Hello everyone! I am Dan, from the Twin Cities. I was first into model railroads years (all 6 of them) ago. But I never had the money, and then college happened. Now 6 years later, I still don't have the money, and the whole college thing is still happening (going back for some different degrees), but I am hoping I can make it work this time around. I am struggling between HO and N scale. HO scale has the locomotives I want, but N scale has the lack of space going for it, and I could always kitbash the locomotive. This debate will continue till I lay track I am sure. I prefer modern setting, although probably will do a proto-freelance rail company.
Welcome to TrainBoard! Even though money is short, the good thing is your interest is there. Keep us posted on what you eventually choose for scale, and any plans thereafter!
Dan, Regardless of HO or N (N is the obvious choice) you will find a great support group here on Trainboard as well as the Twin Cities. I just moved away from there and I miss the people and the great hobby shops already. PM me if you have any questions about MN things.
Thanks everyone so far. Karl, I have to admit, your Skally Line is making me lean towards N scale. Shame you moved down to Vegas. I will PM you once I have some of my mind made up. I think Free-Mo N would be a good route to go with the lack of space.
Great to have you with us, Dan. What are you looking for particularly? There are numerous avenues you might consider, including some of the products available through 3D printing (Shapeways, for instance). A lot of locomotive shells being designed and made available. Look around a bit and don't hesitate to ask about the types you're interested in trying to model.
Thanks! There is a great FreemoN group in the Twin Cities. They are mostly younger guys and they are pretty easy going. If you want their contact info, let me know.
Welcome to Trainboard, Dan. That lack of money, does it have anything to do with student loans? My grandson just graduated and has more debt than I ever had in life.
Welcome aboard, Dan! Because limiting ourselves to only one scale means forgoing what we enjoy in another, some of us have become multi-scale modelers: I host operating sessions on my N-scale layout, and have started an HO switching layout that will (eventually) have much more detailed structures than my N-scale layout.
Well student loans sure are part of it. For what my girlfriend and I (most of that mine) have in student loans, we could have bought a decent house with a nice big basement for a layout! And it isn't helping that I am going back for at least another year in a half. Now that sounds like a great idea. Would work having a couple small switching layouts in each scale till I can build something bigger. My grandpa and mother used to have a big HO layout, with a silver mine modeled in N scale elevated in the back corner of the layout. I wish I could have seen that.
Fellow Twin Cities N scaler here; there are a couple of shops in town with nice selections of stuff in our scale, and occasionally there are shows where good deals are to be had. The club scene really isn't my bag, but they've had nice stuff on display at the shows.
Welcome.... May I suggest eBay for track. Sometimes you can find like new track for really cheap as opposed to brand new from a shop.
Nick, I knew you were a great photographer, but I blitzed on the fact you were and N Scaler too. I should have tried to get you into the FreemoN group before I moved. Everyones about our age and there is a ton of talent there.
I was pretty heavily involved in the N-Trak club when I was in college (in Oklahoma; great club down in OKC), but, the big, free-standing modules like that aren't something I'd be able to groove on right now; I'm actually planning on putting together some T-Trak modules with my oldest (about to turn 4), and enjoy the simplicity of Unitrack, so my worldview at the moment wouldn't exactly jive with what the Freemo guys are all about, lol. In any event, SparkyFTW, if you're interested, I've got an N scale oval with an integrated timesaver on one side; I'd guess it's 6' x 3.5' or so. It's built on solid, legitimate benchwork (wood, faux-grass, cork roadbed; hinges/folds in the middle to carry like a ridiculously long suitcase). It's well built, runs smoothly, and is yours if you want it. If interested, shoot me a PM and we can work out the logistics (I'm in Burnsville, south side of the Twin Cities).
