So I decide to dip my toes once again into the wonderful world of model railways, I spend a lot of time looking and researching eventually decide to work with N gauge with DCC but then things begin to change when I start to buy.

I decide on my first loco, yes arse about face I know as I don't have track yet but there is a reason for it. I spend ages searching the net and semi local suppliers and I find the one I want almost £40 cheaper than some £13 cheaper than most. I buy it ready for DCC, the service is superb ( I can name the supplier if anyone is interested) it arrives in excellent condition and then I open the box to find a leaflet implying if I fit a chip the guarantee may be void..great but such is life.

Next I go looking for rolling stock, used will suffice to begin with, there are bargains to be had on ebay and Lima items are there, I loved Lima when I modelled 00. Then reading a page on the net I find that although Lima is N gauge its scale is slightly smaller than Graham Farish so their out especially as I had just bought  a BR Mk1 open in Blood and Custard livery made by Farrish for the princely sum of £2.99 plus postage so no mixed scales for me. I also had the worry that the couplings may have been different between manufacturers as they were in OO but nothing seems to tell me that.

Then I notice bidding wars on Ebay, (I must have got lucky first time around) people get the coach or whatever at a good price but once the post and packing is added they are paying the same or more than they would for brand new from a local retailer or on the net!

Then I decide to research track as I'm going to a couple of shows over the next couple of weeks, I decide on everything I need until I come to points, oh dear will I ge :bounce:t insulfrog or electrofrog. Reports appear to conflict at least to my mind, but I decide on electrofrog as the general consensus appears to point that way.

Oh well off to the first show on saturday armed with a list a mile long including track, track connectors insulated and otherwise and much much more.

After that a trip to that temple of a thousand delights (not) called B&Q for a base board and some sturdy hinges so that after usage i can stand it up right to prevent it becoming vandalised by our Maine Coons, they all I  have to work out is how to make the branch the board will align with live..

And now I find I need a new soldering iron as she who must be obeyed chucked my old one out as I never used it...good job I found viagra !

Barry

Ah - the delights of coming back to the hobby.
You'll find everything you need to know here on the forum without ploughing through books etc and what's more you get almost an immediate answer, even if the opinions may vary.
When I returned to N gauge some 5 years ago after an absence of around 20+ years, I made all the mistakes you mentioned (I still have lots of Lima MK1's to find a home for).
The only thing I recalled was to ensure I used electrofrog points..................and then I discovered NGF and lo, my mistake to success ratio changed dramatically.
Sorry, I'm getting all evangelical
Regarding your mile long list for shows, may I suggest you have a quick whizz through the major mail order folks and note their prices for what you are looking for before you go. I have to admit I do not find shows the best place for getting a bargain. A crib sheet helps you to know what is what.

Welcome back to the hobby  from    a sunny downunder

Slow and steady is my advice before parting with the hard cash. Take some time to have  a browse among the many threads here and you will find heaps of advice that may save you some frustrating times.

N has moved on tremendously over the last few years and so maybe a good browse at the shows armed with questions (rather than just cash) may also be very helpful.

Like Nobby (above) I don't find the shows terribly good for bargains anymore. Ebay - you take your chance. Useful tips for that too under the Ebay sections on the forum.

Ask what you like here and someone will always answer. 

The real passion at the moment seems to be buying as many loco as you can - and don't bother with track - and certainly no scenery.

Might be jaded but that's what gets the attention.

Just to clarify this is the N Gauge Forum, not the N Gauge Must Have A Layout Forum

If anyone wants to just collect locos with or without the intention to run them then that is their choice. They may not even own any N Gauge but just like to discuss it with others and that is fine too. All are welcome at NGF


Paul

Echoed here... welcome to the NGF! 

Quote from: ParkeNd on March 07, 2014, 12:26:26 AM
The real passion at the moment seems to be buying as many loco as you can - and don't bother with track - and certainly no scenery.

Might be jaded but that's what gets the attention.

I think that the publicised side of the hobby has seen an influx of the younger generation over the last ten years or so, who have busy lives, whereas pre internet you would only see completed layouts getting into the magazines - who tended to be retired men with spare time.  Of course there are many exceptions!  With the internet we can all see the full construction of each others layouts, which may take years with little progress, as seen on the forum.  A retired man or woman could generally find the time to construct something quite quickly, and would be more inclined to have the work published.

Speaking for myself as a 31 year old, I have spent the last 4 years trying to find the time to make four loops, let alone adding the points!  I've completed two large layouts in the past which had scenery, but after selling the last one 4 years ago my railway playtime has ground to a halt.  Being in my 30's I work full time, plus overtime, I do private work as a chippie, I have got married, two young boys, and this terrible forum which seems to suck away every minute of spare time one could wish for!!!!

Hear hear.

Quote from: Tank on March 07, 2014, 07:38:33 AM

I think that the publicised side of the hobby has seen an influx of the younger generation over the last ten years or so, who have busy lives, whereas pre internet you would only see completed layouts getting into the magazines - who tended to be retired men with spare time.  Of course there are many exceptions!  With the internet we can all see the full construction of each others layouts, which may take years with little progress, as seen on the forum.  A retired man or woman could generally find the time to construct something quite quickly, and would be more inclined to have the work published.

Speaking for myself as a 31 year old, I have spent the last 4 years trying to find the time to make four loops, let alone adding the points!  I've completed two large layouts in the past which had scenery, but after selling the last one 4 years ago my railway playtime has ground to a halt.  Being in my 30's I work full time, plus overtime, I do private work as a chippie, I have got married, two young boys, and this terrible forum which seems to suck away every minute of spare time one could wish for!!!!

This.   Very much this.  My modelling time tends to also mainly be in the winter as there are many more things to do  when the weather gets better.

i like to see the story of a layouts construction, It's one aspect of the hobby that magazines don't seem to do which is to show layouts being created over time as a series or as a diary.  They tend to concentrate on the finished article with a few notes on constructions which most of us can only aspire to getting to .  Probably why i prefer interweb forums to the magazines

Quote from: ParkeNd on March 07, 2014, 12:26:26 AM
The real passion at the moment seems to be buying as many loco as you can - and don't bother with track - and certainly no scenery.

Very practical approach even if you do intend to (eventually) run them on a layout ...
If you wait till you have the track laid and ready, all the locos /stock you have seen in the meantime will no longer be available, so you'll be cursing that fact that you didn't get things when you saw them. I had about 10 A4 filing boxes of locos and stock before I had time to make the first baseboard. By the time I had some track laid I realised I had some surplus items, which went for a profit on Ebay.

Brian

Quote from: 5982 on March 10, 2014, 09:00:35 PM

Quote from: ParkeNd on March 07, 2014, 12:26:26 AM
The real passion at the moment seems to be buying as many loco as you can - and don't bother with track - and certainly no scenery.

Very practical approach even if you do intend to (eventually) run them on a layout ...
If you wait till you have the track laid and ready, all the locos /stock you have seen in the meantime will no longer be available, so you'll be cursing that fact that you didn't get things when you saw them. I had about 10 A4 filing boxes of locos and stock before I had time to make the first baseboard. By the time I had some track laid I realised I had some surplus items, which went for a profit on Ebay.

Brian

It's just stating a fact.

But do you intend to buy every loco Dapol and Farish make?

No need to answer.

Quote from: ParkeNd on March 10, 2014, 10:29:22 PM


It's just stating a fact.

But do you intend to buy every loco Dapol and Farish make?

No need to answer.

Only those which are relevant to my chosen era(s) and region of operation