# New Member - Happy to be here!



## Southern Railroader (Jan 7, 2008)

Hello all,


I'm fairly new to G-scale and have gotten a lot of good information from this site, so I figured that I would join.  I've always had sort of a railroad bug.  My dad got me a Lionel train set in 1962 when I was 2 years old (actually, I think that it was more for him).  I also had an HO set in my childhood, but haven't had the time or space for pursuing the hobby in my adulthood.  Now that I am soon to be divorced, I guess I'm having my second childhood.  I got into G-scale because I don't have room for a railroad inside and it's pretty warm most of the year here in South Carolina.  Also, I can build my railroad in stages so I don't go broke all at once!


I look forward to hearing from all of you.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Howdy "Southern",
welcome aboard!


(do you have a real name we can call you?  first name is fine..you can put it in your profile..) 


Welcome to Large scale! I think you will find you made a great choice for a new hobby!
and you will find much help here..
ask anything!  


Scot


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Pleased to meet you, South! Similar story here/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/pinch.gif


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## dawgnabbit (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome aboard, Ken. 


It's a friendly group of people.  One of the best things about MLS is the way members go out of their way to be helpful, just as Scot says.  Ask a question of any four members and you'll get at least five different answers.../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/laugh.gif


Dawg


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2008)

Hey Ken in SC...glad you jumped in....I'm here in the Upstate just outside Spartanburg City limits.


Cale


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## Joe Johnson (Jan 2, 2008)

*Welcome Aboard !!!!*


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Ken, 

Glad to have you in the hobby! 

Best, 
TJ


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## carpenter matt (Jan 3, 2008)

Welcome Ken! Great helpfull bunch here! Glad you joined Us.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome aboard, Ken.  This is a great place.  Friendly folks, a whole lot of chatter and a wealth of information.  /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/wow.gif


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## Tom T (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Ken, 

And welcome aboard from the tiny island of Bermuda (about 700 miles to your east coast)! 

Regards,


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## GURU388 (Jan 5, 2008)

Welcome aboard.... No better place for large scale railroaders...../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/wow.gif


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## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Pleased to have yet another member aboard. 

My regards, 

Ron in (where the h*** is) Copper Center, Alaska


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Copper Center is a little north of Valdez Alaska. Came right up on delorme.


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## chuckger (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Ken,

  Welcome to MLS, best place to be for info on large scale trains.

  What type of railroad are you interested in building?  What time frame are you modeling in?

  chuckger


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## Southern Railroader (Jan 7, 2008)

I've thought and planned a good bit about what I want for my railroad.  I currently have an oval (30' x 10') with 70 feet of Aristo track, 10' diameter curves and track power.  I constructed the roadbed on top of the ground with landscape edging filled about 3" deep with crushed granite.  The track floats on the granite ballast.  Right now, I am an apartment dweller, so my layout is at a friend's house.  When I get a house of my own, I can dig up the current layout and take it with me.

My current motive power and rolling stock consists of my pitiful little Atlantic Coast Line Mighty Moe Starter Set from USA Trains, with the addition of one extra boxcar.  I have sketched out a master plan for my permanent layout.  I'm planning my track to be ground level and virtually all main line with 2 loops.  I plan to emphasize the "garden" part of the railway and am not planning any structures or yards.  The main feature of the final product (to be built in 4 stages with a total of about 600' of track) will be a  20' x 10' pond and waterfall spanned by a 20-foot railroad bridge (pretty ambitious, but it won't be completed for a number of years)

As for the railroad era, I planning to model trains from different eras that have run or are currently running in the Carolinas.  In addition to my ACL starter set from the 1930's, my first "real" train will be a modern CSX freight train.  My dream train at this time will be a 1950's streamline version of the old "Southern Crescent" passenger train which ran from New York to New Orleans through the Carolinas.  I'll probably use the new Aristo E-8 to pull the train.  After all of that is in place, I might build an elevated railway of a yet to be determined narrow gauge line.


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