From a track layout point of view I'd say build it yourself; unless you've built one before, you may not know what kind of layout suits how you want to operate it. My layout's undergone about 7 revisions as I've bought new stuff and then re-jigged the whole thing, I've adapted it to the way I play with it and currently (2 years later) it's about where I'd be happy to nail it all down (although revision 8 may be on the cards as I want more turntable sections...)

Thank you for the replies 

So apart from the forum is there -

- any free track planning software i can use

- DCC wiring guide on the internet or youtube

- Landscape / scenery tutorial on the internet or youtube  ( tunnels, bridges, hillsides etc )


Thank you

Phil

Phil, a lot of us were taught by paper media.... magazines and books which have the advantage that they can be on hand while you build.

However, there are gurus here who can help in all the fields you mention.

- any free track planning software i can use
SCARM has a good list of Peco track and is free
http://www.scarm.info/index.php

- DCC wiring guide on the internet or youtube
http://www.dccconcepts.com/resources/the-layout-wires-and-wiring??id=all
Soo many advice pdf's for bedtime reading
Also:
http://www.dccconcepts.com/hobby-resources??id=/resources/the-track-laying-and-ballasting
You need to click a selection in step 1, then a type, then "take me there".

- Landscape / scenery tutorial on the internet or youtube  ( tunnels, bridges, hillsides etc )
Youtube is full of them. Have you considered joining a local club and getting some experience under the watchful eye of someone who has done it before?

Boris

Scarm is good as it can give you a 3D view of your plans but I use AnyRail which is in my view a lot simpler to learn.

Depends on how computer savvy you are I guess!

Here's a link: https://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html

Dave G

definately go for a self build small layout like i did.i am a new comer to model railways knowing nothing at all .just buy the regular monthly train mags ,looking for usefull videos and track plans.go to a good local shop as they are always enthusiats and a wealth of knowledge.they will put you on the right track.i have nearly finished my first layout and i am very pleased that everything works perfectly. just take your time and think through  everything before you do anything at all. the main thing is read read everything you can get your hand on.then just enjoy the whole build, hopefully you will be hooked like me.it is a hobby so just take your time.i am in my 70s and wish i had started years ago when i was fit healthy and more mobile than i am now.

so hoping this helps and enjoy
carpy

Go into Google or Bing images and type in "small model railway layouts  " or "small model railway plans"
and you will see a huge number of possibilities. The scale doesn't matter because any layout in 0 or 00
can be built in N. Also do the same in YouTube. I think building your own would be the best route.

Basic carpentry work is all that's required and the wiring for a basic layout is pretty simple.
Also DIY saves a lot of cash compared with buying a ready made layout, and steer clear
of Ebay layouts because apart from the  fact they're often overpriced the condition might 
be poor unless you could inspect them.

Once the board is built, the track laid , wired and ballasted, the scenery is the most important.
I think that's the hardest part of a layout, on the forum you can see layouts that look like the
real thing due to painstaking work.

Anyway enjoy, it's just for fun!

Quote from: Agrippa on February 11, 2015, 11:07:03 AM
Go into Google or Bing images and type in "small model railway layouts  " or "small model railway plans"
and you will see a huge number of possibilities. The scale doesn't matter because any layout in 0 or 00
can be built in N.

Don't forget that OO plans don't scale to N by halving the dimensions; somewhere around 2/3rds of the OO size is more practical (i.e. 6'x4' in OO would be 4'x2'8" in N).