The popularity of model trains is something which has never faded; this hobby has a seemingly eternal appeal to people of all ages. Certainly, collecting and running a model railroad offers many opportunities to use your creativity. Hobbyists often enjoy building the scenery for their model trains to travel through just as much as they enjoy the trains themselves.
If you’re new to this hobby, one of the first things you’ll need to learn are the concepts of scales and gauges. Don’t panic; it’s actually pretty simple. Scale denotes the ratio of the size of a model train in relation to the full size train it represents. The most common model train scales are G, HO, O and N scales. G scale trains are in a 1:22 ration, HO (meaning half O) scale trains are 1:87, O scale trains are 1:48 and N scale trains are 1:160, about half the size of HO scale trains.
Some less commonly seen scales are TT, Z and S scale model trains, with ratios of 1:120, 1:220 and 1:64, respectively. Each scale has its own pros and cons and is better suited to particular uses; and each has its own dedicated following, even the more obscure scales.
Gauge is the other important concept in the hobby of collecting model trains. When you hear a hobbyist talk about gauge, they mean the size of the track, specifically the distance between the rails. Since model trains and tracks are produced by many different companies, industry standard sizes were developed in order to make trains and tracks compatible with each other. Standard and narrow gauge track are the sizes you’ll see the most often.
Scenery is one of the most important things to model train enthusiasts. Hobbyists spend a lot of time and put a lot of effort into creating landscapes for their trains to travel through. You can make your layouts in any way that suits you. As long as you can lay your tracks on it, the only limit to what you can do with your layout is your creativity.
You may see model train layouts with features including hills and mountains, forests, farms, towns and even water features such as waterfalls and rivers. Some hobbyists get very creative with their layouts, even putting together entire miniature cities for their model trains to navigate through.
You can lay your track in your landscape any way you like. You’ll probably want to make your track a loop so that your trains will run continuously around your landscapes, but other than that, it’s up to you. You could use an oval, a layout with several loops or any shape you like. You should avoid making sharp turns though; just like a real train, model trains are not designed for sharp turns and can derail.
Building layouts for your model trains and collecting these models is a fascinating hobby which provides entertainment and a great creative outlet for people of all ages. It’s a hobby which is great for the entire family to do together and offers a wonderful opportunity for parents or grandparents and children to bond.
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