Joined
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998 Posts
I just joined the group, and already I've had my confidence lifted enough to think I actually will get my railroad started next year. I, too, know or care nothing about gardening, but I bought my house five years ago not knowing that the original occupants were heavy into gardening, although the more recent owners let it all go. I'm slowly getting the place sufficiently neat and low-maintenance. I'll be semi-retired next year and will have time to get started on the railroad that will meander around the 3/4 acre lot.
The area outside my back door is above the rest of the back yard, so it seems right for a small patio and a decent size (hump?) yard. But in my mind's eye, it didn't seem right to have the yard tracks right on the ground. Thanks to a few postings I read just now, I realized that I simply need to build a big box to hold the yard area up a foot or two, and it'll be perfect! Nothing like sitting on the patio with a cold one in one hand, controller in the other, as I make up the consist for the next train out while I wonder if my RDC shouldn't be coming around the side of the house. That would be worth the effort.
To introduce myself, although in Rochester, NY, now, I grew up in Buffalo when it was second only to Chicago for train activity. Wish I had paid more attention back then. I spent a lot of time with basement HO layouts in my 30s and 40s and still have boxfuls of my HO engines, cars, buildings. They should help pay for that RDC, at least. I also have the American Flyer set my brother and I had as kids. That won't be paying for anything; it sits on the mantle at Christmas. (I place the engine a discreet eighth of an inch above the track so the original transformer can actually run the engine in place - chugging, smoke, etc.)
I recently downloaded XtrakCAD v.4.2 - it's totally free, open source - to help me design the "layout". It seems to be able to do just about everything except consider a "table" the size of my lot. But there should be a way around that. I suspect it'll take some time for me to really use it fully.
Good thing I found this site. Boy, have I got questions!
The area outside my back door is above the rest of the back yard, so it seems right for a small patio and a decent size (hump?) yard. But in my mind's eye, it didn't seem right to have the yard tracks right on the ground. Thanks to a few postings I read just now, I realized that I simply need to build a big box to hold the yard area up a foot or two, and it'll be perfect! Nothing like sitting on the patio with a cold one in one hand, controller in the other, as I make up the consist for the next train out while I wonder if my RDC shouldn't be coming around the side of the house. That would be worth the effort.
To introduce myself, although in Rochester, NY, now, I grew up in Buffalo when it was second only to Chicago for train activity. Wish I had paid more attention back then. I spent a lot of time with basement HO layouts in my 30s and 40s and still have boxfuls of my HO engines, cars, buildings. They should help pay for that RDC, at least. I also have the American Flyer set my brother and I had as kids. That won't be paying for anything; it sits on the mantle at Christmas. (I place the engine a discreet eighth of an inch above the track so the original transformer can actually run the engine in place - chugging, smoke, etc.)
I recently downloaded XtrakCAD v.4.2 - it's totally free, open source - to help me design the "layout". It seems to be able to do just about everything except consider a "table" the size of my lot. But there should be a way around that. I suspect it'll take some time for me to really use it fully.
Good thing I found this site. Boy, have I got questions!
)
