where can i get this ?

[jbrock27]

Have to agree with Payer's point.
People come here seeking help with their questions.  It appears to me that often, assumptions are made by the responders.  Such as, the person asking the question has not attempted any research on their own, or that what is available in terms of resources or places to go is the same for the the responder as is available to the questioner.    Sometimes as well answers do not appear to be given in full which in part may be do to an assumption by the responder that the questioner has the same level of experience, skill and knowledge.   I don't think it is done intentionally, at least I would hope not.  Sometimes the answer given is "here go look it up" which may not be of any help at all.  If someone is going to take the time to respond, why not take the little extra time to provide a full answer, absent snide commentary or snarky comments?  I get the sense some responders and they're usually the same ones, get impatient when there are any follow up or additional questions.  If you are going to take the time to read the post, why not take the time to provide help?  This is why I get a kick out seeing that 100 people have viewed a post, but only 4 go out of their way to provide feedback.  And I understand that not everybody who has viewed the topic is looking to provide a response as they might also be looking for an answer to the same question themselves, but that small a number in comparison to how many have viewed the topic?  You saw what the topic was and it must have been of some interest, otherwise why would you take the time to read it?  I also get the sense that certain folks only respond here to other certain folks-how come?  Doesn't seem like a spirit of cooperation to me.
I think it is forgotten too, that not everyone is able to devote the same amount of time to the hobby or has even spent the same amount of time in the hobby as many here obviously have.  Therefore, it makes all the sense to bring a question here, seeking an answer from those who have been able to do just that.

[jward]

i've got not problem with newbies per se. the ones who give me fits are the intermediates who have maybe been in the hobby a year or two, who feel they can give advice on topics they know nothing about, just because......

for this reason, i try to limits myself to topics i have some experience with, and ask questions on the ones i need help with. even after 40+ years in the hobby, we still learn new tricks all the time.

as for up844, dude i'm afraid you are going to have to scale back your ambitions. i've been in your situation, no money, no car, living in the boonies. the best thing you can do is to build a small railroad, build as much of it as you can by yourself rather than kits, and learn from your mistakes. you don't have to build the type of railroad you see in the magazines. in my experience, you'll have alot more fun if you don't "shoot for the moon" so to speak. just jump in and do it. you'll soon find out what you like and what you're good at. you'll also find out what bores you.

[jbrock27]

Jeff, I have some questions:

What do you mean by "problem"?  (your words)  And why would fits result from it?  Don't you have the opportunity to offer advice in instances where you don't agree with advice previously given?  Or the choice to not comment at all?
How are you able to know whom is a "newbie"?
How do you define a "newbie"?
When is one no longer a "newbie"?  What do they have to do?
How do you determine what advice is worthy and what is not?

Just questions, that's all.

[richg]

Bachmann Plus HO Scale EMD F7B Union Pacific i found one  on ebay but used for 42 but can i get one cheaper?

Spend some time doing a Google search. I have lost track of how much stuff I have found at a good price by searching.
Your PC is a power full device if you take time to use it in a search capability.
The big plus, is that you have many good links to store in Favorites and you do not have to be a PC Guru to do this. You just need determination.
Sure beats getting led by the hand and it is a good sense of accomplishment.

You might now always find what you want at the price you like. That is life. That happens to everyone.

Rich

[jbrock27]

Rich G.,
Your constant suggestions/reminders to store Favorite, is always an excellent suggestion.  But, and you yourself  touched on this in your post, you can lose track of all the stuff.  The downside to posting a bi-zillion Favorites is that the more you have saved, the more difficult and time consuming it can become to go back and find them.   Making just entering a GOOGLE search much faster than searching through Favorites.  That said, I do save Favorites all the time for those things I know I likely will be using more than once. 

I have a question for you: you frequently use the term "led by the hand".  Can I ask exactly what you mean when you say that?

Thanks.

[Piyer]

How are you able to know whom is a "newbie"?
How do you define a "newbie"?
When is one no longer a "newbie"?  What do they have to do?

Although I am not Jeff, I'd like to offer an answer to those questions. A "newbie" is not a precisely definable word when it comes to model railroading. You can be an expert model railroader with decades of modeling under your belt, but if after 50 years of running your trains with dc-powered cabs and blocks you decided to switch your layout over to DCC, then you are probably a newbie - as far as DCC is concerned.

Newbie simply equals a newborn baby to some aspect or another of a "thing." You become a beginner when you have learned the basics of that thing. For example, once you know the vocabulary associated with that thing, have a general understanding of what it is and does and why it's different from that other thing. At that point, you become a beginner. How fast you move toward expert - if you ever do - is dependent on your interest and skills in the thing. You might remain a beginner - or even a newbie - at DCC for the rest your life because, after learning a bit about it, you decided it wasn't for you and stopped learning about it.

So, how do you know who a newbie is? Simple, they just asked a very basic question about something. It could be because they just discovered this hobby, or they are returning to it after many years, or, despite having a 50' x 300' layout in the basement for the last 50 years, they just discovered something new and want to learn about it. We are all newbies at something. Nobody is a know-it-all - they might think they are, but that's a whole other topic! 

[jbrock27]

Nobody is a know it all, is one of my points.  Nor should anyone act like a know it all, it takes away from the knowldege they have to pass along.

A lot of it is about "tone".