My first post!

Hi everyone.
I'm Mike, loved trains all my life but apart from an old Hornby Intercity set for my 8th birthday in 1980, I've never had a layout!

I'll be honest, I didn't have a good lockdown. Like most people, I've not escaped the downside to recent years and last year I lost my dad through Covid coming only a few months after losing my sister and the joys last year of home schooling a 10 and 7 year old along with a stressful TUPE of changing companies, the last 18 months has just taken it's toll.
My wonderful wife suggested (told me) that I need a hobby, an escape and so having reflected back on wonderful memories of days as a kid where my dad would come home from work, make some sandwiches and a flask of coffee and take me to Doncaster or Sheffield station, buy a 2p platform ticket and spend the evening and night with him trainspotting, I decided to finally take the plunge!
My plan has always been to do it but more of a "when I retire" approach.
I work as a contractor for the forces so I've always had an excuse not to start as I either lived in quaters whilst being being based 8 years in Germany or in rented accommodation for the last 6 years where I am now in Cyprus.
My good lady gave me the kick up the backside by buying me the Hornby Nigel Gresley ltd edition for Christmas and after finding channels like Everard Junction, Dean Park and Chandwell on Youtube I truly caught the bug and bit the bullet to start a renovation of the car port on the villa we hire to turn it into an enclosed area for a build.
If it all has to come down if we are forced to move then so beit, I just need the therapy!
Whilst progressing with all the woodworking, I've found my biggest issue is deciding what I'm going to do. Harking back to my 80's memories with dad was always going to be the base but all the other ideas - Do i have a single level? Do i have a second level with inclines like Dean Park? I have confidence in myself but do I keep it simple and spend more time on scenics than track or go for it with my grand ideas? I've lost so many hours sleep due to the different ideas and designs going through my mind!!
The number one "at all costs" idea was for a coastal section and along the way through web searches to gain ideas and inspiration, I discovered Chris's wonderful Teasel Bay layout and recently found his build page on this site which pushed me to sign up myself.
So, with a vague plan, sort of the base level finished in my head and drawn up on Anyrail I'm now on my way.
I simply cannot believe how much the hobby costs to get into and having spent an absolute fortune - obviously I've led my wife to think I've spent a fraction of what I have! :)
I'll start a build page and I hope you can all enjoy watching how it goes and offer encouragement to my many failings (some a little painful which will be made clear in my build page lol) and offer tips and your insight which will be very much appreciated.
My aim is to try and be original in my fictitious 80's build but I'm sure people will see where I've took ideas from and I hope it's taken as a compliment if I try to recreate and adapt my own versions of things!
Thanks for taking time to read this. This is me and I hope to get to know some of you brilliant people along the journey.

Mike

Hi Mike,

welcome on board to YMRC, never be afraid to ask questions as the folk here are friendly and helpful.

Your modelling situation is much the same as I found myself in 7 years ago. Not knowing much at all about the resources available I just got on, laid some track to run trains and then spent a lot of time replacing or repairing and a fair dollop of regret that I'd not gone more slowly.  Some of this experience was captured here in my Notes to a new arrival

As a result, second time around I took much longer with my planning and avoided all sorts of pitfalls along the way.

Good luck


PS, if you want some inspiration regarding BR diesels, 1970-80s and much else beyond you can do worse than look thru the prodigious output of Andy Peters - from big layouts to planks and all in between. Just one example here:

Seven Mills sidings
Links to each of his many projects under his posts.

Welcome aboard Mike

Another welcome from Australia  :hi

Welcome Mike,
You are quite right about the cost but I have a section about "growing" a layout to keep the expense manageable.  I am also doing a couple of articles for Rail Modeller Australia (www.railmodelleraustralia.com) along the same lines… and in this forum…

https://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=10671&forum_id=6&page=5#p203511 and look for the 93rd post in that thread!

Let us know how we can help!

Cheers

Trevor

:Welcome  Mike,well you finally got here and after reading your introduction you're in the right place for any help you need. Good luck with your plans and i'll follow your journey.

Hi Mike and welcome,
   
  I agree with Alan in saying that you're in the right place to learn how to move forward with your railway while enjoying the journey and I also thought of Chris' Teasel Bay as being good inspiration for you, as I started to read your introduction.
   
  We've all had our personal tribulations with the pandemic and our hobby offers a great deal to keep us on track to a better place.
   
  You doubtless have learned that there's a lot more to this hobby than when we were all much younger and rather than jump right in building a large railway, there is much wisdom in starting with a small 6 foot practice plank with some track, a couple of points, electrics, scenery and a few man made structures. This will help quickly learn the basics without making expensive, time consuming mistakes, so the bigger build will be very much easier and the plank will give a lot of fun and  sense of achievement.
   
  Anyway, have a good look around and we're all here to answer questions and help in any way we can.
   
  Best,
   
  Bill
  

A very warm welcome to the forum Mike - last year wasn't very kind to you and I feel for you.  Hopefully, the worst is now behind you.  :cheers

Others have already mentioned the hazards of jumping in with both feet and I'd agree with them - although I didn't think first myself so have wasted many years and far too much cash on trying to correct the mistakes I made.

Having spotted trains in Doncaster and Sheffield as a nipper, I can understand you'd want a beach scene - just to remind you of those hot balmy summer days you spent train spotting in those two well known Yorkshire resorts ……………………. :shock:

You probably have something else to contend with that most of us don't - the fierce heat.   Having had a holiday house in TRNC for 10 years or so (fortunately, and very quietly, we managed to obtain pork products from Dhekelia base  :roll:), I know just how hot it gets in summer and building in a car port won't offer much protection from that heat - unless you plan to insulate it very well…….. :hmm

I'd also imagine that, being attached to the military, your place of residence is not as fixed as it might otherwise be so I'd plan my layout with future dismantling in mind - are you in Akrotiri or Dhekelia - or maybe both ?

Additionally, split level layouts have problems of their own so I'd advise that maybe, you put a point in somewhere for future access to a possible upper level but for now, concentrate on getting the datum level up and running perfectly.

Will it be DC or DCC ?  DC is 1000 wires whereas DCC is only 2 wires - but 500 times over !!!

Hi Mike and  :Welcome aboard. Plenty of help here  :thumbs. Looking forward to seeing your progress
Cheers

Matt

Welcome Mike from a sunny North West England (when its not chucking it down).

Barry

Welcome from an unusually sunny Vancouver. I hope you enjoy yourself on YMR and I look forward to seeing your layout develop. As Petermac said DC or DCC …..that is the question!

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

Welcome from an unusually sunny Vancouver. I hope you enjoy yourself on YMR and I look forward to seeing your layout develop. As Petermac said DC or DCC …..that is the question!

Dcc, dc is that AC DC ??  :hmm

[user=2080]Barchester[/user] wrote:

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

Welcome from an unusually sunny Vancouver. I hope you enjoy yourself on YMR and I look forward to seeing your layout develop. As Petermac said DC or DCC …..that is the question!

Dcc, dc is that AC DC ??  :hmm

Welcome Mike to the funny farm.

Now Barchester, don't confuse him, you keep on using those clockwork trains that you told me you use….

Thanks for the kind words of welcome everyone.
The plan is DCC but the freight line I have planned, I want to be able to switch that line to DC to run older locos I won't convert.
I wanted an Ecos command station but the price and availability of them was crazy until I remembered the little model railway shop outside Paderborn train station in Germany where I spent 8 years. They had one in the sale, free delivery and because it was still in the EU, no additional VAT and import duties. 
Most of the bigger UK sellers (Hattons etc) have now got things in place where they deduct UK VAT as I have to now pay it here which is a big help as the first few months of this year companies wouldn't do it and I was paying two lots!
I'm flying back to the UK for the weekend in a couple of weeks to help bring my mum over to stay with us for the winter. My wife thinks it's also an exercise to also bring Christmas presents over for the kids as I've paid for a couple of cases to smuggle as much as I can over but more than likely they'll be full of stuff for the layout!

Petermac, I'm based on the WSBA at Episkopi. Whereas I was tied to quarters in Germany by status, they don't do that for contractors out here so work provide me with a bit extra cash and let me find my own place to live which gives a bit more freedom. I should be ok with where I am for the next 3 years at least and in all probability, we will win the "next era" of support and could stay for longer. The plan is to give it the best go possible but I'm more than aware it's a dry run at getting it right when I eventually do return to the UK and settle back. My other half lived in Germany all her life, she's not amazingly happy here but understands the work and lifestyle is better than it would be in the UK but ultimately, we won't stay here forever.
The coastal scene I wanted to do mainly as I'd not seen it done that many times and me and a few mates would quite often get up early, get a train from Rotherham to Cleethorpes, spend the day in the arcades before some fish and chips and jump on the last train back. - I don't plan on recreating the murky depths of the Humber estuary though! Something a tad more pleasant under "modelers license" will be in order!
Doncaster and Sheffield were to get my fix of mainline noise! One of the greatest noises I think I've ever heard is the scream of a Paxman Valenta… probably only outdone by the noise of an Olympus engine of the Vulcan and Concorde!

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Club.

Nigel

Hi Mike,
I hope you've visited The Cyprus Railway Museum, near Evrychou, in the Troodos mountains. My F-in-L helped establish it, after writing a book on the railways of Cyprus, in 2003.

Finally welcome to the site!! Really looking forwards to seeing a new coastal layout take shape. Your plans at the moment sounds great. Hopefully soon I’ll be taking ideas from your build. 
Good luck, 

Chris

[user=1460]jcm@gwr[/user] wrote:

Hi Mike,

 I hope you've visited The Cyprus Railway Museum, near Evrychou, in the Troodos mountains. My F-in-L helped establish it, after writing a book on the railways of Cyprus, in 2003.

And here's one of I think, 2 original locomotives remaining in the north of the island.  It's a Baldwin but what type and what year, I have no idea !



 AFAIK, there was only a single Government line from Famagusta (now called Gazimagusa)  to Morphou (now called Guzelyurt) running east to west in the north plus a branch operated by CMC - Cyprus Mining Company - who had extensive copper mines in the border area.  The 1974 split forced the closure of the mines - the mines themsleves were in the south but the point of export was on the north coast - although I think the copper was almost worked out in any case.