Getting started in toy trains

The hobby of model railroading has been around since the early 20th century and has drawn millions of people into it.  Model railroading is even recognized as "the World's greatest Hobby", which says a lot about how people react to a miniature train acting exactly like the prototype.  But how does one get started in this hobby?

• There are several ways to get started and the most common for people is they go and buy a train set.  A train set includes a locomotive, track (usually a circle or oval), transformer(to run power to the track), rail cars (usually freight with a caboose), and a few accessories.  But when buying a train set, it is advisable to stay away from the cheap sets.  these sets have plastic wheels (which keeps the rails dirty), brass or steel track, and single motor unit engines.  The best train sets are those that are made by big names in the hobby that are known for their quality. a few that I am aware of are: atlas (the best manufacturer in my opinion), Athern, Bachmann (another of my favorites), Walther's, and Kato.  some brands that buyers should be aware are: Life-like, some old Bachmann sets.  though they are workable on a dedicated train layout, the cheap sets are usually running unreliably, molded plastic in unrealistic pain schemes, and feels like a toy. A good train set should look, run, and feel realistic.

• Another way to start is to buy all of the items separately, getting a locomotive, several cars, buildings and all the track you want has some advantages.  One thing that this method has over manufactured sets is that you get the road name you want for everything that rolls.  Also you get switches if you want, another thing that a set lacks.  Plus you could even get hooked up with DCC which is a lot better than average DC.

• The third method of getting started in the hobby is to build what is known as a micro layout.  They can be interesting and are as fun as a full layout.  I saw someone at a train show operating one of these micro layouts and he was as busy as a real railroad operator.  The best thing about micro layouts is that they are usually cheap, because they are small. To find out more you should click here.  It is free to see and it has all the information you could find on the subject.

• The fourth method to getting started into this hobby is to just build a train layout.  Subscribing to a magazine such as Model Railroader would  be of great help to a beginner.  A magazine such as this every year builds a project train layout and showcases it over several issues.  The staff at this particular magazine also explains what they did to complete their project in detail.  Building a train layout right of the bat is not advisable by most modelers, but personally, that is exactly what I did and by my third layout, I had built it perfectly!  that's not to say that the prior two didn't operate, they just had quirks that I finally got rid of.  but don't let the idea of three train layouts scare you, everything takes practice and to avoid making costly mistakes, avoid la large layout to start.  2X4' for N, 4X6 for HO, 4X8 for O scale, and 5X10 for G scale are what I would use for dimensions of a starter layout.

So jump on in to the hobby!  You'll never know what you like until you try.  And if you don't like being a model railroader, then atleast you won't have made costly mistakes by following advise from this blog, and others that represent this great hobby!

Garden Railroading, The Best of Two Worlds!

Besides having indoor railways, many people who don't have the space necessary for large trains indoors, create a different world in miniature, outside!
 It all started with a German toy company called Lehmann Gross-Bhan or LGB.  This company produced large trains that were about the size of 1:24 scale.  However, these trains were very different from other trains such as Lionel and American Flyer, these trains were made from UV resistant plastic compared to the die-cast steel that other companies made.  for those who don't know, sunlight produces UV wavelengths that can bleach-out most paint that is on plastic and turn the plastic back to its base color.  And because of that major difference from Lionel trains, LGB trains were able to be outside in any weather.  these trains also had track that could stay outdoors with massive .332 code rails made from solid brass and aluminum.
After a time other companies like, USA trains and Bachmann began to make their own large scale trains.  these companies all made their trains to different scales, Bachmann is 1:22.5, USA trains varies between 1:32 and 1:24 scale.  However, despite the lack of a uniform scale, anything between 1:32 and 1:22 is now under one letter scale, G, which is the largest that the letter scale spectrum for trains go to. T-G and in between, from small to large goes; Z, N, TT, HO, S, O.  Plus all of the scales that represent narrow gauge which would look like this; HOn30 or HO scale narrow gauge, 30 inches.  This is another unique thing about these outdoor giants is the fact that they don't often include the narrow gauge format but rather state the scale.
So now in present day, Garden railroading is becoming very popular with families because it combines gardening, a traditional favorite pastime, and Model Railroading, the most popular hobby of the 20th century, and mixing it all with the excitement and tranquility of the outdoors.  Another reason why it is so popular is because you don't have to set aside a spare bedroom or any shelf space to run large trains,  All that is required is at least a 5ft by 9ft piece of property that is unused in the backyard.  this can include a steep grade that doesn't allow for children play or even for grass to grow, flat shady land that looks barren, or any other piece of real estate that looks like an eyesore.  And to drive that point home, I have a couple photos of my garden railway from a few years ago:

complete with a mill pond and a small yard in the center, the West Side Lumber Railway was an attractive site that other kids loved to look at and play in.  Notice the railroad tie bench in the fore ground and the deck in the back.

the view from the deck reveals the overall track plan of the railroad.

The plan looks simple, it was very fun to operate and it was built on the north side of the house where the grass doesn't grow as well.  Also worth mentioning is that it was built on a slope.

So go ahead and try it there are many sources avalible to those who are starting out.  A great investment would be to buy Jack Verduccui's book, "How to Design and Build Your Garden Railroad."

Another reference is the Peckforton Railroad blog.  Dedicated to garden railroading, it is more established and is full of articles such as this one.  Go to this site: http://riksrailway.blogspot.com