Good Book in English for starting to operate n gauge trains

[gmat]

Is there a good book for beginners that focuses more on the operating side rather than the layout side? Information about controllers, care and maintenance of tracks and locos. Something with good illustrations would be a plus.

Thanks,

Grant

[inobu]

Grant,

 

I know I have a 2 books one on the basics of modeling and the other was DCC. I have to dig them up. (I think I still have them). I'll let you know.

 

Inobu

[gmat]

Thanks, Inobu,

Just need recommendations. Will hunt for the books myself.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[inobu]

ohhh.

 

One problem that I found was the information was too general. The books I have are the first and only books I have. It is very hard for them to compete with the forums and the vast information on the net today. All that I can offer is to create a punch list and go down the list. I found that the books can only touch on the subjects and after we get a basic understanding we want more and that book is pretty much done. In the beginning I had problems reading pdf's (needed to turn pages) but it's not so bad now. My desire for information out weighted the need to hold a book.

 

In any case if you need anything just ask. I/we are appreciative of the photo that you post up as it is a wealth of information that no book can offer us.

 

Thanks again.

 

Inobu

 

 

(side note) any of you guys that have (OPRD) Old People Reading Disorder like me, I found that running dual monitors allows you to flip screens like pages.)

[gmat]

Thank you, inobu,

I was hoping for something physical that I could carry around. The more pictures, the better as it would help if I tried to e+plain things in English to my students. I guess I could ask questions and used the answers to make my own how to book.

I had my aunt copy some pages from a library book, but you're right, it wasn't very useful. I'm kind of spoiled with the way things are done in Japan with the kid friendly graphics and e+planations.

I also look at the Japanese instructions that came with the Thomas Train Set and wonder what I'm missing out by not being sable to read Japanese.

 

How is this book?

http://www.amazon.com/Scale-Railroading-Getting-Railroaders-How/dp/0890247730/ref=pd_sim_b_1

 

How about these?

 

http://buildmodelrailroad.com/

 

Or this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Scale-Model-Railroading-Getting-Railroader/dp/0890243476

 

With this one, it has stuff that I won't need. I won't be building a layout but will lay the tracks on the floor and run the trains. (or just let them play with the trains with out using the transformer) Plus, my new students are getting kind of younger.

 

I noticed with another student's younger sister, the Bandai B-Trains magnetic couplers are easier to play with or disconnect than  Kato rapido couplers. I had brought the Shorty Orange 201 with me to their house and had let her play with them and noticed that she had trouble attaching the rapido couplers together. So off went the rapidos and I assembled the Bandai trucks for her. The older brother looked at the instructions and started to take the trucks apart. I later left a Nikko-Kinugawa 485 kit that I got at a JR News Day store for 1200 yen. He can put it together. I told the mother that she shouldn't worry if parts are lost or broken. The boy is using the trains as I hoped he would.

 

The two brothers moved to Sendai, so I'm gonna lend the train set and shortie collection to the brother and sister.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[Martijn Meerts]

The biggest problem with books is that they tend to be outdated even before they're released... And that's not even because the model railroad technology moves fast either ;)

 

Also, books are always full of personal opinions on the best way of doing things, and are quite often aimed towards US prototype railroading.

[The_Ghan]

I found "Track Planning for Realistic Operation: Prototype Railroad Concepts for Your Model Railroad" by John Armstrong quite good, especially for freight and steam.  I've got an original copy.  I don't know if the current edition is the same but I believe John passed away a few years back, maybe even before the current edition was released!

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[bill937ca]

 

One problem that I found was the information was too general. The books I have are the first and only books I have. It is very hard for them to compete with the forums and the vast information on the net today.

 

I find it helps to supplement modeling knowledge with prototype manuals.  You don't see these all the time, but there are a couple of sources. My limited library tends towards North American traction and so do my readily available sources.

 

http://www.periscopefilm.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=39&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

 

A good source is the Association of Railway Museums.

 

http://www.railwaymuseums.org/Static/manual-reprints.html

 

I'm not aware if these publishers handle overseas orders or not.  If not eBay may be a source.

 

Of course, the prototype don't doesn't have to deal with fitting tracks into a 4 x 8 space or creating hills, but you can gain further knowledge of how and why things were done.