I had a 00 setup when I was a child, but when my parents decided to convert our loft it got dismantled, packed into boxes, and put into storage.
Years later I've got a place big enough to have my own man-cave, and am planning on digging out my old bits and pieces and setting it all up again.
It's crossed my mind that things might have changed a bit since the early 90's. What advice do you guys have for someone who's missed out on everything that's happened in the last 25 years?
Find a bank to rob ! - you can potentially consume lots of dosh if you are not careful, as there are a lot of tempting trains and accessories and everything is a lot more expensive than it used to be.
Seriously look into DCC control as it is a whole different world and provides a basis to control each individual train rather than simply the track, plus it gives the benefit of real sound if you are interested........ that said many still enjoy silent DC running, so very much the choice of the individual.
Hope you have fun regardless, but be prepared to become obsessed - enjoy and good luck.
Hi - welcome to the forum. I would suggest you get a copy of Brian Lambert's book - The Newcomer's Guide to Model Railways: A Step-by-step Guide to the Complete Model Railway - available on Amazon, and have good read. Ask any questions you like, you will always get an answer on here. BB
I guess any track and locos you have at present were bought new so will fit the current track. (As you will learn, not all 00 locos and stock are made equal.)
Avoid 2nd hand older stock that can be affordable until you know what you're getting. Flange sizes have varied over the years and this means that not all locos, coaches or wagons can negotiate modern track.
Don't spend 10years planning - get on and do it! Start small and simple and accept you will make a lot of mistakes and will start over again and again.
Ask any questions in here and someone will answer and many will know the 'right' answer!
Welcome to the forum,,,,,,,,,,,,,
When starting afresh the question of going DC or DCC control is paramount. I think one factor is cost. As previously mentioned the cost of DCC can be enormous. If you buy a loco which is basic 12v DC it may cost £140 say. If you choose the sound version you can double that often. (that is only a guide of course) If you already have loads of locos and rolling stock and controllers which are DC then you may choose staying with what you have and you will only have to buy some track as everything else is boxed up and ready to be used again. So not much extra cost there.
If you would like to go with DCC control first thing to consider is how many locos you have to convert at a cost of £20 per loco, and I expect most of them need servicing as well because any loco to be run with DCC must first be in good running condition on DC before conversion or they will not work well with DCC control. DCC will not make poor running locos run better, in fact they will probably run worse.
After you have made up your mind DC or DCC next is the fun bit starting to build the base boards and laying the track (I hate laying track LOL) Well it is not the track I hate it is the ballasting afterwards. But you don't have to ballast if you don't want to do you.
If only there was enough hours in the day..................John
To DCC or not to DCC. That is the question...
Alas poor cash. I knew you so well...
DCC is expensive, but does have some benefits. It all depends on ones outlook. The same goes for todays models. Todays models are more detailed and a little smoother running as far as the locos are concerned, but come with hefty price tags and occasionally almost incurable troubles to match. (While occasional issues do crop up over the years, it seems there have been a few more of them then there used to be, the most common of which has been the dreaded mazak rot).
Now the good and great things are that you can get absolute bargains secondhand at prices none of us thought they would be. Coaches for less then ten pounds each. Wagons for less then five pounds each. Locos for less then twenty pounds each. Ok, it all depends on the individual item, but you get the drift.
If you intend to keep to a budget stay with DC but get decent DC controllers from firms like Morley or Gaugemaster (Thee are a few others).
Now if you are fortunate enough to be blessed with a healthy modelling budget, then you will be well blessed to move into DCC and get all the latest models. What is the difference between DC and DCC? Your basic trainset controller in the past was DC. It normally gave 0 to 12v DC to the track. 0 volt meant nothing moved and 12 volt meant trains went flat out.
Now do you remember Zero 1 by Hornby? The idea being that a higher voltage was applied to the track (With Zero 1 it was 20 volts if I remember) and every locomotive had a decoder fittied. A signal went through the current in the track to tell the decoder what to do....
Well todays DCC is along those lines and has advanced much further then that. The older systems like Zero 1 did work but the achilles heel was that only the manufacturers decoders could be used with the manufacturers controller. DCC was a way to correct this by introducing a new set of rules (Started by Bernard Lenz who founded the Lenz controller systems still available today) and these new set of rules became universally adopted so not only would one make of decoder be compatible with another make, but they have also advanced from there. One can turn lights on and off and even sound all from the controller.
The advancements in the locos themselves will be especially appreciated if one is into ones diesels. For example, many of todays diesels now have a centrally mounted motor and all wheel drive with all wheel pickups.
The DCC decoders not only have become more advanced in what they can do (And so have the controllers), but the decoders have become much smaller and easier to fit as well. There is even DCC sound available in N gauge.
Cost is the main downside along with un-necessary complexity. Decoders need to be programmed, sometimes needing experimentation just to get the trains to go. Some DCC systems now run on computers. It is almost reaching the point where (Dare I say it?) the trains themselves are a side line to a new hobby concentrating on DCC, which is something that wasn't considered in the past. Mind you, there's nothing wrong about tht. Hey, if computer enthusiasts want to run trains then why not as both hobbies can compliment each other graciously.
But for me afer a series of unexpected circumstances I have become a 7mm narrow gauge modeller.
So the key to happy modelling is to find something you enjoy and go and enjoy it!
Last edited by Mountain Goat on Sun Apr 21, 2019 7:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Welcome to the friendly and helpful forum. I went for DCC because it seemed simpler wiring-wise and I hoped to future proof what I was building (although I'm sure the technology will move on again very quickly. To reiterate what has already been said - it's a marvellous hobby but very,very addictive - you just want to keep improving your skills all the time and what you have done so far never seems good enough!
Ah. That is what happened to me before I changed scale. No matter what I had it wasn't enough, and yet I had far more then I needed. Changing scale to a scale and gauge where I had to make everything myself either in kit form or to my own designs meant that the enthusiasm to keep collecting means I have to make the things!
