After having been directed to the "on the road again" thread, which is a true showcase, I am curious to find out what is going on here... but I would like to introduce myself first:

I live in the greater Stuttgart area of southwestren Germany; trains - the real thing and model railroading have been part of my life for 50 of my 52 years - one of which was spent in Dayton OH.

With 3 of my friends, I have been building a modular HO switching layout which I have christened "City Limits", as it is situated in an urban area. We are working on this 60 ft layout since 2007 and will be proud to present it at the 3rd Convention for US-Model Railroading in Germany in Mid-October.

We do not follow specific prototype, but have included, using "selective compression", many scenes that some of us have discovered on their railfanning trips around the Northeast Corridor. Our time frame ranges from the early 70's to the early 80's, concentrating on Conrail and its predecessors, in various "patched" paint schemes. We use DCC with Digitrax throttles.

I like to arrange small scenes with cars and figures, as well as kitbashing strucutures, I am always looking for German kits by Faller or others that get "americanized" by changing roofs, windows and other details. As an architectural engineer, this part of the hobby is closest to my real life...

Train Shows and presenting my layouts and workshops have been important to me since 1992: I have participated at one to four shows every year since; in Germany as well as in Switzerland, Italy and Austria. Travelling with my layouts is an important part of my hobby.

I never cared much for taking pictures, not even of trains. When I left for the US in 1986, my uncle gave me a camera - which led to thousands of slides, taken until going digital in 2004... I haven't shot many trains since then. Maybe I miss the excitement of getting the slides back after weeks and discovering - you know what - the bad ones outnumbering the good exposures...

I have written for German model railroad magazines since ca. 2000, plus a book, exclusively about american model trains. My most recent publication was just a couple of weeks ago.

Enough? Losing you patience? Thanks. Photos will follow.

Gday guys,

Hailing from Sydney Australia, I was originally into slot cars, but I ended up re-finding my passion for MRR after stumbling upon the masterful Troels (Kirk)& Shamus of Badger Creek fame. They had inspired me to try and implement a 1:32 scale slotcar and rail On30 (i know different scales). I had the benchwork done, decided on a theme, but when came to designing the cars around a turn century logging theme didnt quite fit with Ferrari's or rally cars zipping around the Shays ...So I decided to ditch the cars and go back to the trains. I had started the landscaping and found that this was relaxing on my days off and away from the kids. Basically the back shed is only 3x3mt and have trouble fitting the layout and gardening stuff, so I am going to go back into the house. My 'office' is the single garage converted to rumpus at 3.5mt x 7mt so i should have a little more space....

Please, if i ask stupid 'basic' questions, thats because I am still an amateur to all this, but bear with me...

Here's some pics of what got me reignited





thanks

Cheers

Brendan

Hi all,

Has been armchair railroading the past 25 years, but is back in the hobby after seeing Jeff Reynolds fantastic layout "Mears Madness" in an old issue of RMC. A week later after reading in a Swedish model railway magazine about Troels Kirk's wonderful layout I was hooked ..

So here I am, reading all about incredibly well-made layouts, DCC, and other new technologies.

This will be fun ...

Regards

Per

Greetings Ya'all.

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aran Sendan and I live on the Garden Island of Kauai in the State of Hawaii (in the USA for those who think Hawaii is a foreign country). I am 61 years old - quintessential aging baby boomer demographics - more or less happily married to my wife for the last 37 years, the father of three sons (no daughters), two grand daughters with way too much charm and five grand sons.

While I have earned my living as a building/remodeling contractor mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area, now I divide my time between battling the jungle on our two acres of rain forest and working on my 17 by 24 HO scale railroad.

It's a pike that tries to be all things. It's got a track plan that could have come out of a book by John Armstrong, a city peninsula that apes George Sellios and tiers of tracks that try to emulate the Gorre and Daphetid. It's got three storage yards hidden behind a back drop easily accessible from a corridor) which should support the operation of at least 15 trains. It's just that operators are few and far between out here in middle of the Pacific Ocean so who knows if that will ever happen.

Can you believe that I have been building my pike in one form or another for twenty four years? My fate was sealed that fateful day in October when with one of my sons to Toysarus and purchased a Tyco 060. Soon to be followed by you know what, the realization that the toys are junk and even quality hobby stuff ain't that great.

Though I have been quite happy quality wise since about 2000 with the Proto, Atlas and Kato stuff. I've collected a lot of equipment lettered for the SP, WP, UP and the ATSF and probably still have the fantasy of fielding operating teams in at least two or three time periods.

Currently I'm running the twilight of steam and the dieselization of the EssPee out of the Bay Area with a lot of liberties taken 'cause well I'm just not that prototypically kosher.

There are about 150 structures on my pike ranging in size from Bachmann City Scenes Skyscrapers to tiny back yard tool sheds and everything in between. I seem to have created a veritable museum of plastic structure kit history.

I must like building structures. A couple of years ago in my web crawling I encountered the work of Karl Osolinsky and began to rethink by approach to the hobby. Good enough no longer cuts it form me and while I'll continue to grind away at the 100 or so not quite completed projects on my layout I am planning to free up enough spare time to build a number of craftsman kits.

I have been one of those guys lurkin unseen at the craftsman forum and am amazed and excited by what's to be seen there. Some guys are havin all the fun and I want mine. So to that end, I've managed to acquire a few kits by Campbell, FSM and Sierra West. The plan is to build them over the next two or three years and post to this forum as I go. Believe me I will welcome your encouragement, guidance and advice.

Aloha, Bindlestiff

Hello everyone.

My name is Sven Lovstrom and I live in Norway(But I am Swedish)

I have liked modelrailroading since my first Marklin trainset in my childhood.

I do model a diverse of things.For example the Great Western Railway in O gauge.

However my main thing now will be an American railroad in N scale.Probably a fantasy location but close to a prototype.I always liked the Southern Pacific.

I like to build and would like something in Nn3.

RTR just doesnt do it for me.

For now I am stuck in the planning phase for this...but looking forward to start building..

Sven Lovstrom

Hi, my name is Graeme.

- I live on a small island in British Columbia, Canada. I'm a beginner, though I wasn't born yesterday.

- I'm going to model a 1920 branch line in Bavaria, Germany. I have a 21 X 12 foot room and I'll try shelves around the room, to start.

- I will use DCC, although I haven't decided what company.

- So much to learn, so much fun to have!

Thanks.

Ted, Martin, Brendan, Per, Aran, Sven & Graeme,

Welcome to the forum. We appreciate your taking the time to tell us a bit about your modeling interests.

Morning all...just another newbie here.

I've just started working in 1/87 this last year. I've been a model car builder for years, but due to lack of space and interest in scale cars I decided to try my hand at mini dioramas. Growing up I always wanted a track layout, but never had the space. Now that I've got my own house, I still don't have the space! HAHAHA! I love the options that are available for the model train hobby, so much to choose from. The work here on the forum is fantastic, and while I'll never have the layout of my dreams, I can at least create little corners for my dream layout. Thanks for all the tips and ideas I've gotten from everyone so far!

Erik

Welcome, Erik. You'll also find one of the best 1/87 vehicle modeler here, Chester F.

Post some of you cars in the vehicle thread and I'm sure you'll get his attention.

Good afternoon.

It's my first post here, so maybe I'll just go for the coffee only.

I'm trying to adjust my width ratio to my height, so I'll pass on the bacon and eggs. (Sure seems a hard way to grow taller).

I live on a small island in B.C. Canada.

In a crowded room I'm going to model a small branch line set in 1920 Bavaria.

Yup, tough call for my first adventure. I wasn't much for sensible in my working life, so I'll continue the tradition in my playing life.

The loco below shows my latest love, and I've seldom seen a sweeter sight on two rails.

Railroad Line Forums has some of the nicest layouts I've found, so if you can stand a pre-war, Bavarian-loving Canuck - well here I am.

I don't think I can add a lot immediately to your fun, as I'm so new to the hobby that I haven't got all my plastic wrapping off.

You do have my rapt attention and admiration though. Who knows, maybe my questions will prompt some spirited answers? That might be fun.

Well, back for a second cup.

- Graeme.


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Hi

My name is Dave and I'm a Brit, living in the Rossendale Valley, in the Pennine Hills of Lancashire in the North West of England.

I have just finished full-time, regular work as a journalist and now I hope to have more time to make a welcome return to model-making and planning a railway layout - using my grandson Johnathan as a great excuse (if one were needed!) to shut myself away and start building in time for Santa to drop in with Thomas the Tank Engine.

I've made a rod for my own back by choosing to create a personal OO gauge layout featuring an LMS branchline set in the 1930s, in the heyday of the big 'Big Four' railway companies in the UK, which presents a challenge in trying to make it look in context and look believable - scale cars (automobiles) and other items are difficult to come by and I have a lot of scratch building to look forward to.

I'm also trying airbrushing acrylics for the first time, so I'm looking forward to trying the witches' brews I've already found from the guys in these forums!

I'm also lucky to have the inspiration of a full-scale heritage steam railway almost on my doorstep, with the East Lancashire Railway running one of the longest preserved lines in our country, with regular themed events and classic locos paying regular visits.

Now I'm looking forward to learning a lot more from you guys - some of the layouts are awe-inspiring.

Cheers!

Hello Everyone:

My name is Wayne and I live in Halifax , Nova Scotia Canada. I am 46 years old and have been into modelrairoading since i was a kid (although on and off during my late teens and twenties)- I got back into the hobby seriously in my early thirties, so have been been back into it for awhile now. I have recently taken down my HO scale Maine Central themed layout and have decided to concentrate my efforts in On30 now. I belong to local On30 modular group that was started up about 2 years ago, and it is a very active group. I find this an ideal scale to work in - easy on the eyes and all the locos and rolling stock are small in size. I will be focusing on structure building which is probably my favorite part of the hobby. I have recently acquired two Sierra West kits that I will build eventually down the road. I have sold off alot of my HO scale stuff and the intent is to spend the next 4-5 years acquiring items before starting on a home On30 layout. In the mean time I will continue to build some sturctures for the modules to keep my fingers in so - to- speak. I attended the Fine Scale Expo in Peabody Mass last weekend and it was fantastic. Clinics by such noteable as Dave Frary, Bob Hayden, Brett Gallant, Dave Revailla, Loui Sassi, etc.They were all first class. Another highlight of the expo was a tour of George Sellio's Franklin and South Manchester. All I can say about that is it is beyond words and every modelrailroader should attmep to visit it. Its absolutely awe inspiring. I hope to follow many of teh structure building threads on the forum here and to meet many new friends. All the best to my fellow model railroaders.Cheers everyone.

I am Dan From Denmark.

I am almost ashamed to admit, that I am not a Railroad model builder, but only almost. Economy and small livingspace are the main reasons for that.

I do have some Railmodel dreams, but they will have to wait for a bigger home and more dough.

I have joined now, because this forum has been one of the inspirations, for me to build my own tools. I want to show my gratitude, by sharing the fruits of that inspiration with you.

I have already learned a lot and I expect to learn more from you in the time to come.

To those interested, my current top modelling project, is 10 Space Shuttles in different scales, but otherwise I paint with a broad palet.

Happy Building

DanTDBV The Droid Building Viking

Evening Folks,

I'm Erik I go by Batterymule7 on the forums and here are the answers to the questions in the original post.

1) Stockton, Ca

2) I've been a model railroader since I was about 5. Dad and I built our first, over engineered layout when I was about 7 or 8, no prototype, just a 3 track loop with crossovers between each and a small 4 track yard. Been hooked ever since.

3) I model some prototypes but I am freelancing my layout, the actual roads modeled are the Virginian, Southern and N&W, the layout road is the Piedmont and Blue Ridge and it's a freelanced connector between the Virginian and the Southern. The inspiration for the road comes from N&W's Abingdon Brach.

4) Early to mid Transition era in Appalachia.

5) So far the layout is one small section of the whole thing which I will complete when we own a house in HO. Current size is 18" x 9'.

6) Watching trains run and how darn expensive it has become.

7) DC and DCC

8) I came across these forums while searching for pics and info to do a steeple cab model and have been impressed with the skills of the members I have seen in my short time lurking around. I hope that I can learn from others' experience and knowledge shared here.

9) Post your picture - if you dare...soon.

That is all. For now, lol!

[:-viking]

Kurt Bainum from Petaluma California. I am still 49 for another month anyway. I had a 4'x8' layout starting when I was about 8 years old. I had a small room so I had my bed under the layout, below tons of plaster mountains and Campbell kits.

I am modeling the San Francisco Belt railroad now. It was State Belt when I was growing up. I have no track yet. I am building many of the structures that I want. I used to watch the ships unload onto the "Belt" diesels. I have chosen HO as I want to include the Telegraph Hill cliff and some of the houses and steep streets with Cable Cars, Victorian houses, brick warehouses and the shipyards and docks along the Embarcadero waterfront.

I will attempt to include a drawing of one of the pier bulkhead buildings. I will also take that dare to include a picture of me.

I followed the instructions for uploading and displaying photos. I hope this works.




Trains used to go right in the front door. The State Belt built many of these during the '20s. Most are still there being used for anything from office space to museums. I use Vectorworks to draw on the computer. Perhaps I will do a build thread as I make these.