New Member

[jonathan]

Sincere Greetings!

I have been reading MR forums for some time, learning all that I can while planning and building my layout.  It seemed the right thing to do was to introduce myself and thank all of you for your advice and modeling information.  I chose this site because this seems to be the friendliest and most informative forum.  Again, thanks for putting me on the 'right track' to creating a good running railroad.  Also, it helps that nearly all my Bachmann equipment has been great right out of the box, from my 44-tonner to my Acela set.

A little about my layout:

I have taken over my 21' X 24' garage as a layout room.  The walls and ceilings are finished and painted (less dust), and I can sweep all my orts out the door after benchwork and scenery construction.  Only disadvantages are more frequent track maintenance and I have to stow all my rolling stock during the three coldest months.

My layout is in two halves;  on half is a double track mainline (min 24" rad), running CSX and Amtrak; the other half is a transition era shortline through hilly terrain with mining and passenger ops.  Trying to stick with B&O equipment 'cause I love B&O, but is really hard to find. Plus, due to lack of space, my old line has some pretty tight radii.  Two of my hidden turnarounds are 15" radius.  So I really love ore cars and the old time passenger cars.  I have two 2-8-0 Connies, one DCC and one not, and BOTH make around those tight curves with no problem...  as long as I don't overdo the lube/cleaner on the track.  Both turnarounds have easements and I adjusted the tender wiring a bit, though no weight was added to the tenders, yet.  There's about 350" of track to include two staging yards.  Layout is DC.

Problems so far?  Amfleet passenger cars "roll like rocks".  Gotta double head just to pull six cars.  Still working on a solution.  Graphite or oil have very limited results.  Perhaps someone knows a better way.  Just burnt out my first switch machine.  May transition to tortoise types (not cheap).  Who know garage floors were slanted?  Finally, I just planted 175 trees and my hills still look naked.  Looks like I'll need about 4000 more to finish the project (gonna take forever!)  Other than that, layout runs great so far.  Scenery and weathering is ongoing.  Hope to get into the photo part of the hobby in the future, so I can post pictures.  Been creating about three years now.

Sorry, I've rambled on enough.  Again, many thanks for your great words and links of wisdom.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Santa Fe buff]

Welcome Jonathan!

Bachmann pulled me in when I came here awhile ago after seeing the website on my first Bachmann train set. Since then, I've gained and incredible amount of model railroad smarts, all thanks to this site... Seeing this one, opened me up to other sites. I'm a member of several forums discussing model railroading. Some famous ones include this one, The Whistle Post, Model Railroader's Forum, BLI's, and a few not-so-popular ones that caught my eye.

I agree with you entirely, the internet may have it's threats, but us hobbyists can find it's many glorious 'fruits'.  Yampa Bob, a fellow member, has tons of information of modelers alike, and has given great advice on many things to do when I encountered problems. Hunt's another one off the top of my head, along with Jim Banner.

As for your Amfleet cars, try removing the wheels and do the following:

-Check the wheels with a NMRA gauge.
-Make sure they're aligned.

I can't offer more information, due to the fact I don't have any experience with these cars, but don't worry, lot's of people here can offer the information you require.

Sincerely,
Joshua

[jettrainfan]

Hi Jonathan! You chose the right place to join!   Also... this is a first! It's great that you post some info on your layout! anyway welcome,enjoy, and don't be a stranger!

[WGL]

 I've bought a few trees & can't find any much cheaper than $1 each, which would make your forest cost about $4000!  Do you make your own trees? 

[jonathan]

JTF,

Yes, I make my own trees from WS armatures.  Costs about 15 cents a tree.  The big trees cost about 20 cents a piece.  Figure all trees will cost about $120 total when done.  Of course it's time consuming, but the results are better than pre-made... I think anyway.

S

Jonathan

[jonathan]

Sorry all, I meant 400 trees not 4000!  oops.

J

[pdlethbridge]

Welcome to the site, we can always use a new member and his/her input.
Do you use some lichen to fill between the trees?

[jonathan]

Was thinking about lichen, but haven't gotten that far in my planning, yet.  Is it a good filler?

[train with no shame]

Hi Jonathan , I'm new as well . Great site ,Great people .Lots of History ,Knowledge and most of all people willing to help at any length . Keep the Hobby Alive . And Greetings     regards :  Mark F .