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I think you're trying to do too much with too little. Given the size of your room, I look long and hard at N-scale. I'm limited to a 12x16 space, and would like to have three times that. Unfortunately, I'm committed to HO scale by virtue of the huge crater it has left in my bank account over the...

Welcome to the hobby. Minimum radius on curves is very important. If you're planning a double tracked loop on a 4' wide table, your outside loop will be 22" and your inside loop will be 18". You will not be able to run long locomotives or rolling stock on the inside loop. This would include...

I live in Calgary, Alberta, center of CP in the West, home of Trains & Such, the best hobby shop in Western Canada, and home to a million of the best people in the world. Cheers

Maybe a bit of both. I said it was a rant, eh? It's also one of my pet peeves. Every GP and SD built in Canada by GMD, and there are lots of them, has steps that differ from those produced in the USA by EMD. Every model of a "Canadian" GP or SD offered has US-style steps. Decent locomotives...

Atlas Flextrack is pretty much the industry standard, whether you go with Code 100 or Code 83. Flexible track is more effort to lay, but it opens the door to all sorts of possibilities, and is ultimately cheaper. I would avoid sectional track altogether, apart from switches and crossovers...

It's not your problem — it's their. I haven't bought anything but magazines, paint, and other building supplies from my LHS for almost a year. they don't have anything I want. That's not to say that there aren't things I want! There are eight or ten locomotives I would buy in quantity if they...

Firstly, I'd recommend hitting the Yellow Pages and visiting the local hobby shops in your area. Decide which is most knowledgeable about trains, and become a patron. They can answer many questions and guide you in choosine wisely in selecting what cars and locomotives to choose. You can save a...

Yup. I did a search on Walthers site and it looks to be the superior product. http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?quick=643-311&quicksrch_butt.x=22&quicksrch_butt.y=4 Cheers Scott Fraser Calgary, Alberta

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/570-91687

Bicycle bearings will work, too. They came is various sizes, down to 1/8 inch. pour them in, fix them with white glue, and you're done.

What can I say? You get what you pay for. If you buy train sets, you get toys. If you are serious about getting into model railroading, you must understand up front that it is a rich man's hobby, and a good locomotive will cost you more that a trainset will. And it is worth it. A lot of...

Bravo! I would echo that comment! Buying from eBay or from an online retailer is anonymous. If you can locate a Local Hobby Shop (= LHS) and establish a relationship with them, by far and away that's the best way to go. I am lucky to live where I do (Calgary, Alberta). My LHS (Trains 'n'...

My advice: Shop around, find out from magazines and eCommerce sites what a reasonable retail price is, and decide how much you are willing to pay before you place your bid. Don't go past that number — another set will be along shortly if the one you're after gets too expensive. Beware of...

I gather you don't have a lot of experience in kit-building, much less scratchbuilding. Something like a refinery or even just a tank farm will require lots of scratchbuilt components, and might best be deferred for a couple of years. That said, I would avoid steel wire, because it is bloody...

From my experience, best brands for locomotives: Kato, Altlas, Proto, Genesis, Spectrum, more or less in that order. You will find they are priced accordingly. For rolling stock: Intermountain, Proto, Atlas, Branchline, Red Caboose, then Athearn, MDC and others. For me, the most telling...

MasonJar has given you good advice. I would hold off on the "large flat file". Use some #400 grit wet-dry sandpaper (used wet) on a piece of plate glass, otherwise you will end up removing too much material. Resin sands very quickly, and files even quicker . . . Get hold of a piece of...

On a curve? Same spot? Make sure the guage is correct (NMRA guage). Make sure the wheelsets are in guage (again NMRS guage). Make sure that there is a smooth joint between rails. Make sure they are even, crimp the outer rails with vice grips and solder them. Make sure the rails are...

How to avoid that: 1.) Paint the sucker. 2.) Shoot it with Glosscote. 2a.) You might want to brush Glosscote under the area where the decals will go. 3.) Trim the decals closer than humanly possible with sharp, fine scissors. 4.) Apply the decals. Use a setting agent such as...

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the NMRA standards, developed after many years of experience by many modellers. Here is their main site: http://www.nmra.org/ and here is a link to their recommendations for track spacing and such: http://www.nmra.org/standards/consist.html#standards...

If you want to build Egyptian locomotives and rolling stock, you need to learn how to scratchbuild with sheet styrene and strips. If you make styrene patterns, you can make polyurethane castings from them to make more than one model. There is a description here...