I've been wanting to do my own TTTE stories since the holiday season of 2006 & over the years, I've learned a lot of lessons from the content this community had to offer such as:
1.Study the tone of the RWS books & TVS episodes.
2.No Ramahfool type humor or humor involving engines having limbs because they're not like humans.
3.Blatant rip-off episodes MUST either be retooled or replaced with original plots.
4.Planning, Development, Structure & Competency are ALL highly advised.
5.Absolutely no stolen or copied jokes from other tv or cartoon shows.
6.Episodes MUST be filmed on either a finished main layout or few temporary layout setups.
7.Find more ways to improve your storytelling.
However, I need your help on how I could start my own TTTE fan stories. For instance: should I utilize model trains or Trainz content? If it's model trains, what scale should I stick to? Should it be HO/00, just like most of the fan-made stories from back in the early internet days ranging from 2005-2008 or Gauge 1, just like the actual model era of the official show? Since owning a model railway just to film your own stories (whether it be in HO/00 scale or Gauge 1) can actually be too costly, should I just stick to Trainz content? I need your input on this topic, please!!!