Also add on tools,paints,solvents an airbrush etc on top of the physical trains .here in ireland its really expensive to do irish railways some used stuff is more pricey than new.
I started 15 years ago with the Bachmann Rail king Santa Fe set bought from Hobby lobby and worked my way up. Now I run Broadway limited locomotives with the Digitrax DCS-52. I have 1 HO scale, 2 N scale and 1 O scale Lionel which is my wife’s set.
A lot depends on how knowledgeable you are about the hobby and how thrifty a shopper you are. Go to a train show with an experienced model railroader to help you shop for the best bargains. DC is best for a first layout.
Been in the hobbyfor 67 years. Currently building my 7th layout. (Over500 sf). Recommend good quality locos and cars )less problems more reliable. Most economical approach is to design a simple layout with good quality track roadbed and a solid wood sub roadbed and bench work. You can save money by hand laying track if you have the skill and inclination. Otherwise minimize the number of switches. Keep the layout simple (which gives a more prototypical design). Also design the layout in phases so it can be expanded in the future. I figure I spend less than what I would have if I smoked. But definitely go with a small number of engines and rolling stock of good quality and good quality flex track and switches and simplify the track design to minimize the number of switches and redundant track. Natural scenery can be cost effective. Rolling hills made can be made with cardboard strips and kraft paper with plaster covering and cheap diluted flat house paint. Make trees. Good trees are not difficult. Best advice is to join a club with experienced modellers. Best of luck. It’s a great hobby!!🚂
I was given my first train set in the 70s, and it was a TYCO steam locomotive set. 50 yrs later, I still have the locomotive and the cars that came with it. The train set is just a stepping stone to the train layout, and I'd def start with DCC for the first actual layout. But before spending any money on a layout, I'd suggest determining what you want first to save time and money. Freelance? Prototype? If so, which one? What era? What location? Running or operating? Passenger trains? To figure this out and to prevent having to re-do everything, I'd also suggest joining a club, going to train shows, getting a subscription to MR or RMC, and spend a large amount of time on UA-cam, Facebook groups, etc.
A complete Bachman train set is what got me going in the hobby. So i think that is pretty good advice. As far as DC vs DCC I elected to stay with DC only so I could instead spend that money on building a large scale layout. I did wire it up so I could transition to DCC at a later date. Good video and pretty sound logic.
I started with a Tyco trainset back in the early 80s. It was perfect. There was some playability with some of the action accessories that kept the set from suffering from the "train chasing its tail" all the time. I was young and basically broke most of it. But, it opened the door to the hobby. Soon after, I found an issue of Model Railroader at the local book store and was blown away with what others were doing. Fastforward a few decades, I'm still just as hooked on the trains as I was with that first transet. Knowing what I know now, I think if I were a teenager or a bit older getting into the hobby now, I'd probably join a model railroad club first to find out what I really enjoy most about the hobby. Following that up with a locomotive purchase to run at the club.
I started in HO with a train set, in fact that was back in 1973 when I was in my late teens, so its been a while. An uncle gave me the bug by giving me O-27 trains when I was like three. Model railroading has been a good hobby and even a career at times. Look at it like therapy, its cheaper than a shrink, and you have something besides receipts and opinions when you are done. If you do jump into DCC, don't do what I did, buy a quality system. Buy something expandable, read reviews and ask questions at a local hobby shop. I won't say anything in particular, but I'm replacing my first DCC system with one from NCE.
I'm re-entering the hobby, and got a few pointers from both N and HO: N is cheaper, more space efficient, and from experience, what may be a locomotive and 5 cars in HO can be an engine or 2 and 10-12 cars in N scale. Sound is a luxury, and you should be perfectly able to live without it(I'll be going in and disabling sound on all my future DCC/Sound engines as I live track-side, and its torture after 9 years), and honestly, from this an honest price-point is that starting, you should save up $500 for HO, $250 for N, and O $1,000. That will get you a DECENT controller, track with a siding, a decent, mid-range engine(it'll take some abuse so you learn how to handle higher priced engines), and 4 or 5 peices of rolling stock. Finally, while you're getting started, dont worry about era, railroad, or if something isn't "PrOToTyPiCaLy AcCrUrAtE", if you get transition era equipment and it turns out that aint your thing, but you still want to hold onto them, hold onto them for a preservation society, a rail museum, or track-side abandoned equipment(there are actual IRL sources of such, one that use to be local to me was ACL 20767, which now resides at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. As for DC vs DCC: N scale has it easy with Kato Unitrack, which have built in power routing, in HO no such thing exists, but I do recommend sticking with DC for the first 2-3 years. Look for engines that are "DCC ready", as they can be converted later on. DC will allow you to experiment with engines, and with track options such as Bachmann EZ track, pulling the rail joiners off to create an isolated track section is easy. I also realize that life expenses are a thing, so I advise not jumping right into DCC as mentioned prior. Your first 2-3 years should be to see if you like the hobby, not delve head-first because you had a quick bit of interest and are moving on, and with how expensive this hobby can be, make sure you got yourself handled first. Also, if you find that model trains are NOT your thing, they rarely have any actual resale value(being brutally honest), only go DCC if you are SERIOUS about getting into the hobby. Edit: *Absolutely do code 100! it's easier to rerail, and gets you use to putting trains on the tracks, code 83 is for a bit later on* Remember folks, not all model railroaders come from a interest of trains.
For a starter, I would have suggested one of Bachmann's Bluetooth sets since they are super easy to set up, have sound, and all you need is a smartphone or tablet to get it running. If you did decide to go in on DCC later on, the Bluetooth engines will still be compatible on DCC vs. DC where it will require complete conversions which can cost $$$. However, it looks like Bachmann discontinued their Bluetooth line as I don't see any sets or Bluetooth products for that matter anywhere for sale even from online model railroad retailers. The only other company that still does Bluetooth in their starter sets is Lionel in O and HO. Lionel O is a little pricey and their HO sets are not really good for the price they offer for them.
I am an HO scale brass model train collector who hope to build a layout someday. None of my brass engines and rolling stock are equipped with DCC. I hope one day to have some of my brass engines installed with a sound system. So naturally, this hobby with get extremely expensive for me. But, when I finally get aroung to building and completing a layout, I will definitely want my engines to have DCC because of the advantages a DCC system affords me. So, I am prepared to have to pay more to get real pleasure from the world's GREATEST hobby. Installing sound in brass models ,which are the most expensive models on the market, to run on a DCC system will break the bank. I expect that to be the case, and can live with it. I LOVE brass models and I love the model railroad hobby.
Installing DCC with sound in brass steam engines requires one to take apart the tenders and then re-solder them after the install. You never mentioned your era, so I assume it is steam era? I was able to do one of my steamers and sold off the rest of the fleet and now stick to more modern fare. I wish you well in your endeavors.
Gently used is a great way to start. Face it, what you 1st buy isn't what you wind up with. It gets you started and you can learn your likes & dislikes
Spend all that money and time just to watch it go around and around. My friend told me it's stupid - and I finally realized he is right. Not to mention it takes up a lot of space and it just gets full of dust.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Also add on tools,paints,solvents an airbrush etc on top of the physical trains .here in ireland its really expensive to do irish railways some used stuff is more pricey than new.
I started 15 years ago with the Bachmann Rail king Santa Fe set bought from Hobby lobby and worked my way up. Now I run Broadway limited locomotives with the Digitrax DCS-52. I have 1 HO scale, 2 N scale and 1 O scale Lionel which is my wife’s set.
A lot depends on how knowledgeable you are about the hobby and how thrifty a shopper you are. Go to a train show with an experienced model railroader to help you shop for the best bargains. DC is best for a first layout.
Been in the hobbyfor 67 years. Currently building my 7th layout. (Over500 sf). Recommend good quality locos and cars )less problems more reliable. Most economical approach is to design a simple layout with good quality track roadbed and a solid wood sub roadbed and bench work. You can save money by hand laying track if you have the skill and inclination. Otherwise minimize the number of switches. Keep the layout simple (which gives a more prototypical design). Also design the layout in phases so it can be expanded in the future. I figure I spend less than what I would have if I smoked. But definitely go with a small number of engines and rolling stock of good quality and good quality flex track and switches and simplify the track design to minimize the number of switches and redundant track. Natural scenery can be cost effective. Rolling hills made can be made with cardboard strips and kraft paper with plaster covering and cheap diluted flat house paint. Make trees. Good trees are not difficult. Best advice is to join a club with experienced modellers. Best of luck. It’s a great hobby!!🚂
I was given my first train set in the 70s, and it was a TYCO steam locomotive set. 50 yrs later, I still have the locomotive and the cars that came with it. The train set is just a stepping stone to the train layout, and I'd def start with DCC for the first actual layout. But before spending any money on a layout, I'd suggest determining what you want first to save time and money. Freelance? Prototype? If so, which one? What era? What location? Running or operating? Passenger trains? To figure this out and to prevent having to re-do everything, I'd also suggest joining a club, going to train shows, getting a subscription to MR or RMC, and spend a large amount of time on UA-cam, Facebook groups, etc.
A complete Bachman train set is what got me going in the hobby. So i think that is pretty good advice. As far as DC vs DCC I elected to stay with DC only so I could instead spend that money on building a large scale layout. I did wire it up so I could transition to DCC at a later date. Good video and pretty sound logic.
I started with a Tyco trainset back in the early 80s. It was perfect. There was some playability with some of the action accessories that kept the set from suffering from the "train chasing its tail" all the time. I was young and basically broke most of it. But, it opened the door to the hobby. Soon after, I found an issue of Model Railroader at the local book store and was blown away with what others were doing. Fastforward a few decades, I'm still just as hooked on the trains as I was with that first transet. Knowing what I know now, I think if I were a teenager or a bit older getting into the hobby now, I'd probably join a model railroad club first to find out what I really enjoy most about the hobby. Following that up with a locomotive purchase to run at the club.
I started with a tyco set when I was a kid. It was awesome. Your recommendations are very good, I think.
I started in HO with a train set, in fact that was back in 1973 when I was in my late teens, so its been a while. An uncle gave me the bug by giving me O-27 trains when I was like three. Model railroading has been a good hobby and even a career at times. Look at it like therapy, its cheaper than a shrink, and you have something besides receipts and opinions when you are done. If you do jump into DCC, don't do what I did, buy a quality system. Buy something expandable, read reviews and ask questions at a local hobby shop. I won't say anything in particular, but I'm replacing my first DCC system with one from NCE.
I'm re-entering the hobby, and got a few pointers from both N and HO: N is cheaper, more space efficient, and from experience, what may be a locomotive and 5 cars in HO can be an engine or 2 and 10-12 cars in N scale. Sound is a luxury, and you should be perfectly able to live without it(I'll be going in and disabling sound on all my future DCC/Sound engines as I live track-side, and its torture after 9 years), and honestly, from this an honest price-point is that starting, you should save up $500 for HO, $250 for N, and O $1,000. That will get you a DECENT controller, track with a siding, a decent, mid-range engine(it'll take some abuse so you learn how to handle higher priced engines), and 4 or 5 peices of rolling stock. Finally, while you're getting started, dont worry about era, railroad, or if something isn't "PrOToTyPiCaLy AcCrUrAtE", if you get transition era equipment and it turns out that aint your thing, but you still want to hold onto them, hold onto them for a preservation society, a rail museum, or track-side abandoned equipment(there are actual IRL sources of such, one that use to be local to me was ACL 20767, which now resides at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. As for DC vs DCC: N scale has it easy with Kato Unitrack, which have built in power routing, in HO no such thing exists, but I do recommend sticking with DC for the first 2-3 years. Look for engines that are "DCC ready", as they can be converted later on. DC will allow you to experiment with engines, and with track options such as Bachmann EZ track, pulling the rail joiners off to create an isolated track section is easy. I also realize that life expenses are a thing, so I advise not jumping right into DCC as mentioned prior. Your first 2-3 years should be to see if you like the hobby, not delve head-first because you had a quick bit of interest and are moving on, and with how expensive this hobby can be, make sure you got yourself handled first. Also, if you find that model trains are NOT your thing, they rarely have any actual resale value(being brutally honest), only go DCC if you are SERIOUS about getting into the hobby.
Edit: *Absolutely do code 100! it's easier to rerail, and gets you use to putting trains on the tracks, code 83 is for a bit later on* Remember folks, not all model railroaders come from a interest of trains.
For a starter, I would have suggested one of Bachmann's Bluetooth sets since they are super easy to set up, have sound, and all you need is a smartphone or tablet to get it running. If you did decide to go in on DCC later on, the Bluetooth engines will still be compatible on DCC vs. DC where it will require complete conversions which can cost $$$. However, it looks like Bachmann discontinued their Bluetooth line as I don't see any sets or Bluetooth products for that matter anywhere for sale even from online model railroad retailers. The only other company that still does Bluetooth in their starter sets is Lionel in O and HO. Lionel O is a little pricey and their HO sets are not really good for the price they offer for them.
I am an HO scale brass model train collector who hope to build a layout someday. None of my brass engines and rolling stock are equipped with DCC. I hope one day to have some of my brass engines installed with a sound system. So naturally, this hobby with get extremely expensive for me. But, when I finally get aroung to building and completing a layout, I will definitely want my engines to have DCC because of the advantages a DCC system affords me. So, I am prepared to have to pay more to get real pleasure from the world's GREATEST hobby. Installing sound in brass models ,which are the most expensive models on the market, to run on a DCC system will break the bank. I expect that to be the case, and can live with it. I LOVE brass models and I love the model railroad hobby.
Installing DCC with sound in brass steam engines requires one to take apart the tenders and then re-solder them after the install. You never mentioned your era, so I assume it is steam era? I was able to do one of my steamers and sold off the rest of the fleet and now stick to more modern fare. I wish you well in your endeavors.
Model Railroading has become proof that a fool and his money are soon departed.
Gently used is a great way to start. Face it, what you 1st buy isn't what you wind up with. It gets you started and you can learn your likes & dislikes
Good video, but for first train and entering hobby I would start with DC.
it is as expencive as you want it to be
Spend all that money and time just to watch it go around and around. My friend told me it's stupid - and I finally realized he is right. Not to mention it takes up a lot of space and it just gets full of dust.
Gee, compared to golf and bowling, model trains are a dirt cheap hobby..
And, don't even get me started about the shooting/ hunting hobby.
As expensive as you want to make it.