Read on for details about some of the coolest and most in depth model trains you will ever likely see. Perhaps this might spark your interest and you could, with a lot of time and effort, be showcased on a list like this someday!

#1: Japanese Micro-Layouts by Yoji Tabuchi

When it comes to realistic, and, well, actually small model railways, Yoji Tabuchi has really made a name for himself. His creations are incredibly true to life, and are so intricately detailed given their size. Each of these is one of a kind, but is still true to actual form.

#2: Wunderland “Hamburg, Germany”

When it comes to construction, the Germans know how to do it all right. So when someone ponders the question, “what is Germany’s answer to the model train, look no further. Germans don’t just build, they build. When it came to building the ultimate model train, it took 7.3 million Euros, and over 50,000 man hours to create this work or realistic art, professional craftsmanship, and awe inspiring coolness.

#3: The Great Train Story

Oh what a name, and what a story too! Housed in a museum in Chicago, this is an incredibly true-to-life model that conveys a rich visual history. Realistic in every way except scale, the Great Train Story is a model train setup that tells the story of the expansion of the railroad from Chicago to Seattle in the bygone era where the train was King.

#4: The Northlandz Model Railway

When it takes 25 years to complete a model railway setup, you are sure to be impressed. You will not be disappointed when viewing the intricacies, beauty, and detail of the Northlandz Model Railway. This model contains death defying spans of bridges over valleys, as well as tons of trees and lifelike houses as well.

#5: The Tenachapi Pass Model Railway

This model railway takes a visual representation of something to a whole new level. This model built to mimic this stretch of the pass was designed with accuracy at every level in mind. The creators of this truly lifelike model took literally thousands of pictures of the pass. By doing so, they ensured that their model followed the actual topography and landscape as much as possible.

#6: The Miniature Railroad & Village

The idyllic quaint towns and landscapes of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in western Pennsylvania are in display in all their glory at this awesome model village. This is the largest and most real to life model train and village of its kind and is really true to form about what they landscapes and town used to be like.

#7: The Sierra Pacific Lines by the Pasadena Model Railroad Club

In my humble opinion, this is one of the coolest model trains based on sheer scale and size. This bad boy contains over 30,000 feet of hand laid track. To circumnavigate the entire track on foot takes nearly an hour. This is an incredible, lifelike, and stunning representation of the famous Sierra Pacific Lines.

#8: Toggenburg Model Railway

This is another impressive German creation that is one of the most lifelike model trains I have ever seen, and one of the largest too. This guy spans over 2.5 miles. It took 200,000 man hours to get this model completed. Germans really do take their construction seriously.

#9: The Loxx Model Railway

This is the largest model railway of its type in all of Europe, spanning an area of 3/4 of a mile. This is yet another impressive display of true to life creations that are as stunning in scale as they are in attention to detail.

#10: The Virginian & Ohio

For the train lover, this model train is a piece of both the history of trains, as well as the history of the model train builder. The creators of this impressive and realistic model pioneered a revolutionary way of moving the trains around the track that literally changed the way model trains were built hence forth. A book and a historical society dedicated in their honor are now available.

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No longer do you have to wait weeks for your local train store to order something for you. Now you can just hop onto your favorite model train website or even eBay and order the exact piece you want, all within minutes.

There is a downside to the internet’s reach though. You don’t always know exactly what you’re getting and it’s easy to be fooled by an inaccurate description or misleading images.

These issues can be avoided, however, with some simple guidelines.

1. Buy from a reputable dealer

2. Buy brands and products lines that you have some experience and are familiar with

3. Ensure the website offers a good return guarantee

4. Use a credit card or some other payment method that provides you with protection in case of a problem

If you are unsure of a website’s reputation, check with other people who are interested in the hobby. There are plenty of discussion groups and forums for model railroaders where plenty of people visit regularly.

Chances are good that someone has had experience with the website you’re looking at – good or bad. People are generally quite happy to share their experiences, especially if they had a bad one.

If you can’t find anyone who has dealt with a particular website before, it may be best to find an alternate source. They could just be new, but they could also be some kind of fly-by-night operation that may be difficult to deal with.

Most model train enthusiasts will continue to buy more equipment and accessories over time. For this reason, you will likely be developing a relationship with the vendors you like. Spending a little time to research them up front will ensure that you have a good experience and will find a vendor that you can continue to deal with for years to come.

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1: Select the size of your model train, that is the scale or gauge. Scales range from micro-sized Z scale for tiny layouts to giant G-scale used mostly for outdoor garden layouts.

Visit hobby shops or model train websites and see the various scales available. Staff at a hobby shop will usually be happy to point out the advantages andor disadvantages of each scale. Your decision about scalesize will be partly based on the space available for your layout. The most popular scales are O scale – which is 148th actual size and the smaller HO scale which is 187th actual size. As a result of being the two most popular scales these have the greatest variety of locomotives, cars and accessories available.

2: Learn about layouts for the scale you have chosen by reading magazines such as O Gauge Railroading and Classic Toy Trains (these two are for O scale). Model Railroading provides detailed information about HO and N scale. All are full of information – all the good train hobby stores carry them or you can pick them up at places like Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

Also visit websites related to your scale choice – Google the term -model train layouts for a great listing of sites with information about model train layouts.

Re-visit hobby shops you visited for information when deciding on the scale of your model train set and ask questions about layout. The good ones can provide helpful advice and they sell how-to books on wiring, scenery, detailing and other subjects.

3: You then need to decide on how you start. Do you want to start with a little layout that can later be extended? Do you want to set up a permanent layout right from the start? Do you want to develop a ‘theme’ layout – say a layout depicting California logging railroads in the 1920s? The major decisions are to determine your objective and set the size parameters for your layout. Don’t forget that the size parameters for your layout will be determined largely by the space you have available – a basement? the corner of a lounge room? portion of your garage? etc.

4: Begin making sketches and drawings on plain paper – it’s easier to make changes to your drawing than to have to physically pry up a section of track that ‘went wrong’. Refer back to magazines and websites during this planning stage – just to see what others have done. Many magazines and websites will have photos of layouts appropriate to the scale you have chosen. There are even some computer programs which can help you with designing your layout – look for ads in model train magazines.

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The first wooden and metal floor toy train was made in the 1860s. By the 1890s, a series of wind-up and electronic-powered train sets were designed. In 1901, Lionel built an electronic train set for their store display that had the WOW-factor and amazed even the heart of an adult. It was on every young boys Christmas list that year. Lionel is today still one of the number one model railroad developers.

From the early 1900s to the 1970s, the popularity of electronic train sets grew. Lionel’s Standard Gauge Tinplate Commodore Vanderbilt was the first streamlined locomotive released 1934 in America and became the prototype for the first toy train. The design included a true-life sound system that imitated the big rigs and increased the level of excitement in owning such a grand train set. Lionel’s Union Pacific Veranda Turbine diesel-turbine power train set was different than most train sets. It was one of the first that could be disassembled and reassembled.

Model railroading is a hobby that evolved from wood to electric from scale model railroading to toy trains from HO trains to N scale trains and then Z scale which is even smaller in size. By the 1980s, the digital control systems were developed and were popular among Baby Boomers.

Some toy train sets are worth thousands, while others carry no significant value other then sentiment. This is a hobby for the little boy in every man. It isn’t so much the value of the item that draws collectors as it is the ownership.

Now in 2006, the model railroading hobby has grown beyond all expectations of our ancestors. There are well over 500,000 participants in model railroading hobby clubs across the nation: United States, Canada, Australia, England, Japan, and Germany. From those who craft to those who collect, the model railroading hobby keeps on growing.

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When it developed the standards for toy trains, Mrklin was a company that mainly designed and built accessories for doll houses. In 1891 they expanded the business and started making toy trains. Mrklin had always designed its doll house accessories to a gauge (a certain gauge dollhouse corresponded with a certain gauge of furniture). They realized that if they used a similar gauge when building toy trains and railroad tracks consumer’s could continue purchasing bits of tracks for years to come. As soon as they realized this Mrklin sold rolling and stock tracks that could be used to expand the boxed sets they sold.

Trains that run on a G gauge track have little in common but the track they operate on. It is a gauge that has been popular with European toy train makers for years. The G gauge has a width of 1 34 inches and a size of 1:32 through 1:30.

Measuring at 1 38 inches wide, with a size of 1:48 or 1:43 or 1:45 or 1:64, the zero gauge is the most popular toy train gauge.

The S gauge became popular in post World War II, when it was used heavily by the American Flyer company. Designing train tracks and trains that ran on the S gauge tracks is one of the things that most consumers think about when they think of the American Flyer toy company. Its measurements were in between an O gauge track and an HO gauge track. It is important not to confuse the S gauge with the wide gauge standard that was introduced by the Lionel Company. The wide gauge was less of a scale model standard that some believe to have been a result of the company misreading the Mrklin specifications. Another theory is that the Lionel Company was trying to create a new gauge of track that would lock out competitors. At least four toy train manufactures in the United States used the wide gauge.

Sixty years ago, England devised a toy railroad track called the HO gauge. It was suppose to be half the size of an O gauge track. The actual measurements are 1:87. There are .65 inches between the rails. For some reason the trains that were designed to run on the HO tracks did not enjoy a great deal of popularity. Some people believe that they were unable to with hold the wear and tear their young owners put them through.

Germany came out with trains that ran on a Z gauge track. The tracks that support these trains measure 1:22. Perhaps because of their small size these trains have not been particularly successful.

The OO gauge measured 1:76. It appeared on the market in the 1930′s. In the 1950′s a train that runs on a track that measures 1:120 came out. It vanished shortly after its inception.

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With a friend, William Coleman, and using a small hardware manufacturing business known as the Edmonds-Metzel Hardware Company, Hafner began producing toy clockwork trains during 1906-7. These Edmond-Metzel trains were sold so successfully through some major retailers that the brand name The American Flyer was adopted for marketing purposes and by 1910, the name of the hardware company had been changed to American Flyer Manufacturing Company.

The American Flyer trains proved very popular, in part because they were lower priced than other makes popular at that time, and also because their detailing made them more realistic than other low budget model trains.

Hafner left the partnership in 1913 to start up his own company and Coleman’s American Flyer trains did extremely well during the First World War as they had no competition in the US from the German companies. By 1918, the first of the American Flyer electric trains were in production and business boomed during the 1920s but declined sharply during the Great Depression.

In 1938, William Coleman Jr, son of the company’s founder, who had taken over the business following his father’s death in 1918, sold the American Flyer to the A C Gilbert Company. Gilbert had been manufacturing and selling an extensive range of toys but not toy trains. He moved the company from Chicago to New Haven, Connecticut and immediately began to re-design the trains. He re-developed the American Flyer as S-scale in 1939 , a scale which was a modification of the very popular O gauge model trains then on the market. The S scale, which scales trains to the 1:64 ratio and made them smaller than the O scale trains, had a number of major advantages in terms of the track and track layouts.

In 1946 Gilbert made another major change to the American Flyer. Until that stage model electric trains had run on three rails, with the centre rail carrying the current. Gilbert developed a two rail system for running the American Flyer. This two-rail track, which had seven-eighths inches between the rails, made the track layout, and hence train operation, more realistic as the track now looked like ‘real train track’.

With the advent of television – to distract both younger people and older people from their regular hobbies – together with the rise of the discount chain stores which undercut prices and demanded lower wholesale prices, A C Gilbert Company ran into trouble and in 1962 was sold to Wrather Group. The new owners produced lines of toys, including model trains, which were of very poor quality and sales dropped sharply until in 1966 production of the American Flyer ceased. By 1967 the Company was bankrupt.

At this time, Lionel Corporation, which was itself in financial trouble although it had been the leading model train manufacturer for many decades, bought the rights to the American Flyer. However, by 1969 Lionel Corporation itself was bankrupt and sold the rights to the manufacture of its model trains, including the American Flyer, to General Mills.

General Mills began selling some of the original Gilbert designed American Flyer trains by 1979 but in 1984 sold its Lionel Company section to a toy manufacturer, Kenner who on-sold the company to Richard Kughn in 1985.

Kughn was very successful for over 10 years with the Lionel and American Flyer trains but sold in 1996 to Wellspring Partners who set up the company Lionel LLC, which operates today selling a range of model trains, including the S-scale American Flyer. Initially Lionel LLC concentrated on promoting the O and O27 scale model trains of its original lines but since 2002 has been releasing more and more American Flyer models.

The American Flyer then, is now more that 100 years old, and has gone though a number of ownerships and fluctuations in popularity. Dedicated S-scale enthusiasts now believe that this renowned model train is once again making a resurgence.

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call their model train collection toy trains. For

them, it would be like calling a classic piece of

literature a novel. Besides, who can blame you? Toy

trains and model trains are small in size and are

powered by electricity or other types of power

sources. However, you have to consider that there is a

difference between toy trains and model trains.

Basically, toy trains in the early days were often

powered by wind up motors. Some were even powered by

steam. In those days, these toy trains were generally

made of cast iron.

Then, electric trains followed. Some were powered by

batteries, while there are other toy train sets that

were plugged in where the electricity flowed on the

tracks to power the train.

So, how do you differentiate toy trains from model

trains?

First of all, toy trains are what you can easily buy

in your local toy store. It is cheap and will not

necessarily have all the details of a particular

train. Usually, most toy trains are made of plastic

and there are generally not enough details to tell

what kind of model the train is.

With model trains, you will see that it will be a lot

more expensive. It will usually be made with metal and

will have several moving parts that resemble that of

the real train. Model trains are exact replicas of

real trains. From the engine detail to the paint, you

will see that model trains will have all the visual

references that can help you distinguish what kind of

train it is.

Model trains will also be included with realistic

tracks and cabins. Some will even have lights in the

cabins, while there are even others where you can see

miniature people inside the train.

In most cases, model train enthusiasts will spend

thousands of dollars just to get their tracks and

trains as realistic as possible. Some will even do a

bit of landscaping and even dig a tunnel for the

tracks. Model buildings are also added as well as a

train station.

Today, you can even see model trains controlled by

computers.

This is how you can differentiate model trains from

toy trains. Model trains are very expensive and can be

quite a fulfilling hobby for most railroad

enthusiasts. It offers realism and great detail on the

train like no other can.

Today, there are several manufacturers of model

trains.

Always remember that model trains are not toys that

you can give to your 10 year old son to play with. It

is very expensive. Besides, you wouldn’t want to see a

500.00 model train flying off your house, would you?

So, the next time you are in a store to purchase your

child a train set, try to settle for a toy train.

However, if you are a railroad enthusiast who wants to

get realistic working replicas of trains, then

purchasing a model train is for you.

Remember these things and you can be sure that the

next time you buy a miniature train you will know the

difference between model trains and toy trains.

So, if you are enthusiastic about railroads, you might

want to try considering purchasing model trains. You

will see that this type of hobby is quite fulfilling.

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It doesn’t take long, however, to get the urge to start adding accessories to the railroad to make it more realistic. For many people, this become a lifelong endeavor, and can grow to very large proportions.

Every layout is different and everyone has their own favorite accessories, but the following 5 items are some of the most common accessories that add a level of realism and interest to your model railroad.

1. Train Station

This is one of the first buildings most people add to their layout. It gives the railroad a starting and ending point and often serves as the basis for an entire town or city to be built up around it.

2. Lighting

There are many forms of lighting for railroads. There can be background lighting to give a backdrop a degree of realism or street lights to add to the ambiance of a city. These may be strictly for decoration, or they may actually light up at night to give the streets a realistic glow.

3. Rail Cars

The locomotive usually gets the most attention when setting up a model railroad, but there are many choices for railcars as well.

4. People and Animals

A city or rail yard isn’t complete without people as part of the design. And if your layout travels through mountains or countryside, animals add a touch of realism to the design.

5. Landscaping

There are many options for landscaping a railroad. You can add things like grass, trees, lakes or rivers alongside the track. Or you can get a little more in depth and add hills and valleys for your train to travel through, and tunnels through the mountains.

Technorati Tags: Accessories, Model, Train

Space and Scale

Before you even think of building a model train set, you need to know just how much space you’ll have for it. When you purchase a model train, it has a scale associated with it. The scale informs you of the size of the train. The majority of model train enthusiasts love the HO scale because it takes limited space for a regular setup and the detail is nice. If space is at a premium for you, look into N scale trains. These can be run in the smallest of spaces. One of my favorites is the O Scale, sometimes called O Gauge, trains. These are big boys and come with great detail. If you have at least a 6 foot by 6 foot space, you can setup a decent O scale layout. O scale model trains and accessories are typically more expensive, but they are worth it in my opinion.

Requirements

It is possible to setup your own model railroad piece by piece or to buy a complete kit. Generally, a complete kit will lack the frills associated with model railroad setups like scenery, but you can be up and running in minutes. If you end up buying a ready-to-run complete set, you can add-on to it easily by simply buying the parts you desire. Also you can run other trains on the track. Just make sure to buy the same scale as your setup. For example, if you bought a HO scale set, you want to buy HO model trains in the future.

Some Things to Look For

When buying your new model train, look to see if it is DCC enabled. This is a big one. You want to have your train DCC enabled, if possible, so you can run other trains at the same time with ease. Should you decide one train is enough for you, this is less of an issue, in my opinion. However, you never know. Your model train store will only have a very small fraction of the model trains and accessories that are out there. Don’t feel like you have to buy what they have. The Internet is full of model train stores.

Finally, I recommend that you look for a model train store in your area and go talk to them. You can learn a lot very quickly by talking with someone in person who cares about the hobby. While hobby stores are ok, a store dedicated to model railroading is far superior in every aspect. The probability of finding someone who really knows about model railroading in detail at a general hobby store is minimal at best.

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The construction of the HO toy trains is one aspect that makes them stand apart from other toy trains. HO toy trains are jagged and are scaled at 1:87, making them the perfect starter electric train. Appearance is also a major factor in collecting HO toy trains. The flawless detailing gives them a realistic appeal, making them an attractive addition to any toy train system. The Marklin HO toy trains resemble the Z gauge in that they are built from diecast metal. Most of the frames and wheels are constructed from 100% metal. The engineering of HO toy trains is also quite brilliant. The wheels of the freight and passenger cars have a low center of gravity to avoid derailment, making them a reliable addition to electric systems.

The third-rail track systems of HO toy trains make them a hassle-free operation. The electrical current is carried by miniature stud contacts found in the middle of the ties. If you don’t look closely, chances are you’ll miss these clever additions. This helps prevent wiring problems and electrical pickup issues. Given the careful engineering and construction of HO toy trains, most collectors consider HO toy trains part of a scale hobby. At the debut of HO toy trains, they were sold as a toy train rather than a scale model as they are often sold today.

Scale model railroading didn’t become a popular hobby among collectors until after the 1950′s. Until that time, HO toy trains were thought of as just another size of train. Therefore, the Lionel Corporation began to make HO toy trains as smaller versions of the classic freight and passenger cars. It wasn’t long before the Louis Marx Company began constructing their own version of HO toy trains, and they even started to sell them with complete scenery and in slot car sets.

Although finding HO toy trains on the shelf at your local toy store may be a challenge, they aren’t all that difficult to come by. A simple search of the internet will provide you with a detailed listing of available HO toy trains for sale as well as places to locate these classic toy trains.

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