Beginners guide

Started by Cstewart0809, February 26, 2019, 09:49:35 PM

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Cstewart0809

Hey everyone,

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good beginners guide to making an N gauge model railway . Covering things like how to make scenery, how to glue it down, what products to use etc.

I find YouTube bloody amazing but total information overload. Looking for a book, something up to date.

Cheers guys,

Cameron

Cstewart0809

Also looking for the guide to include information on wiring and lighting for model buildings etc, how to connect it all. Cheers!!!

nookfield

Making A Start In N gauge Modelling is a reasonable book. It takes you though building a complete model

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Start-Gauge-Railway-Modelling/dp/1847975569/

You may be able to borrow a copy from your local library (I did).

EtchedPixels

I would suggest older books from the library. Nothing much has changed in the past fifty years except for DCC and the fact that today's books say "buy X, buy Y, buy Z" while the older ones tell you how to make stuff, although one or two don't pass modern sexism standards (they tend to suggest things like  man makes trains woman makes sandwiches). Some of the old C J Freezer books are great.

IMHO there is only one important rule - start siimple : Start simple and small, make it work, learn, move on. If you try and build a big fancy layout the first time you'll fail as surely as the person who starts guitar by trying to play Iron Maiden solos.

There are a few other useful things to know I find
- Don't be tempted by prehistoric cheap mains powered train controllers, the 1960's didn't have quite the same attitude to safety, and the control on them sucks anyway
- A lot of guidance is written by people who build large and often exhibition layouts. The over-engineer for a home, so when you meet something saying 'wire to every other piece of track' or run two wires to each feed, the answer is 'no'.
- A local club is a big help regardless of scale.

It's also worth having a pile of bits of scrap and just trying all sorts of things out. If you don't understand it get mucky and see what you learn building a tiny bit of scenery.

Lighting I suppose has changed a bit. It used to be tiny bulbs now its LEDs and a resistor. Mostly that means your lights are smaller and don't heat up the model so the plastic warps 8)

"Knowledge has no value or use for the solitary owner: to be enjoyed it must be communicated" -- Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden

nookfield

Quote from: EtchedPixels on February 26, 2019, 10:06:02 PM
although one or two don't pass modern sexism standards (they tend to suggest things like  man makes trains woman makes sandwiches).

Modern sexism standards do not apply to Railway Modelling books. This quote is from a 2013 book by the chairman of the N gauge Society "Generally speaking it is assumed that men and ironing boards will never be seen together."

For wiring the Brian Lambert website is really good. https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/index.html

He has written a Newcomers guide to Model Railways. I did not find this as useful as Making A Start In N Gauge Modelling. This was also borrowed from the local library 

Bealman

#5
A lot of good advice from EP there for what is, let's face it, a myriad of questions!

I do take EP to task on the old transformers, though.... I have a Triang P5 unit that I received for Christmas 1963 which is still powering stage two of my layout, driving a homemade handheld controller, and lighting, smoke units etc! Not bad for a unit which is a staggering 56 years old!!!

Of course, we have resources right here on the forum such as the Knowledge Bank and a beginner's guide written by our very own NewportNobby....  :thumbsup:
Vision over visibility. Bono, U2.

LASteve

I'm a beginner and I can't tell you the great advice and encouragement I have received from this forum. I understand your take on YouTube but I took my time to look through the videos and pick out what I felt was valuable. I found the best advice was from myself - don't be impatient, and don't be afraid to ask for help here!

I've had so much enjoyment from this hobby, and most of it would not have been possible without the people on here!

Good luck with your project! Post pictures and keep us all up-to-date!


NeMo

Quote from: EtchedPixels on February 26, 2019, 10:06:02 PM
IMHO there is only one important rule - start siimple : Start simple and small, make it work, learn, move on. If you try and build a big fancy layout the first time you'll fail as surely as the person who starts guitar by trying to play Iron Maiden solos.

Can I suggest that a diorama might be a very good way to kick off?

My 'Quantock Cutting' for example was built on an A4-sized cork noticeboard that cost a couple of quid. Plenty strong enough for a piece of flexitrack and some scenery, and provided me with a solid weekend of fun. Tried out some new scenic techniques for a start, and had a go at scratchbuilding a bridge. By the end of it I had something that looked nice and gave me confidence to apply such techniques on a larger scale, without having spent much money at all.

Cheers, NeMo
(Former NGS Journal Editor)

stevewalker

Quote from: nookfield on February 26, 2019, 10:54:27 PM
Quote from: EtchedPixels on February 26, 2019, 10:06:02 PM
although one or two don't pass modern sexism standards (they tend to suggest things like  man makes trains woman makes sandwiches).

Modern sexism standards do not apply to Railway Modelling books. This quote is from a 2013 book by the chairman of the N gauge Society "Generally speaking it is assumed that men and ironing boards will never be seen together."

He has clearly never met the sport of Extreme Ironing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ironing

Bealman

NeMo's diorama idea is also a good one.  :thumbsup:

Any scenic material left over can be used on your "real" layout!
Vision over visibility. Bono, U2.

Newportnobby

Quote from: stevewalker on February 27, 2019, 05:30:37 PM
Quote from: nookfield on February 26, 2019, 10:54:27 PM
Quote from: EtchedPixels on February 26, 2019, 10:06:02 PM
although one or two don't pass modern sexism standards (they tend to suggest things like  man makes trains woman makes sandwiches).

Modern sexism standards do not apply to Railway Modelling books. This quote is from a 2013 book by the chairman of the N gauge Society "Generally speaking it is assumed that men and ironing boards will never be seen together."

He has clearly never met the sport of Extreme Ironing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ironing

What utter English madness :laugh3: :smiley-laughing:

stevewalker

For more madness, take a look at the history of The Dangerous Sports Club:

Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D-6cmc17Wk
Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fvGC2Qn2w

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