hello, im new and i live in tyler texas,but lived in springfield mo for 5 years my parents grew up there and went to chs so i spent alot of time there as a child. im wanting to do my layout with the base of it based on the rail yard in springfield from 1970 to current. is there anyway to find arial photos of the yard so i no how to lay my track? im also new to the train layouts, and im going to be using my dads trains from the 70's,80's and 90's so none of them have dcc. if i choose to go without using dcc whats the best control to use? i think i have heard some thing about a device that can make the sounds of the trains? what is it and how can i find one? also if i decide to go with dcc whats the best and cheapest to get started with thanks for the help
Craigh: First off welcome to the forum. Go to the Search tab on the Frisgo.org homepage and do a search on Springfield yard and you will find a wealth of information on the yard at Springfield. On your second question, I belive the device that you are talking about is made by Model Rectifier Corporation. You can google that to see what info you can find. If I were you and just starting out I would go ahead an purchase a starter DCC set now instead of a conventional powerpack. It will greatly simplfy wiring your new layout. You will be able to use your dad's old locomotives even without decoders installed in them using address 00. I personally recommend the Digitrax Zephyr which can be purchased for around $150. You may even get one cheaper on eBay. It retails for $199. I know others will recommend other brands. What you need to do is a little homework. Study all brands before you decide. Look up NCE,Easy DCC and Digitrax. See what they all have to offer. YOu will want to buy something that is expandable and upgradeable. Do not waste your money on a low end set as I am sure you will want to be able to do more than they are capable of. I recommend purchasing DCC supplies from Lichfield Station. There website is www.litchfieldstation.com I have no connection with them other than being a Very satisfied customer. I purchase alot of items from them. There are some very knowledgeable people on this group. Knowledge of anything Frisco or DCC can be found here. Again welcome to the group and if you have any questions just ask, we are here to help. Remember Model Railroading is was and always will be fun! Ship It on the Frisco! Bob Wintle MMR Parsons, Ks.
Hi Craigh I am new here too in fact this is my first post to reply to your first question about the yard in Springfield Mo. you can get pictures off the satelite using google earth. go to http://earth.google.com/ and download the software it's a small download. install it and enjoy the views which can be rotated and tilted to your desire it's great for RR research have fun Darren
