Hi all, At Mark Watson's suggestion I figured I would introduce myself to the trainboard... I'm 29 years old, and finally getting back into trains. I had an N scale 4x8 layout as an early teenager, which I kinda grew out of and just ran out of time to work on. I got rid of my train table, but kept most of my rolling stock, which I still have to this day. I've always kept an interest in trains, particularly N scale. Random issues of model railroad magazines have found their way into my shopping cart... and well, now I'm finally getting back into active model railroading! My kids are nearly 3 & 5, and Thomas the Train is one of their favorite shows, along with their wooden train play sets. They are out of town for a couple of weeks visiting family, and I'm really trying get some kind of trains running before they get back, just so the "hardest" part is done, since they will just want to play with the trains. Hopefully after that they can start helping me working on scenery, as that is right up their alley.... Anyway, I'm looking forward to all the help I can get, since it's been a long time since I actually worked on model railroads. Hopefully at some point I can provide some information as well instead of just sponge it all up, but it might be a while before I can do that... Thanks for reading my intro, and for allowing me to participate in your forum. Phil
Phil, Buy a bunch of Kato Untrack and one of their recently released Amtrak starter sets. The track is incredibly easy to set up and use -- not what you were used to, probably. You'll have an incredible layout up and running by the time the kids get back. --Bryan
Phil, welcome back, it's great to have you (back) on board. Bryan's suggestion is spot on, not just for the reasons he cited, but also because Unitrack is far less destructable by a 3 or 5 year old than what you had as a teenager. Wooden train sets are blocks that happen to be shaped like trains, but they are still hard blocks that can be dropped, kicked, and thrown. N-Scale trains won't stand up to that abuse, but Unitrack will come closer than any other track. Also if you can pick up an N-Scale Thomas and friends before they return, that will help teach them handling care. Your kids are familiar with Thomas, so should be more careful since they already respect him. Good Luck.
Welcome back! We have a nifty Kato Unitrack Users Group here. It is filled with great ideas and information. If going that route seems appealing, you might wish to check it out. Boxcab E50
Hi Phil, welcome (again) to TrainBoard! I think you'll find that the hobby has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 15-20 years. I see your interested in a lot of modern trains over in your layout design thread, and N scale is definitely the scale to be in for modern unit trains! You might like to check out Jim Reising's Oakville Sub Layout for some large stage N scale unit train action. (Try not to be discouraged by the size of his layout. ) Glad to have you aboard. I (as do many here) enjoy watching new layouts unfold.
Thanks for the welcome! I actually have a thread going on my new layout in progress (it's in the pretty early stages still ) http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?134375-Help-me-design-my-layout The Kato unitrack stuff looks very cool, but it also seems pretty pricey. A while back I bought a bunch of Atlas track, so I'd like to work with that for the time being. Thanks again and I appreciate all the help and information I can get!
Welcome back to model trains and have fun on the Trainboard. The Kato Unitrak group you find quite helpful and quick to assemble. As questions arise ask away; a nice helpful, friendly group here
