There is a lot more to this hobby than just buying a couple of train toys to push around on a makeshift track. Instead, you need to consider everything from the materials from which the tracks are made to the locomotives, cars, wiring, power-pack components, and whether or not to purchase complete kits or buy each item separately.

One of the first things to consider is the scale. The most popular scales are O scale and HO scale (half-zero). O scale is 1:48 scale while HO is 1:87 scale. However, smaller and larger scale models are also available. The main consideration here is your availability of space. If you plan to fit your layout on a 4×8 piece of plywood, HO scale is a great choice for that. If you have more space and more money to spend, O scale is a great choice. There are lots of accessories available for either HO or O scale.

Another decision to make is whether to buy a complete kit or individual components. Kits are recommended for beginners because they provide the essential items at an affordable cost. The downside of buying individual components is it will cost more money and take more time to put it all together. However, for more serious model train hobbyists, buying individual components is recommended because it allows you to upgrade and customize your selections, making your set uniquely yours and totally awesome! Kits typically include standard quality items, which are okay for beginners but maybe not okay for more serious railroaders.

For the cars, as long as they are the same scale as your track, you really cannot go wrong. Buy the ones you like the best and have fun collecting unique and interesting cars.

One of the most important model train features is the track. Tracks have rail heads, which are made from three basic materials, brass, nickel-silver and steel. However, there are really just two choices here because brass is being phased out by most manufacturers and is already hard to find in hobby shops. The best and cheapest place to find brass track is in garage sales. So your remaining choices are nickel-silver and steel. Nickel-silver is the easiest to find and most commonly used. It is very popular because it is slower to oxidize, which means less maintenance and less cleaning. Steel has the advantage of looking the most realistic but it has the disadvantage of rusting faster and getting dirty faster. So if you want that awesome look that steel offers, you have to be willing to work harder for it.

When looking for track, look for a code on the track packages. This number relates to the height of the rail. The most commonly used track code is 100 on the HO scale. Model train enthusiasts often use lighter rails or those below 100 as an alternative to achieve a more realistic appearance.

Another important component is the locomotive. Here the choices are diesel versus steam engines. Steam locomotives are very fun because of the loud train sounds and smoke but are typically more expensive than diesel. Diesels are typically available as either 4-axle or 6-axle. Your choice here depends partly on the twists and turns of your track layout. For HO track, a 4-axle diesel requires a minimum track radius of 18 inches while a 6-axle diesel requires a minimum track radius of 22 inches.

Lastly, consider your electrical needs. You will not only need a power-pack but also wires to keep your train up and running. Different trains require different types of power. Most experts agree that HO locomotives pull between 0 to 15 volts DC at .5 or more amp, though adding extra amps is always a good investment. Invest in colored wires to make wiring that much easier. This helps you to keep track of positive and negative charges so that you can avoid a short.

What began as train toys can quickly become a far more serious but still very lovable model train hobby. This guide should help you get started so you can safely move past the serious issues and proceed directly into the fun times.

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Originally posted 2009-11-08 12:34:46. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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HO railways are the common ones you’ll see; they’re at 1:87 scale, which is eighty seven times smaller than a real railway. You can also acquire different kinds within the HO scale that provide for narrower track lengths.

There are numerous ways in which HO scale model trains are the greatest alternative. Basically, first time train owners find them extremely easy to use, and they’re easier to manipulate, especially with people with big hands.

It is a excellent ’show’ train, and isn’t so little that it makes designing layouts complicated. It’s the easiest to locate in most local hobby shops, and the accessories are in abundance, and if you are creative, can be created at your house.

8×4′ ply board is the regular size for a train design, but you can cut that as you see fit. If you wish to have an sampling of the dedication and time it takes to become a model railway enthusiast, look up some of the model railroad designs you can find online, and you’ll see a score of painstakingly elaborate and complex designs in pictures and videos.

The infinitely dedicated model railroad hobbyist will spend a lot of time and money into making their layout as complex as possible. You can even find organizations with other people who like model railways, where you can pit your setup against others to see who has the best.

Most beginner layouts would start with a basic track design, usually some kind of oval or oval modification. You would have the track go around close to the outside edge of the board, granting access to the engine and cars easier.

Starting with this basic design, you can be as creative and imaginative as you wish. If you don’t have the time to make your own, there are accessory kits out there that include buildings, miniature trees, people, and other decor.

You could make these yourself of course, but it may help to buy starting out. Realistic toy cars can help you create atmosphere, and all types of materials exist to manufacture your own houses from scratch and make them your own.

If you want industrial buildings like silos or other metal, cylindrical buildings, tin cans will substitute just fine; just stack them as high as you like and glue them together, slap a little paint on, and you have a realistic building for your design. There are many more props you can do.

There is a lot of information out there regarding model trains, designs for layouts, and explanations of the different railroad scales that are available. As mentioned before, you can locate sites that have images and videos that show numerous layouts and include photographs of the different types of cars and engines that you can purchase.

You’ll see ideas for homemade accessories, such as, taking plastic greenery apart to use for landscaping on your outlay. Local retailers will have numerous accessories in stock that you can get ideas from, or there may be some excellent packages, where you purchase a train set, and the retailer includes a basic accessory kit as part of the deal.

Originally posted 2009-11-08 12:34:52. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Cowen’s arrival of the two 1/8′ gauge 3 rail track became the standard, and signaled his dominance of the toy train market. A curious innovation of the O-scale track was the O27. The standard O makes a circle 31 inches in diameter when the curved rails are put together, while the O27 was only 27′. The O27 could run OK on O gauge track, but not vice versa, as the 27′ curve was too sharp for standard O scale trains. After Lionel’s golden decade covering 1946 – 56, the company dropped as a rising number of folks switched to the smaller HO scale ( that Lionel ultimately sticked to ) and kids’s interests went from toy trains to toy vehicles. This was only to be expected since the age of the car had arrived, and although vehicles had been in existence for many decades, it was only now that the number of models had expanded to the limit that toy manufacturers considered it worth manufacturing them. Toy cars were less costly to folks than trains that required rolling stock and tracks to go with them. The company was at last sold to a business known as General Mills who ran it from 1969, even though it never hit the heights of earlier years. Then in 1986 it passed on to Lionel collector Richard Kughn, and became known as Lionel Trains. Quality quickly rose again but in 1995 the company was sold to a consortium known as Wellspring Associates LLC. The company now trades using the nom-de-plume Lionel LLC, but will always be known to fans as Lionel Toy Trains.

Real vintage Lionel model trains can be identified from the couplings. Prior to the Second World War, Lionel couplings looked like hooks, while after the war there were two types of coupling : the Scout series couplers and the more modern peg couplers. The Scout series were the entry-level series with G shaped couplings that don’t open. The more complicated couplings have pegs that may be pulled on the bottom to open them.

Post-war also saw the arrival of electrical couplers. This was better than the 1st version as there were no contact shoes to get snagged with switch points.
The Lionel model trains are normally stamped with four numbers, identifying each item. These can be found either underneath or on the side of each vehicle and locomotive.

The company now operates from Ohio, and the new 2009 catalog offers many new items including the New York Transit tube set, and the Dewitt Clinton Heritage Steam Passenger set, and there is also a large number of new rolling stock. Lionel model trains are still live and kicking, and the new catalog proves that it has not lost its gusto for innovation.

Click here for more information on Lionel Model Trains
.

Originally posted 2009-10-31 10:12:07. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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You have two options when it comes to model train display cases, you can hire someone to build one for you, or you can take on the project and build it yourself. Of course hiring someone would be far easier, but much more expensive. If you’re like most of us, you’ll want to save some money and decide to build it yourself. I hope that these tips will give you some assistance in the process.

Instead of starting from scratch, you can buy some pre-fabricated cabinets – i.e. medicine cabinet-in which to store your model trains. Be sure to purchase the cabinets with glass front doors in order for your train pieces to be viewed. From here, you will design the set-up of the display case around the dimensions of your train pieces. This is inexpensive, fast, and easy to accomplish. These cabinets make the perfect model train display cases.

If starting from scratch, purchase enough wood to construct a similar structure as the cabinets above. The open-ended box you create will serve as the frame of your display case. It should be shallow and have dimensions to fit your model train pieces. When installing the shelving, you want to be sure that they are adjustable to different heights. By simply drilling different holes and inserting dowels you allow yourself the ability to adjust the shelving around to accommodate the different sizes of your pieces.

The shelving you decide upon should be either wood or glass. If you choose to go with the glass shelving, your model pieces should be displayed on the track pieces themselves, separated by stoppers on both ends. If you choose to go with wooden shelving, the pieces can simply be placed on mini dowels you have drilled into place to hold your model pieces in place.

When constructing the backing for your model train display case, many folks tend to go for a mirrored effect. Mirrored backing is much harder to work with than a simple wooden backing. However, if you wish your case to encompass a bit of class, then you may want to steer towards a mirrored backing. The doors once again need to be glass or some form of clear acrylic sheets in order for your model to be displayed and viewed. Be sure the hinges are strong and mounted correctly.

While hiring someone to construct your model train display case may be the easier way to go, you’ll be very pleased with your finished product considering you built it by hand and you saved yourself a load of money. Take your time and do it right, and you’ll be enjoying your model train set for years to come.

Originally posted 2009-11-02 21:46:53. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Originally posted 2009-11-03 16:22:32. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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More and more, parents became involved in the model railway trains their children were playing with. They sought out more detailed models to purchase for their own displays. New manufacturers emerged which started making models that looked very realistic. These models did not start out with any kind of standardized scale, so it was impossible to buy track from one manufacturer to use with the train from another. Standardization did not come along until much later. This posed a problem for people who already had a train and wanted to buy a new car from a different manufacturer.

Most of the major manufacturers of model railway trains were located in Germany. When WWI started up, it caused a disruption in the production and distribution of model trains in the United States and Europe. This opened up the door for many manufacturers like Lionel to get started in the United States. Lionel is a brand still known to model railroaders today as a good starter for those new to train modeling. The details are good, but not as detailed as many of the other trains that are available. This makes their price low, and sales high.

One of the big innovations in model railway trains has been in the material used for the tracks. A very big issue many encountered when setting up their model train was making sure there was proper grounding. Many times, the track would get shorted out because it was made completely of brass. When plastic rail ties became a common base, it made it possible to put the track in more places including a tabletop. The material of the rails themselves changed over the years from brass to the more common aluminum and stainless steel. Many still prefer brass for it’s easy to maintain quality in all weather.

An issue many model railroaders have encountered over the years has been the issue of controlling their trains. In order to control multiple trains on the same track, it was necessary to have several junctures at which the power was connected to the track. You would then have to switch between these junctures in order to control the individual train. There was a switch in which you could reverse polarity so your train could go in reverse. These days, there are computers, which will effectively control every train on the track remotely without incident. There are sure to be many more innovations in the years to come.

Originally posted 2009-11-06 11:18:20. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Originally posted 2009-10-31 10:08:14. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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The major part establishing a model railroad project is the design and implementation of the layout ? the diorama with scenery, structures and appropriate scale track for operating the trains.

The size of the layout you can design, build and operate depends on the amount of room in which you have to set it up. Some layouts can be quite small – shelf-top designs that can be accommodated in a very small space. Others can fill part of a room, or even a whole room or basement.

For a small, simple layout, a table will usually be adequate but most model railroaders aim to establish larger, permanent layouts. These will usually require construction of suitable benches, often fixed to the walls of the room to provide a high degree of stability.

An important aspect of any model train setup is the arrangement of the track itself. There are at least four basic layout patterns for setting out the track, and countless variations of both track configuration and subsequent station placement.

Four of the more common basic patterns are:

* point to point – this is merely a straight line of track with a station at each end, with trains going from the station at one end to the other station;

* continuous loop ? in its simplest form this is either a circle or an oval and the trains move around it continuously, but it could be modified into a ?dogbone? shape by pulling two opposite sides of the circle or oval together, giving a double track appearance in the middle with a smaller circular shape at either end;

* out and back ? where the train leaves the single station, travels around a pear-shaped layout and returns to the original station;

* station yard only ? where a single station is surrounded by a number of short, interconnected tracks, providing great opportunities for shunting.

From these four basic patterns, there are countless variations. Some possibilities are:

* combining two or more of the four basic patterns, for example adding an ?out and back? at one or both ends of a ?point to point? layout;

* adding double track to any of the first three basic layouts to allow two or more trains to operate at the same time;

* adding branch lines, allowing an increase in the number of stations;

* arranging a continuous loop as a figure-of-eight, even elevating one track over the other rather than having the crossing at the same level;

* using multiple levels, allowing the use of more track, and thus more activity, in small areas;

* adding station yards, with adequate standing tracks, to any of the configurations.

The number of possible variations you incorporate into your track layout will only be limited by the space you have available, your time [and your patience] and, of course, the size of your wallet.

Originally posted 2009-11-05 10:09:10. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Originally posted 2009-11-10 09:50:49. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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