what is a good small railroad to start out with?

Answer 1

Ok, I'm thinking you're refering to model railroading....

There are several scales to think about, I'm happy to give you a run down on some of them..

Z Scale is the smallest of the scales at 1/220th the size of the real thing. While you can put an awful lot into a small space, details would be very hard to see.
N Scale is the next size up at 1/160th the size of the real thing. This scale is a bit larger, but still allows for longer trains. Details are a little easier to see with this scale.
Next up is H.O. Scale at 187th the size of the real thing. This is the most popular scale in the hobby. There is so much stuff available that no one hobby shop can stock it all.
Another scale to consider is O Scale. While the smallest details are easier to see with this scale, it does tend to take up more space than the previously forementioned scales. Lionel makes an awful lot of stuff in this scale. This scale is 1/48th the size of the real thing.
Next is S Scale at 1/64 the size of the real thing. I'm sorry, but my knowledge on this scale is very limited.
Finally, G Scale, measuring at about 1/22.5 (or something like that) is sometimes used for the fairly new hobby of garden model railroading.

There are other things to think about, such as how much money you want to spend, where to run your trains, and how much time you feel like you can give to your hobby. Lastly, there is no real right or wrong way to enjoy the hobby, as everyone in the hobby has their own track to follow. (Pun intended). Always remember : Miniature trains are a delightful hobby, model railroading is fun.

Answer 2

MODEL RAILROAD? as in what gage should you get?
that depends on how much room you have,
Z gage is very small, does not take a lot of room for a layout. quite spendy
N gage is a little bigger, again, you can have a pretty decent layout in a small space. and again spendy.
HO gage is the most common, and you can have a real decent layout in a spare bedroom. any hobby shop will have a lot of supplies for your HO gage model railroader, and, unlike Z and N gage, this isn't bad for the price.
there is also S gage, 027 gage and O gage, the last 2 are the one the train enthusiast are gonzo about. they however take a lot of room for a layout, VERY LARGE. and engine for an 027 gage could easily be 10 - 14 inches long. and cost (depending on what you want) upwards of 200.00 EASY for just an engine. there are more expensive ones than that.
hope this is what you were looking for. good luck

Answer 3

Find a short line, say 5-7 miles long, get yourself a 44-tonner and switch some freight. You could get a longer line and run a dinner train I suppose, if you can hook up with a decent caterer.

Oh. MODEL trains! Go either HO gauge or Lionel, I'd say. Those are the most common. You can buy train sets small to large. With HO scale it's easy to extend and "do it yourself" right down to filling your basement with railroad and controlling 12 trains at once.