Greetings...

Dear fellow beginners kindly read on :)

Goals:
What do you want to do in this hobby:
- Are you interested in building a layout or collecting the trains or both? - What kind of train do you like to run?

What do you expect from this hobby:
- Just for fun or want to be pro or perhaps make it as business opertunity.

In this case I assume you want to build a decent layout to play with your trains for fun, just like I did.

Motivation:
It doesn't really matter what you already have (loco's, cars, DC, DCC, etc) or what you don't have (small space, no space, low budget, etc) it all comes back to your motivation.
Just like any other things in live if there's a will there's a way.
The more you're motivated the more you'll try to find ways to reach your goals and be creative to work around the problem instead making it as an excuse for not doing so.

Got my 1st train sets back in the 1970's, start collecting it and plays with it occasionally from time to time thinking that it will be my retirement activity.
Then I read about the late Mr.Bambang Tjondro one of the Indonesian Model Railroad member past away. Suddenly I realize what if I died soon without ever really enjoy playing with my trains.

So this becomes my motivation, what about you ?

Resource:
This is a "growing" hobby, meaning you can start small and can always grows later just like in real railroad. They didn't became railroad empire overnight its a long history of merger, acquisition, etc.

So its important for beginners to start with managable size. The more you can manage more chances you can finish the layout.
And once you finish more likely you'll have the experience to grow the layout with more confidence.

Most beginners end up confused because they dream's too high, too much confidence and ignores their resources (time, money, space, skill etc). Its good to have ambition but you should know your limitation.

To manage the cost, everything I use was semi-permanent so it can be reuse, such as the track ballast was only pour (just like the real thing right) not glued so if I need to insert additional turnout on the tracks I can just use vacum cleaner to clear the track.

To manage the skill and time I chose sterofoam simply because I don't have the skill to use plaster. So I just do with the best I can to saves time. I can always learn new ways later on to improve the layout but this one should finish first so it won't became a wasted investment.

Inspiration:
Here's some links that really inspire me:
Small space or no space that's no excuse once you see this link http://carendt.com/index.html consider building it section-by-section. Combining it all will made a complete layout.

http://www.stroleycentral.co.uk/layoutphotositshome.htm don't under estimate oval track figure it can be really2 GOOD if your're dedicated to it.

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/index.htm if you became more interested, this site got many usefull "how too".

Last but not least http://www.clarksville-balt-and-ohio.com/ family is important.
May I quote from this site owner :
"These are just electric trains, not a life or death struggle to achieve perfection. Some people can take their hobbies very seriously which is a good thing but others can take it to an extreme which is a bad thing."

Wait up I just found this link http://www.davidrholsinger.com/trains.htm and I like his quote:
The “Any-Time-Any-Spring-Run-Any-Engine-I-Want-to-No-Matter-What-Era-Because-It’s-My-Table-And-I-Built-It-And-I-Can-Do-Whatever-I-Want-to” HO Train Layout!

As from me I say :
"If it fit to scale and fun to play then its fine by me".
Hope you'll get inspired like me. Have fun everyone...

Layout

"Google Earth" view of WopiLand, its measure 200x90 cm as you might count the 20cm tile.
Bellow is the rough layout sketch as we plan to move it to a 300x300 cm "train room" up stairs.

Hopefully (with God's Will) in 2009 we may have all the resources to begin 2nd floor construction of the two bedroom for our boys and one storage room in our house. Storage room will be future place of the WopiLand along with the track extension plan.

As simple as it started the extension will turn this "bed size" layout to a "room size" layout. Outside track for running "express" trains, while the inside track for "regular" trains that runs thru WopiLand. Because this is a storage room then the track will be laid on the wall shelf around the room.

Since we already runs on EZ-Command so its only obvious to buy the EZ power booster as well but if local hobby shop didn't have it we'll just use another EZ Command and create "power blocks".

At least that's what I could think of at the moment, actual build will vary depends on many things to be consider later.

PS: yes I do consider extend those rails thru the boys room someday :))

To complete that layout extention plan so far I manage to purchase one box of 12 Roco flextrack from Trains Cafe, 3 pair Atlas Turnout and 3 sets 22" curve from BIOS shop. Still need to buy 10 Atlas Flextrack and 3 sets Atlas 22" curve track.

Actually the long passenger car need 24" curve but local shops didn't have it. So I just settle for the 22"curve. "Why not buy it online ?" well lets just say I'm a "cash and carry buyer".

I think the Roco code 83 track was wrong choice for me. Some of the rolling stock wheel made some noise running on the code 83. Either replace the wheel sets or use code 100 tracks. Maybe later I'll decide to complete the rest of the layout with Atlas code 100 instead and just use the Roco's for sidings.

Currently BIOS shop had plenty of Atlas tracks with price lower than UHT. Just hope stock still available on my next purchase.

One month later with the money that I got for selling the 12 Roco flex track to a friend, I buy 15 Atlas flex track. So now I got 25 Atlas flex track, should be enough to create the 300x300 cm double loop.

The track plan will have two level and runs like figure 8 with two turnout as centre crossing located at the Wopi Station. One loop circling the room at same level as WopiLand and the other end went down to the lower level underneath WopiLand also circling the room then came back up to the Wopi Station again. Imagine figure 8 flipped at the centre so one circle gets on top of the other.

Wopi Station

We just add that staircase from FALLER to the layout, the people is from WoodLand. We bought it at BIOS hobby shop at STC Senayan Jakarta. http://www.bios-shop.net/

The umbrella is Ivan's LEGO toys.
So does the passenger platform was plastic Police station play sets.

Rails and turnout was from Fleischmann, Lima, Atlas, LifeLike and Playart.

Night view at the Wopi station, we bought some bulk street light pole in plastic bag from Trainz Cafe at ITC Permata Hijau Jakarta.

Passengers

Roco business car at centre between two Piko passenger car.
This consist will be WopiLand 1st class trains running intercity service between the "coming soon" WopiCity (upper level) and WopiHarbor (lower level).

Roco business car at front, either one its ok. But perhaps we'll set it up in front so it will match the Western Maryland loco's color scheme as seen bellow.

That train will be pulled by this Bachmann GP40 Western Maryland.
Later we'll alter the roadname to "Western Wopiland" :)

This is what I been looking a small passenger car that can make a nice turn on the WopiLand small curve. Got this red & green Roco cars as a present from aunt Sita and uncle Bob who lives in US. They bought it from http://www.reynaulds.com/index.htm online store and send it here to Indonesia.

Finally I got this nice looking Tomix trolley car at Universal Hobby STC Senayan Jakarta. It will replace the battery operated trolley toy bellow.

Details looks good and with discount sale IDR 1 mio made me forget about that IDR 9 mio red Fleischmann railbus at BIOS shop even I know it got DCC, sound etc but I don't mind. As long as its fun to play then fine by me :)

Morning trolley car ready to pick up passengers at Wopi Station.

Its a toy train runs with onboard AA batteries but since it fits the HO scale we use it until we can buy a real railbus perhaps from Roco.
We do found what we're looking for at BIOS hobby shop its a red Fleischmann railbus, but the IDR 9 mio price tag just won't fit to our small layout.
Another we found at Trainz Cafe, its a yellow Marklin railbus price is reasonable IDR 1,3 mio but unfortunatelly they can't convert it to DC because wheel sets for DC track unavailable.

Station kiosk acctually Bachmann Gas Station, since the whole structure is too big we just use the front wall as a kiosk and fit it under the stairway. We bought it at Multy Toys store in Pondok Indah Mall Jakarta.