hi folks
what got you going into the world of model railway
when did you start
did you finish your first layout if so do you still have it
what was your layout and how big was it and was it in n gauge
what was your first rolling stock you got and do you still have it
how big is your current layout now

Hornby clockwork O gauge, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away 

In order -

i) It was something I had been considering for a while. Whilst doing some 'research', I came across the forum and the rest, as they say, is history

ii) January 2015

iii & iv) Yes, a 4' x 2' coffee table layout in n gauge which I still have

v) The GF Coal Train set which I still have

vi) 12' x 4' ish 'Averingcliffe' (started January 2016)

Dad bought Triang OO trains and built all the Airfix railway kits back when I was very young in the 60s.  If he'd have been into model boats or planes I'd probably have gone in the same direction 

My first N gauge was in 1974, a Bachmann American set bought in Fiji of all places! (Dad was working out there at the time)

I've had traditional 6x4 flat layouts that winched up to the ceiling, long thin layouts along the side of the bedroom wall,  large constructions in my student flat that were never finished, stand-in-the-middle layouts - all sorts!    I took my first N layout to an exhibition as a schoolboy in the late 70s.

I became dissatisfied with the qualities of British N at the time and changed over to European in the early 80s.  I've not regretted that, though current British N has certainly caught up in many respects now.

My current layout was built in 1995/6 as 13' x 3', as an exhibition layout. It's been to well over 70 shows here and in Germany.



it's had additional sections built in later years and has joined in with huge modular layout systems.



I'm currently building a loco depot / Steam Museum module.

Originally, a OO trainset for Christmas when I was bout 7-8. That eventually migrated to, and took over most of, the loft. Then I got involved with the real thing and modelling took a large backwards step.

Roll on nearly 40 years and I saw a post on the local facebook group about a local club, who happened to have a model of the station at my now nearest town so I went along to have a look. I liked what I saw so I joined.
They lent me a book about the industrial history of the town which I got to about page 3/4 before decided I wanted my own copy. when I found one I also browsed, as one does, the shelves for any other books of interest. One was about the Coniston Railway, so I bought it. Inside were track plans for the stations so I started thinking about doing Coniston - which I worked out I could fit in 8'x4' - if I switched to N gauge, so I did.

I started on Coniston almost a year ago and it's practically finished, so I decided to go the whole hog and build models of the other three stations as well. They will all, as well as Coniston, fit (just) around the sides of my spare room with linking boards between them and I'll also do different linking boards to allow me to take them elsewhere large enough and set up in a row.

The current state of progress;

Coniston - 8' x 4', pretty well completed apart from "bringing it to life" with people, animals, clutter, etc.
Torver - 6' x 2' (inc detachable fiddle yard), track laid, wired up, ballasted and now working on the scenery.
Woodland - 6' x 2' (inc detachable fiddle yard), track laid and tested, working on motorised level crossing gates before moving on to all the wiring.
Broughton-in-Furness - 8' x 2'6" (inc detachable fiddle yard), baseboard made and that's it so far.

I had the obligatory Hornby Three Rail layout when I was a lad.
Lost interest, like we do, in my teens although I retained a passing interest in railways.
My interest in modelling was rekindled about 12 years ago (I'm 64 now).
I built Port Perran (v1) in N (6ft x 4ft) with little knowledge or guidance but it was ok.
That was rebuilt  to V2 about 3 years later but is now stowed away out of use.
Trepol Bay, my current home layout is approx 4x2 with a large fiddle yard at the rear. I'm reasonably happy with it but it has many faults which I never seem to get round to fixing properly. I'd like to redo several of the buildings and realign some of the track - maybe one day.
Since then I've built Tregonning (my layout in a largish case) and helped to build a largish representation of Bodmin Road at our local club.
I do like exhibiting, you can learn a lot from others and it's great to chat to folk, but I prefer exhibiting smaller layouts as it's less hassle to set up.
My interest is very much the late 50s / eatrlyb60s transition period (when I was growing up) and I really prefer the scenic side of modelling.
Electrics, sound, DCC and complex track plans hold little interest for me but, of course, each to their own.

My dad had a large N gauge layout in the garage, 3-rail was long gone by the time I came around, but I got a 4x2'6" OO gauge layout for my 3rd birthday, that grew into the garage, replacing the N gauge. Exactly like Martin I lost interest in my teenage years but retained a passing interest in railways. Got back into it with a visit to Warley and the purchase of a Farish Voyager in 2010 (aged 24) once I'd moved out. Still building my first layout, it's not really got anywhere after 7 years!

Lone Star die cast about 1959.
A very small set of Hornby tinplate a little later.
Playcraft/Joueff clockwork around 1961, an electric set a year later.
Triang/Hornby 1966 (this was mixed up with the Joueff I already had)
N gauge 1975
Back to 4mm about 1980, including a dabble in EM.
Back to N in 1987, and been there since..........

I still have two carriages (badly repainted) from Playcraft, and a couple of wagons; also some N gauge locos from 1975, and some 4mm from my last attempt.

First basic layout was OO on a 4x2 piece of hardboard (yes, I know!), around 1970.

Martyn

Tri-ang 00 train set on the dining table when I was 8.
Interest in girls started when I took my first girlfriend trainspotting to Bletchley station when I was 13. For some reason she never went out with me again
Took up N gauge in about 1982 and, yes, I still have some of the stock from then and, no, I've never completed a layout yet
Current effort is 8ft x 4ft (main layout) and about 9ft x 2ft (secondary layout)

Of course, it helped my Dad worked in Wolverton Railway Works

The Hornby APT got me hooked. I never saw the real thing in the flesh pre-preservation but I was fascinated by the iconic futuristic look. I never got one at the time (well meaning parents got me a 37 and a Western instead) but it was the train I always wanted. I finally picked one up 2nd hand about 10 years later when I got my first paper round.

Mick;

"Interest in girls started when I took my first girlfriend trainspotting to Bletchley station when I was 13. For some reason she never went out with me again"

The first time I took a certain girl out, we visited Model Junction, Bury St Edmunds; she ended up on her own for about 20' whilst I took some model drawings from the shop to be photocopied nearby.

We've been married for 33 years now..........

My cousin's first day out with a girl whom he later married was to Cohen's scrapyard in Kettering photographing withdrawn steam locos.......

Martyn

Quote from: Newportnobby on October 24, 2019, 11:10:40 AM
I took my first girlfriend trainspotting to Bletchley station when I was 13. For some reason she never went out with me again

Hmm... a Western Region lass?

Quote from: tutenkhamunsleeping on October 24, 2019, 11:51:26 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on October 24, 2019, 11:10:40 AM
I took my first girlfriend trainspotting to Bletchley station when I was 13. For some reason she never went out with me again

Hmm... a Western Region lass?

But she never offered to pay for us to go to Oxford

Granddad  (Mum side) was A GWR / BR, Lengthman - Ganger, Ludgershall Wilts
Grandma (Dads side) was the daughter of the local coal merchant, with wagons on the railways pre nationalisation.

I was always interested in railways, first set was the old triang equivalent of smokey joe a couple of wagons and a circle of track.
This developed into a 6X3 with a GWR hall and a couple of carriages and papier mache scenery.

Then we moved.. twice.
Another attempt with the above with a bit more stock..

Then Joined the RAF became member of RAF Locking MRC
then a founder member of RAF Coltishall MRC, for about 2 months before..
Getting posted to the outer hebridies, moved a couple of times more gained SWMBO.

so that was the end for model railways for 20 years.. My nephews and nieces slowy destroyed what was my model railway at my parents, I've recovered just a few bits and pieces..

Then saw a strange garden railway in a second hand shop.. didn't buy it but...
Built a 63ft by 12 to 16ft wide shed for..
an EM gauge railway of Ludgershall very slowly still in progress.

Joined Broadland MRC.. who just happen to be originally RAF Coltishall MRC.
co-opted to work on  the electronics of an N gauge Model railway that had been bought by a member, after a couple of years he sadly died and his widow gave me the railway. see https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=38780.0

i was only 4 and recovering from an operation. having been sickly and could not get out my late Grandfather came home with a 6 x 4 , tow ovals of track, 4 points, 2 locos , 3 coaches, 6 wagons. the rest is history.... been hooked ever since. still have the stock in boxes marked with a pencil and sticker and old denomination money if that makes sense he dug out a 1960s dublo triang

sadly I converted to N gauge after his death and had to move home so space was an issue.