piece of metal below the coupler UP, just a little bit,   Put the little bronze spring in the coupler pocket and, if you have the graphite, a bit of graphite on it, then place the Kadee on the spring and fasten the pocket cover back on.   
Once you have done this a few times, the whole operation for a car takes about five minutes - start to finish.  Use the gauge to check the height.  OR - you can use your locomotive coupler as the gauge for your car coupler height. 
The tools you bought will last you the rest of your life, with a bit of care.  You will find them very useful.   In fact, around my house, I'm constantly getting "Dad, let me borrow one of your small Phillip's screw drivers," or "Grandpa, I need one of those little knives for a few minutes," or.....

Gene

[Craig]

Gene's advice on replacing your couplers is very good, assuming your cars have coupler pockets vs. couplers mounted to the trucks. You may or may not wish to retrofit the cars if they have truck mounted couplers; it can be rather involved and cars of this style tend to be on the inferior side. Even if the car is well detailed it still lacks a bolster and the ability to be height adjusted for a Kadee coupler.

I would add a Kadee coupler height gauge to the tool want list.

[SteamGene]

Craig,
Remember, the NMRA gauge has a coupler height gauge built in.  It's just not as fancy.
Gene

[Craig]

Gene, I agree. I have both. The "fancy" one sits on the same rails as your rail stock and mates to the coupler you have just installed and serves as a working model. To me, there's no comparison between the sheet metal guage and to the practical value of a working model. I do use the other features of the NMRA gauge.