mike g. posted:Thanks Lee, I am going to need all the support I can get. Its just me here, I don't know anyone else in the area that are into model trains. Just the one guy that sells trains as a retirement income.
Mike, having people nearby who can help answer questions, give good advice, come out to help once you’re elbow-deep in the build and generally be there for you, is essential.
I couldn’t possibly have gotten as far as I did in the timeframe I did what I ref to as “The initial build” of the layout (as no layout is ever FINISHED, right), without several people. They gave me great advice, showed me their excellent layouts to get a good feel for operations, helped with the track plan, did grunt work on wiring and DCC and most of all provided a LOT of encouragement. Had it not been for all of them, my layout wouldn’t be what it is, and the upcoming 2017 On30 Annual article on my layout for sure wouldn’t soon be coming out.
I lucked up by becoming friends with someone who was well-connected to the local railfan and model RR community and therefore meeting others.
Had that not happened, I might have gotten more involved with NMRA events in the area, or hooking up with one of the groups I see at the model train meets.
I am an NMRA member, something you might want to look into. I joined to attend the Portland convention (but I couldn’t get the time off) and while I don’t have a flexible work schedule to go to much of their events, I was welcomed with open arms and get invites to events all the time. Most are up north in your area but there’s local stuff for me as well. You’d also be able to find out about the local informal groups that you might not know about. For example, there’s a very active Olympia group that many have no clue about.
An NMRA membership isn’t cheap, but if you could find the ‘live and in person’ versions of the really great people I see posting here, wouldn’t it be worth it? Let’s face it, you can have the most amazing layout in the world, but everyone wants to be able to get some kindred spirits around every now and then!
Yeah, I know, 3-rail isn’t their thing. Yeah, most of them are HO or N guys, but there ARE 3-railiers among them, I know a few down in this area.
Just give it a thought. I couldn’t imagine my layout without the people I’ve directly dealt with!
FYI, do you plan on going to Monroe on Saturday?
