Looking to get started with G Scale

J

Jon-P

Registered
I'm looking to get cracking on a hobby I've been promising myself for a long time, now that I have a bit more spare time on my hands...

So from what I've seen so far, I'm interested in setting up a digital LGB garden railway and I wondered if there was anyone with a complete or partial setup in good condition that they might be interested in selling? I've a fairly large garden so if someone has had a change of mind and needs to move on for whatever reason, please get in touch?

Cheers

Jon
 
Hello Jon,

Welcome to the Forum..

That might be a big ask!
Have you thought about what you wish your railway to represent?
- Country. Era. Gauge of prototype.. All will make difference to what you actually need.
Not wanting to upset anyone, but do you realise 'how much' a (now redundant) garden railway of any size could cost?

By all means buy a 'collection' of track. - Sometimes offered on here. Perhaps with a little stock..
But you may find EvilBay a better, quicker source of a 'bunch of track'..

Then just get something running, and see how you go. - Don't be afraid to ask questions.. There are no stupid questions if there is a gap in your knowledge..
We do reserve the right to give 'silly' answers, though! ;):giggle::giggle:
 
Welcome to the forum! Said to be the best of its kind in UK, BTW - AND elsewhere, too, judging by the numbers of folks with unrecognisable post/ZIP codes and national flags.

tac
Ottawa Valley Garden Railway Society [ovgrs.org]
Port Orford Coast RR - Eastern Sub.
 
Welcome, Jon, from another Jon (there's several of us on here....).

I'd echo all of Phil's comments above! :)

If you let us know what part of the country you are in, there is nothing like a few visits to other members' lines to inspire you and also to maybe give you some idea of the direction you want to take......

Jon.
 
Welcome aboard! I would always recommend a starter set for any newcomer, so you can get a feel for the size and scale of what you are getting into. Even if you eventually don't like the rolling stock in the set there is a ready market for disposing of second hand stuff either here or ebay, and an oval of track even small radius is always useful.

If you are committed to DCC you might consider this starter set from P&S Hobbies. New but virtually half price, includes track, digital loco with sound, wagons, 5A power and CS2 central station. P&S are a very reliable retailer.
https://www.pshobbiesandmodelshop.co.uk/lgb-78530-cs2-digital-stater-set-2-p-6395.html

Otherwise get a cheaper analog starter set then you can choose your own DCC setup at a later date.
 
Jon, first welcome; there are a few of us newly started, and some interesting topics for begineers, especially those of us on a budget and buying pre-owned items.
 
Then just get something running, and see how you go. - Don't be afraid to ask questions.. There are no stupid questions if there is a gap in your knowledge..
We do reserve the right to give 'silly' answers, though! ;):giggle::giggle:[/QUOTE]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the response. I take the point about getting a starter kit up and running and see how it goes before spending loads of cash. I will say this isn't a hasty decision, I had a big indoor set that got sold when I went to Uni, many years ago. So building up a set is not completely new to me, and the wife is thinks it would be fun, the deal being I have to build the layout rather than paying someone else to come in and remodel the garden. Hopefully she remembers that when I get going.

Whilst I've not done any G scale before, my other hobby is cars and I've found a lot of benefit in talking to/buying from people who are active and engaged, rather than random dealers/whoever might be looking to turn a few quid on auction sites, hence my admittedly somewhat cheeky ask as to whether there might be someone looking to sell up their set. I'd rather buy from people who love the hobby.

I'm sure I'l have lots of questions going forward......
 
tac foley said:
Welcome to the forum! Said to be the best of its kind in UK, BTW - AND elsewhere, too, judging by the numbers of folks with unrecognisable post/ZIP codes and national flags.

tac
Ottawa Valley Garden Railway Society [ovgrs.org]
Port Orford Coast RR - Eastern Sub.
Click to expand...

Thanks tac, seemed like a good place to start when I did a quick survey of the options...
 
Zerogee said:
Welcome, Jon, from another Jon (there's several of us on here....).

I'd echo all of Phil's comments above! :)

If you let us know what part of the country you are in, there is nothing like a few visits to other members' lines to inspire you and also to maybe give you some idea of the direction you want to take......

Jon.
Click to expand...

Hi Jon, I'm in Berkshire, just south of Reading. I've got a few ideas about how I want to go about it, in terms of physical layout in the garden, though at the moment I'm not wedded to the idea of replicating a specific time or geography. I suspect I'll end up with a more eclectic mix.

Jon
 
idlemarvel said:
Welcome aboard! I would always recommend a starter set for any newcomer, so you can get a feel for the size and scale of what you are getting into. Even if you eventually don't like the rolling stock in the set there is a ready market for disposing of second hand stuff either here or ebay, and an oval of track even small radius is always useful.

If you are committed to DCC you might consider this starter set from P&S Hobbies. New but virtually half price, includes track, digital loco with sound, wagons, 5A power and CS2 central station. P&S are a very reliable retailer.
https://www.pshobbiesandmodelshop.co.uk/lgb-78530-cs2-digital-stater-set-2-p-6395.html

Otherwise get a cheaper analog starter set then you can choose your own DCC setup at a later date.
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the link, I will take a look. My work is in the IT industry, so digital is a must from the start for me. I'm interested in programmability, streaming video and a few other ideas, that's a big part of the attraction..

Jon
 
JimmyB said:
Jon, first welcome; there are a few of us newly started, and some interesting topics for begineers, especially those of us on a budget and buying pre-owned items.
Click to expand...

Hi Jimmy, buying pre-owned is high on my list, if the kit is good and well looked after is important to me though. So I will definitely be checking out the ads.....
 
Welcome aboard, Jon. All excellent advise has been written, above by our fellow GSC members, so I won't bore you with a repeat.
 
Do not go to Princes Risbourough.........Do not go to Princes Risborough.........At least not with a credit card that has available credit. You have been warned. Max :devil::devil::devil:
 
Jon-P said:
Hi Paul, I'm just south of Reading.
Click to expand...
I live in Ascot. You are very welcome to come and look at my DCC g-scale small indoor and outdoor layout and we can discuss that you want to do. I am also of an IT background and have dabbled in DCC automation. Let me know.
Cheers, Dave
 
maxi-model said:
Do not go to Princes Risbourough.........Do not go to Princes Risborough.........At least not with a credit card that has available credit. You have been warned. Max :devil::devil::devil:
Click to expand...
Been very good to me. I live in Perth Australia and am happy with their service etc.

Geoff
 
:sweating:
maxi-model said:
Do not go to Princes Risbourough.........Do not go to Princes Risborough.........At least not with a credit card that has available credit. You have been warned. Max :devil::devil::devil:
Click to expand...

A battle of 'wills' between, 'you will spend some money' and 'I have only come to look'.. :(:eek::nod::nod:

Just count your fingers after you have left the premises! ;):giggle::giggle::giggle:
 
Welcome Jon.

I kind of did my own thing when I started. First I bought a loco for a few hundred dollars then i began accumulating track.
My one bit of input is to check out members' signatures. Many of us seem to have blogs or websites about our hobby, myself included. For me, its more of a way to record what Ive done and what Im learning as I go (ive only been doing this for a few months now). But, I welcome anyone to take a look!
 
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