I Started Model Railroading

[LonesomeLamp]

Back when I finally got that $600 stimulus, I wanted a train set. I had one when I was much younger but it got destroyed. I wanted another one that was similar but I also wanted to customize it a little bit too. Pro tip: if you want to start a model railroad and you have nothing to start with, buy a kit. I spent about $50 on track alone. I bought two packs of 11.25” curves (one pack makes a semicircle) and a pack of 5” straight pieces and a 10” rerailer (where power comes in). I paid about $25-$35 each for three cars and another $120 for a single locomotive. I planned to (and did) build my own controller from parts I already had. The total amount I paid came out close to the cost of a kit, which would have included more than I got. I wanted the HO scale, but I wasn’t too clear about physical sizes and ended up getting N scale instead. This was a good thing, probably, given the amount of space I had to work with.

Since then, I’ve bought another car of one type at one point, another type at another point, etc, same price range as the others. And then the next stimulus hit. I bought an 8 pack of one type of car, a track expander set, even more cars, another engine, and I’m still going. My train now has two engines and 23 cars. It is almost long enough to chase its own “tail.” I want to get a few tanker cars (one of the original three was a tanker) still just to have that touch of variety. I went to eBay and found a few very nice looking steam locomotives that I’d love to have. Hopefully I’ll get my first check while they’re still available. I did order a non-working steam loco. It was listed for “parts or repair.” According to the seller, the motor is shorted and the tender has a broken coupler. The train itself was supposedly made is western Germany. I think I can get it up and running again if it is just a short. Seller said they made no effort to repair; they test and sell as-is. I’m waiting for it to get here. It’ll be the last train item I get for a moment.

I also bought an actual controller. I’m still going to use my homemade one (I’ve rebuilt it to function differently and for a new purpose) for analog trains (DC controls), but the new controller is meant for DCC (digital controls and powered by AC). I need to buy a DCC decoder for my locomotives before I can use the DCC system. The controller allows operation of DC locomotives, but it’s generally recommended to not use it if not needed. The instructions say to not keep DC trains sitting still for any period of time because it can cause overheating of the motors. It also says to keep an eye on the DC trains while running to make sure they don’t overheat. Mine got a little warm while running, but nothing too concerning. And because of how DCC works, the DC trains sound like they have engines running.

My main issue I keep running into deals with a specific train car. Currently, the train has four different coupler types throughout its...entirety. The locomotives have one type, the 8 pack has another type, the cars I got on Amazon have another type and then the eBay ones have two types. I was able to force all cars together, but I had to use two of what I’ve termed “buffer cars.” The first issue I had was with the 8 pack cars (gondolas). They kept wanting to derail as they went over a specific switch or in the curve immediately following it. I had a couple of theories, one of which was that the trucks were screwed on too tightly. I loosened them by half a turn and that fixed them derailing going over the switch, but it kept derailing in the curve. Then I noticed something. The only car that derailed was the one directly behind the locomotive. I swapped it for one of the other gondolas and it behaved the same way. It was like the locomotive was trying to throw the gondola off the track. The other cars didn’t do that. That’s how the first “buffer car” came to be. By placing another car between the locomotive and the gondolas, everything stayed on the tracks.

I decided to try to replace a coupler on the gondolas to see if it’d help. I already needed to buy replacement couplers due to a tragic derailment (three cars left the track and the entire table. Only damage done, thankfully, was a destroyed coupler on a car I had received only that previous day). The replacement didn’t go very well, so I put the original coupler back in. The spring went flying as I was attempting this. Never found it. Now that car tends to want to let go of the rest of the train when I start it rolling (this is the aforementioned main issue I have).

As for the second buffer car, the last few cars I got (from eBay) used the older style couplers that everyone seems to universally agree is the worst type yet. It didn’t look like it was going to be anywhere near as easy to replace them as the other cars. Half of my other cars, though, shipped with that style coupler as replacements. I took one of my box cars and replaced just a single coupler with that older style to act as a sort of an adaptor. It lets me connect the older couplers to the newer style. I want to just replace the trucks on all the cars with the old style that way they’ll have the new style and I won’t have to struggle so hard to get it to happen. At the same time, I want to keep the trucks because those cars are  o l d. Also, one of them has a wobbly wheel. I tried to straighten it up (metal wheels are cool), and it worked for the most part. It still wobbles. The very last car I got (a Kentucky state car) came with replacement wheels for some reason. It has metal wheels on it already and the replacements are all plastic. I’m considering replacing the wobbly wheels with the plastic ones to see if that helps (if it’s still wobbly after the wheels get replaced, that means I’ll need to replace the trucks. I believe it’s the wheels though).

I have some videos of the train, but not in its current form. Most video is also low quality (I bought a $200 camcorder and the best it could give me is flip phone quality). I’ll try to take more video at a later time to try to explain stuff while showing it off. For now, I need to start getting ready for work.

[DailyDi]

That's a hobby I could get into if I had the space.

[LonesomeLamp]

3 hours ago, DailyDi said:

That's a hobby I could get into if I had the space.

Oh boy, let me tell you. My table I have it on is somewhere around 44”x20”. It is small. The way I currently have it laid out, I have three segments of straight track that I don’t have space for. My previous layout, I managed to get all but one piece laid out. I changed it because the wiring for the switches went off the table and the power source is in the middle. I’d have to make a tunnel or bridge of sorts for each switch so I could throw the cables across without worrying about the train itself hitting it.

I’m considering buying one more switch so I can get it laid out how I originally wanted. The switches, their straight segments are an odd length compared to the other segment lengths you can buy. They’re about 6.25” long or something close to that. They do sell segments small enough to fill in that extra gap, but I’d rather get the switch so I can set up a more proper yard. If you’re creative enough, the smallest of spaces can fit a whole lot of track (keep in mind N scale was originally meant for the Japanese because of their smaller homes. N scale made its way to the US and the Japs are now using an even smaller scale: Z scale. N and HO are the two most popular scales out there and have the cheapest parts).

*EDIT*
I have one video I can post. It’s only missing the Kentucky car. You can barely see that I added bbs to the gondolas to get them to their recommended weights. Even the the covered ones have bbs in them.

Edited April 7, 2021 by LonesomeLamp
Added video

[spoonchicken]

As a kid doing this with my dad we did  several things to avoid derailments

Put a small lead weight inside each car...it helps stabilize them

We also switched out all the stock couplers and replaced them with KaDee #5s

And we soldered all the rail joints...that improves the solidity of the rail joints

[LonesomeLamp]

I like the Bachmann ez mate mark 2 couplers. Idk what kind came on most of the eBay cars, but they’re pretty nice. I got them to mate with every single other coupler (except that older style) on the train. I went on eBay to look for replacement trucks and they had brass ones. I put a bid on them but someone else ended up paying like four times my bid. I figured I’d lose that one though, lol. The car with the wobbly wheels (the yellow one in the video) came with a weight in it already. The ones I added weight to (the gondolas) still want to derail if they’re immediately behind the locomotives. The leading wheels’ flanges slip over the tracks.

As for soldering, there is one piece of track that the very end of one of the rails is deformed. It’s actually the segment that connects to the first switch (first as in going the direction of the train). It could use a filling in of solder, but I don’t want to go to that level yet. My dad wants to buy another table to put in the room and then we build a bridge between the two. It’ll be a lot of work and a whole lot of new track to lay down, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Myself, I’d like to build a small table that’ll fit between the couch and put the track in it. Put a piece of plexiglass or something on top so we can see down into it and use it as the coffee table.

[smarti]

It's a great hobby. From my view, you become God over a little world. The most important thing to remember, perhaps, is that as your hobby, you should pursue it a way that makes you feel comfortable. Some say that the building is more fun than the running. Some like working signals and switches. Some like the vintage equipment of their youth. Some are just happy to buy things off the shelf, while others like to make everything for themselves. For the longest time, I felt inferior to people with better fine motor skills, but I don't any more, because I've found ways of doing this hobby which give me the best satisfaction. This layout below is constructed on the following principles:

- Minimum of paint, glue, plaster or other messy stuff: mainly card pinned on foam sheets

- Sufficiently robust to withstand attack from cats, children and drunks

- Highly portable: Simple and quick to dismantle and box for storage or removal

- Easy to play with: Accessories relocate without fuss, but will not move when the table is thumped.

- Fun to play with, lots of operational variety. And that's just an X made with a double slip (diamond crossing switch), plus the other bits that you see.

Just a note - the car in the gas station is a model of my actual car.

 

[Crinklz Kat]

On 4/7/2021 at 2:41 PM, DailyDi said:

That's a hobby I could get into if I had the space.

I'm in the hobby and I don't really have the space I'd want.   I've spent a small fortune on the stuff too.  But, the nature of the hobby these days is that it's all batch manufacturing to pre-orders.  So if there's something you want, you gotta buy it or it may not be available again for many years - if ever.

 

The modern electronics are amazing too.  Not only do the models of today look like the super-expensive master creations of 20-30+ years ago, the electronics can make them behave and sound like the real thing.   I've got a bunch of these:

 

[LonesomeLamp]

I’d love to have an HO train. But for what I do have, my broken steam locomotive is supposed to arrive today. Our mail runs at inconsistent times, so it could be anywhere between now (as I type) and another 3.5 hours. I also bought a DCC decoder and it’s still not had its first usps scan. I couldn’t figure out what loco to install it in. I wanted the BNSF train to have it because it’s the more expensive and detailed model, but the Canada Pacific train has the better motor. I finally decided on the CP train, but that’ll have to wait a few days (because it (decoder) still needs to arrive).

[LonesomeLamp]

I need help. The steam locomotive arrived and, like the description said, it was shorted out. Early in the disassembly, I started noticing little details about it that seemed...off. One of the first (and bigger) red flags was a wire-type thing that had become molded into the plastic insulators on one of the tenders wheels. I also noticed a black wire coming out of one side of the loco, wrap around part of the tender, and then go back into the locomotive. I figured it was just there for aesthetics (it looked like it was imitating air hoses)...until I got it all taken apart.

 I think the train had been in some rather unfortunate event(s) and the previous owner tried to repair it without really knowing what they were doing. The wire that came out of the engine, looped around and went back in was the wire causing the short. Some of the wheels were wobbly. The tender looks like it’s supposed to pick up both rail voltages and carry them, to the locomotive (thus the two holes in the back where the wire came out and back in). When I got it, there were no (electrical) connections between them.

 I did my best to clean the motor up. I oiled the bearings and the wheels. The front most set of wheels had to be flipped around (they rubbed against the traction wheels). The motor had a difficult time turning. Turns out the traction wheels might be slightly deformed. I noticed that they are difficult to turn manually if the plate on the bottom that holds them in is screwed down tightly. They’re short screws, so I’m afraid of backing them out too far, but the looser they are, the easier the wheels want to turn. Speaking of, the middle set of traction wheels, the flanges want to sit on the rail as opposed to inside them.

 

Like I said, something unfortunate happened to this thing. It got slightly crushed or had a pretty major derailment or a child got a hold of it or something. I still think I can get it running again. The only issue rn is that the wheels don’t want to turn. I did oil them, but I think the axles might be deformed. If not the axles being deformed, then the wheels themselves need realigned. The tender, the screws that hold the wheels on go through the frame of the tender and tiny nuts hold them in. There’s supposed to be solder tabs under the nuts too (which is why I think it’s supposed to pick up both rails), but one is missing and the other isn’t soldered to.

 

Let’s ignore the electrical stuff. I need help with the mechanical parts (mostly the wheels). The motor can just about turn them, but I gotta be careful that I don’t destroy the stator (I’ve seen it start to smoke a few times). It also isn’t very great at picking up the rail voltages (it jumps foreword a little and loses power (this is what the tender is usually used for)). How would I go about trying to tell if the wheel issue is the axles or the alignments? I don’t have the tool used to check if wheels are spaced correctly, so I’ll have to eyeball it.

[Crinklz Kat]

What brand is it?   Some companies are fairly decent about keeping some repair parts in stock while others you're basically stuck.

[LonesomeLamp]

The listing says Minitrix 4-6-2 but I think the locomotive itself just says Trix.

I work tomorrow but then I have a couple days off, so I’ll be able to get to it again and see what I can do about the wheels.

[LonesomeLamp]

I managed to fix the wheels! It actually was quite simple. You know how they have counterweights on the opposite side of where the traction rods connect? I turned the wheels so that the middle set was at the bottom and I noticed the rear set was way out of alignment. I took the plate off and used one finger to hold two sets of wheels down while I manipulated the one that was off alignment. After I got it in line, I put the plate back on and the wheels turned so much better...but still resisted in certain positions.

 I did the same test and found the front set was also out of alignment, but not as bad. I got it back in line and now they all turn so happily together. My next two projects seem simple enough. The metal tabs that transfer power from the wheels to the motor are on the wrong side of the wheels. I need to get them on the correct side. Then I need to find a piece of very thin wire and I’ll be able to electrically connect the tender to the locomotive. Once that’s done, the thing should be running again. I still need to replace the coupler, but I’ll be happy without it if I get it to work again. Preliminary tests are very promising. I’d say once I get the tabs repositioned, the locomotive will be able to go under its own accord.

 

*UPDATE*
I got the tabs replaced. The motor itself acts shorted. Probably just a dirty commutator, but I’m not able to clean the commutator. I’ll see if I can find a similar motor to replace this one with.

Edited April 17, 2021 by LonesomeLamp
Update

[square_duck]

Ugh! This is a rabbit hole I'm glad I never went down! I build models instead which is a handful in and of itself!! Adding model railroad stuff.....you would NEVER see me again!! I mean, as a modeler in general, I LOVE ? the detail and effort many railroaders put into thier layouts, but thats just way over the top for me. The cars, planes and ships I build keep me happy, and at a mental level of joy. 

Railroading is fine, but in and of itself not mixing any other stuff with it, or it just gets really complicated. 

Cool stuff here, keep up the good work.. ??., I'll just mosey on over to my work bench and keep working on my little stuff here and there...but....most of all...

HAVE FUN!!!!. ????

[LonesomeLamp]

8 hours ago, giantessman said:

I have started down this rabbit hole and I am worried it looks terrible. I need to get more skills in it and more space. Hope to talk to people about it. 

Saying it’ll look “terrible” would be a bit of an exaggeration. Sure it won’t look the best at first, but model trains are still cool in their most basic forms. What you should do is use boxes to build bridges and tunnels and building from. Use bottles as silos or towers or such. Remember: at the heart of all beautiful landscaping is a ton of styrofoam and several layers of improvisation/creativity.

[Crinklz Kat]

I have yet to start building anything myself.   Physically no space, but that's also because a large portion of the room is taken up by car parts (and diapers!).  And yes, like any skill, it will take practice.  So, start small.  Build a small shelf layout.  Just assemble and/or detail a few kits.  That's basically what I've been doing - though I have far too many that are "in progress" but get put aside and not completed.  I'm really bad about that.

Here's a pic of a project I did about 10 years ago (probably still not 100% finished either like most of my projects).  This started out as an Athearn "blue box" undecorated model to which I added a bunch of detail parts.  NS fortunately has a very simple paint job - basic black! 

[WetDad]

There's a group of retired machinists near me that build their own engines totally from scratch. They are big enough that they are hauled with pickups and loaded by forklift. The county park has a track set up for them, and every summer Sunday they pull kids around the track on an array of same-size cars that their club built.

This may be taking model trains to an extreme.

[BabyChris121675]

I loved model trains as a kid and I had my own track and table in my bedroom- I got into it as a kid back around when I was about 7 or 8- when I got a train set for my birthday around that time- and I loved my set- I had a few buildings I built- used my Matchbox Garage as part of it- and Matchboxes too as well- had my own city in a way!  I once saw a real awesome display back in the 90s at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh and there is one I really want to see in Germany.  I also build models myself- but have not done it in a few years- waiting for more space so I can display my big model of USS Yorktown I want to build- and a few others.  

I used to also as a kid love going to hobby shops but sadly most of them near where I live have since closed due to owners retiring or people not having the interests.  I would love to get back into it but limited space so I will just enjoy seeing what people share!  

BabyChris

[LonesomeLamp]

The only downside to model trains in limited space is that’s its easy to get more track than you have space and even easier to get more train than you have track. Even N scale can get quite large quite fast. It’s still very fun and very cool to look at.

[square_duck]

Here is a video of model railroaders gone nuts!!!! It s the LARGEST model railroad layout in the world!!! ......it even has its own computor control room. I think it incorperates a 2story warehouse type building........THIS is why I dont get tangled up in this hobby......as I said before, gou would never see or hear from me again...!! Enjoy this trip down thier 'rabbit hole'!!! Lol

 

[rusty pins]

I've had model railroads since I was about 6 years old.  My parents always tried to get different things for my older brother and me.  He had Lionel trains, so I go American Flyer.  Unfortunately it was just before they went out of business so they were cheap and not good.  A few years later I got N scale and have a huge collection.  I'm now back into S scale with a lot of American flyer.  I have about a 7 X 7 foot layout, not as detailed as the pictures because I haven't worked on it for at least 10+ years, but someday I'll get back into it.  I have too many hobbies and not enough ambition, but in 3 years I'll retire (or cut way back) and start to do more.  By that time I'll probably be so worn out physically I won't be able to get up and down the stairs!

[LonesomeLamp]

I’ve put myself in an awkward spot. The room my model train is in is also used by my dad for music stuff. He has amps and many guitars, a desk, small table with a printer on it. I just did some rearranging before I got ready for work today to get an idea of how much space my new drums are going to take up (I got the frame/stand out together). We need a larger table for the train, but the drums are going to take up a bit of the needed space for it. I only have the frame together but I’ll need to add at least a couple of the heads and cymbals on to get a much better idea. The frame doesn’t have a set..spread, so it’d be easy to get it all cramped together too much, especially after adding on the expansion kit, but it would also be easy to spread them out more than necessary. I’ll talk about all this in my drum topic.

As for new tables, we’re supposed to go look at some in a couple days or so. We need one that’s not quite as wide as the current one (like 46” or something) but definitely longer (currently 22”). Idr the current height. Like four feet or something. We need one roughly the same.

[diaperguy85]

my dad introduce me to the hobby when i was still in diapers (well, the first time i was in diapers, anyway lol) we started with the classic wooden brio trains (my mom still has them somewhere, i think), then up to some neat plastic G scale battery powered trains, which i know are still in my mom's attic, and finally HO scale!

he's no longer with us, but the trains still are. he collected on and off through his life. not a big collection, but a few things. some buildings, a few cars, some locos, and a bit of track. i don't remember exactly, but i do remember having a 4x8 layout in "my" first house. i'd constantly be running trains, rerouting track, wires, buildings, and more running trains. and all this before i was 5! then we moved. the layout was packed up and torn down to get reborn in the new house as a new permanent layout me, my dad and little brother built. new track, locos, cars and buildings! i was thrilled!! then a few years of having fun with it, my dad passed and we had to move again. a couple years and a couple moves later, my mom found our new home, and the trains went right back up in the basement. cleaned the track, some fresh wiring and trains were running again! eventually, after many years of running, i wanted to make a new layout. dad's old layout was taken down again for the last time (but it's still there! the track is still on the board! just needs a few new pieces, a clean and some power and it's off again!), the basement got rearranged and a new bigger layout went up. an 8x8ft "L" shape this time. much more complex than the last. with a long tunnel, a big bridge, elevated line, houses, mines, landscaping, mountains, electric switches and a bunch of other things that made maintenance more of a chore lol. but i loved it all the same! that one lasted several years and many basement floods (less than half an inch of water, but enough), some time of disuse, and the emergence of a new interest, it was time for the layout to evolve again.

everything was torn up, cleaned off, boxed up (temporarily... at first) and another smaller, more simple layout was built just a bit over from where this one was. it was a 5x10ft loop of two tables connected by boards. minimal elevation changes, no tunnels, level bridges, a passing siding with a small yard. i had the track laid, weathered, running nicely, not perfectly, but close. then.... another flood happened. everything on the floor under the layout not in a plastic tote or protected went onto my layout.... and there it stayed, because... reasons. frustration, depression and disinterest from me, out-of-sight-out-of-mind and no clue how to proceed with the now yearly flooding from my mom. new hobbies arose and took over, schooling came and went and life went on. and now.... still nothing! lol

i moved out! wrapped most everything up and took it with me. all my fancy steamers, cars, buildings, unfinished kits and all my scenery stuff came with me to my new house! sadly, i know i'm probably not going to have a layout in the near future. i've taken over too much of the house from my g/f, and she needs her own space to do her crafts and activities, too. once the basement is done (currently a semi-permanent workshop for myself), that space becomes a communal hang-out spot, and my tools and stuff move out of there to my soon-to-be workshop elsewhere in the house. regrettably, as large of a space as the house is, there isn't room for a good sized trainset. but i'm ok with that. i have enough other stuff to play with and work on, some of it is train stuff. building kits to put together, paint, weather and scenic, engines and cars to clean, tune, upgrade and weather. so they're not entirely gone, which is a good thing.

but enough about my trains lol congrats lonesomelamp on the new hobby! it can quickly consume your free time, space and money, but it's a fun ride!  

[Wheels]

I'm glad to see this thread ? I've been accumulating some stuff with the intention of starting a layout. When I was a kid I had a HO scale oval track with an SD9 red and grey Burlington engine. Now I have access to Youtube and a spare room that I've been working on clearing out in hopes to make one of those around the room shelf set ups. The information one can access on the Hobby now and how to do things is so cool.  Hope I can follow through on that!

[LonesomeLamp]

I’ve had a few sets in the past. At one point, I had what I’m guessing was Z scale. The loco took a single AA battery lol. I don’t recall a whole lot about it. It came with a very small number of scenery items. Like three trees and a couple power poles. I only remember playing with it once, but I forget why. Probably space or something (I do remember being in the kitchen at the time). At another time, I had one of those massive sets that sits under a Christmas tree. It took C or D size batteries and would also actually make smoke. I’m wanting to say my actual first set was HO scale. I’m not sure where we got it from, but I do remember afterward, we went to the science museum in Tennessee (that was fun). That set lasted a short while before breaking. My next “set” was also HO, but it was given to me in pieces by a cousin (idr why he said he took it apart).

As to my current set, I’m waiting for new tables before I do anything else with it. I do have one steam locomotive/tender that still needs worked on (new motor and some wire and it should be good to go).