...it's time for my "7 Rules For Beginning Model Railroaders"...
1. Put your wallet back in your pocket and don't pull it out until you've read all 3 volumes of Robert Schliecher's "The Model Railroading Handbook" from cover to cover.
2. Do not plan one inch of track until you can call upon at least 2 nearby modelers with several years of experience between them...find a local club if possible.
3. Please take up stamp collecting if you have little or no mechanical and electrical aptitude. A free pass is given to anyone who has successfully restarted a TYCO locomotive on their own.
4. Accept the fact that you will loose approximately 40-60% of the resale value of your equipment should you decide that this isn't the hobby for you.
5. Before you lay one twig of scenery, remind yourself over and over again, like a mantra, that the layout shots that wow you now are products of serious time, money and effort over a period of months and years---not daze and weaks.
6. Your first layout must be no larger than a standard sheet of plywood and finished before you; a) go bigger, or b) change scales.
7. You must have the full approval of you spouse and must reciprocate accordingly...i.e. spend $180 on trains means spend $180 on spouse before one spends yet another dime on said trains.
UPDATE: #8. You're debt free first...you'd be amazed at how easy it is to plunk down 2 1/2 Bennies for your favorite DCC, sound equipped toy when you're not already sending that many to Master Card every month...
...just sayin'....
Permission is freely granted to distribute said wisdom to any and all takers...
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