Back to the hobby

Rob I'm in the same boat
But the easiest way I found is to put your track boards up decide if your having a hill and gradients then stick a bit of track together and fiddle
when you get to something you like stick with it ALSO use your past knowledge (and pictures) to build a certain station or engine shed or yard
-- Regards Gray
OMWB more points more track more point motors and switches -- no time to do anything

Got some questions
1 Do bachmann still make those wonderful little 03 shunters? 2 Did the bachmann 08 ever get released? 3 should i just say sod it and move from EM to O or even back to N gauge
ideas banding around are as follows
EM full use of the loft start off with a small goods yard TMD /station and a nice big loop on a double helix set in a 80's scottish kinda way scotty dogs ahoy :)
N gauge as above with scale miles of track :)
or a nice o gauge modern image
leaning toward EM atm as thats what i started off in with my old man years ago kicking myself now for selling all my stuff :(

You could try going along to a couple of clubs in your area and see what they do. This is my local one Ian Gearing

On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 20:02:27 +0100, "Rob" wrote in message :
You want to be careful using the phrase "the hobby" on the interweb, y'know...

Yes
Yes indeed and very nice it is, and easy to convert to EM or P4
No, stick with your EM or, since you are starting again try P4.
Keith
Make friends in the hobby. Visit Garratt photos for the big steam lovers.

O gauge may have lots of detail, but IMO very little realism! The stuffs so big almost everyone stuffs as much as possible into the area they have, result = unconvincing slightly scenic fiddle yards ... ... go EM .. or even better N! Nothing better than the 'trains in the landscape' effect, although the trade off is obviously no hope of ever getting much in the area of fine detail. EM would be the natural compromise
Regards, Justin

[...]
No detail in N? There speaks someone who has never seen a CJM class 67 in the flesh.

Ian, I just checked that web-site and found Saffron Street. The photos are exquisite. So rarely do you see that much realism in a scene, many try but I've seen very few to equal what has been achieved by your club members in that layout. It's the realism I'm in it for; I've seen too many layouts that are an excuse to show off a large collection of rolling stock at the expense of reality. Then there are those layouts where reality seems to be very important to the builder but, though all the parts are there, they forget the grittiness of real life; the soot stains that have been rained on year after year, the way buildings get grubby, the way wooden fences rot.
If I can get half as much realism in my layout I will be very happy.
I've checked the club diary and see that Saffron Street is at Chatham, it's only a couple of days before I get married so I don't know if I'm going to find the time but I'll have a damn good go, I *have* to see this layout for real - there, that's a first for me, a particular layout being the reason I visit an exhibition!
Just to go on about it some more, the first photo I looked at was saffron10 and I had to look hard to confirm it was a model. saffron6 is so believable, I grew up in Croydon and it reminds me very much of the scenes I'd see travelling from East Croydon station to visit my grandparents in the early 70's. I never did see Godzilla though!
Sorry to waffle on there but it really grabbed me! Please pass on my comments to those involved in building it.
Justin.

That's not a model!!!!!!!!!!! If it is, I'm impressed (or depressed)

There is a Saffron Street 2 in the planning, a possible oval or a circle, this will be set in the same era, i just have to convert some of my oo stock i have left to P4.
Ian Gearing

Hehe, very true!
I haven't seen one close up, but yes, that, the ATM car carriers and similar do give exquisite detail ... at a price!

Sigh, its a wonderful layout, I first saw it in Model Railway Journal late last year and thought what a wonderful evocotive model it was then. Thank you for showing it.
-- estarriol

Actually, Bachmann don't make the 03 any longer. They altered the moulds so that they could produce the 04, and this is what is now produced, so if you want an 03 the secondhand market is the only way to get one. I wanted one myself, but might be able to accept an 04.
Stu