Stepdad wants to do a model railroad.

[Lazaras]

So basically I am fishing about here and there while healing' since once we start doing ai don't want to havevtobtell him we need to pause for this or that. Plus he is not a very patient man to begin with and I would rather him not quit in aggrivation partway through.

I know exactly how hard this will be to get good looking. Not just with track layout but with making a good table for the scenery to build up on, the scaffolding, paint and detail work once scenery is down, and that's not even taking into account the wiring needed for everything.

I bring all this up here because we have both agreed.

He wants a stem engine, something appropriate to the Appalachia region. And a coal depot/goods line seems to be what he is focusing on, something country with a few things here and there.

Just kinda looking for advice, if anyone else here does modeling, anyone have anything historic to bring up, etc.

[James Harrison]

So you might want something like the East Broadtop Railroad then?

[Lazaras]

Looks about right, though there would naturally be some differentiation. He does want at least one tunnel and for the sake of presentation I would probably put some fiddle track framed by scenery to cover for it being disconnected to have bits and pieces showing an active settlement.

This is all a ways off, too many other projects going on.

[mizzarrogh]

In wich scale did You plan to build it?

[Lazaras]

Well we have all kinds of space so I was honestly thinking HM rather than N. Al the little fiddly parts are gonna be here on my eyes as is no need to go N.

I know just enough to be dangerous and have enough vague memory to understand how difficult this is going to be, but also know exactly how good looking the end product can look.

[mizzarrogh]

In H0 i had go for German or Italian manufacturers for the bulk, unless You specificaly want a certain model, but if so it shall be no problem, just make sure You choose the right configuration for the tracks so it fits the locomotive You hawe in mind. I hawe both AC and DC tracks on my setup (i bought most of the tracks used in batches for coffemoney).

I hawe no experience from digital tracks, but from people i asked it shall be possible to modify some of the old locomotives if one wish to go for vintage models from the 70-80s as i do.
Sometines the old analog H0 stock models from the 80s beginners kit go for like 5-15$ for a running locomotive where i live and the chassies are almost immortal on those.

(You can probably use a vintage American train transformer if You want to go for a vintage AC or DC trainset, most of the H0 i hawe operate at pretty much the same voltage as the 0 gauge)

[mizzarrogh]

I bought some new acessoars from Wiseman Model last year and personally i was really pleased with their mining and American western loco style parts (i use them for an American forester camp i am currently working on).
Most of them came in casting kits ready for assembly and paint, they contain many small parts, but they where not realy hard to assemble.

[mizzarrogh]

Hawe You seen this guy?
https://www.youtube.com/c/ToyManTelevision/videos

Personaly i realy love this western pioneer style.
Take this watertank for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApgpxLET_pk&t=585s
(It does not need to be in that large scale if one does not hawe room for it, it is easy to scale drawings up or down).

[maduncle]

My favourite scale for modelling is HO using N track to build HO scale narrow gauge stuff.

Then you can get all quirky and parochial and come ups with a make believe private line.

[Lazaras]

Update:

We're probably going with the Southern Railway #4501 Mikado as our first engine given it's hada very long career and has done everything from coal, to goods, to even passenger service later in its life.

https://www.tvrail.com/equipment/southern-4501/
https://www.trainsetsonly.com/bachmann-usra-light-2-8-2-mikado-wlong-tender-standard-dc-southern-railway-4501-ho.html

Rather hansom fellow.

Now i need to figure out how to get packs of H-O scale figures... I wanna try getting a Tetsuo and Mae-Tel pair tucked away somewhere.