Scale Model Railroad Trains

Toys

Toy trains get many people started into the wonderful world of trains.  Thomas the Tank Engine is a prime example. The Thomas stories have wonderful characters. The trains come alive. Bright colors and big smiley faces.

Many toy trains can be guided down durable wooden or plastic tracks. Little hands can push their favorite trains around the track.Brio makes a line of toy wooden tracks and trains. Some of the trains are joined together with little magnets. Hook and loop couples or more prototypical couples can be hard to reach and operate. The magnetic couplers can be a clever way to avoid this. Pivoting couplers allow the trains to make sharp curves and still remain coupled.

So have fun with toy trains, yourself or with your young children. Soon you’ll both be looking at Scale model railroad trains as the next thing to do together. Toy trains are the first step to a family hobby that lasts a lifetime.

Have fun!

Trainguy

What’s the difference between a toy and a model?

The most significant difference is the intended use. A model is intended to represent something else such as a railroad train, car or building.A toy is mostly intended for play.

The edges between the two get a little blurry when the model is intended to be a model of a part of a fantasy. Even so, a model of your own imaginary town or personal railroad company can be quite representative. A toy is mostly designed for play. Toys usually lack minor details, use extremely bright colors, and are constructed of materials and use finishes designed for rough play or hard-long running.

Modern toys must meet safety requirements for younger ages such as having edges that are rounded, made of pieces that are large and prevent dangers of being eaten or swallowed.

Toys often are designed to amaze and hold attention with excessive smoke, flashing lights, extremely loud sounds, and very fast running. Although, models share some aspects of these features, models rarely go to the level of excess that toys frequently use.

Some toy trains will run directly on the floor without a track. Other toy trains are designed to be handled constantly as they are pushed along track that is specifically designed for little hands in a big hurry. The most durable toy track can even survive the repeated footsteps of the youngest “engineers”. Most model track is made to precisely represent the real thing and provide electric power to run the train without handling, but could not withstand any such rough treatment.

“Space the final frontier”. Scale matters!

Space is one of the main factors in having fun with your model railroad.

Let’s suppose you want to have a mixed freight and passenger station with a small switching yard nearby. Your switching yard will need track long enough to store various freight cars, passenger cars, and engines,  and additional tracks for the train as it is made up or joined together. The tracks will need to be far enough apart to allow trains to pass each other (without collision), and each track spaced apart to hold the model switches. You’ll also want to have an industry or two receiving and manufacturing materials and goods.

Your passenger station may have a road or even a main street of  a town establishing a place for arriving and departing passengers. To help set the time frame, part of the country and general setting you might want to model some of the buildings and terrain - such as a river, some slopes, trees, and land with shrubs and grasses.

The trains at the station may need some refueling or maintenance. The trains may also need some signals and switch controls. You may have admired photos or paintings of trains crossing a river, or deep gorge on a winding section of track near a mountain and a bridge.

Before you know it your railroad is growing and everything takes space.

You may want to run your train in a loop at times so you can relax and chat with others while the trains run.  A simple loop or figure “8″ gets boring quickly, if that is all you have. There are times you might want to challenge yourself, “play trains”, and concentrate on switching from track to track and carefully assembling a train for its schedule of pickups and deliveries. To run more than one train you may need passing sidings or two or more parallel tracks. More space. You may have a special engine or long passenger or freight car.  Long train equipment need larger radius curves to run reliably and to look realistic in a scene.

Scale has a direct impact on how much space each of the same items will require on your railroad. A 60 foot long railroad car in G scale (1:20.3)  will be about 35 -1/2 inches long; in HO scale (1:87)  a 60 foot long car will be  about 8 - 1/4 inches long; a 60 foot car in N scale (1:160) will be 4 - 1/2 inches long. As you can see, scale matters.

Why are there so many scales?

The vast selection of scales gives you so many options you are sure to find one that fits your situation and preferences.

If you want to have a railroad in a VERY small space (even as small as a briefcase) you could go with Z scale.

N scale is the second most popular scale at this time. It’s a larger than Z, and runs reliably. Much of the equipment comes with amazing detail. There’s a wide selection of trains and other products. If you heard of N scale 20 or even 10 years ago this was not true. A lot has changed and N scale is growing in popularity because it has achieved the highly desirable combination of convenient size, reliability, and wide range of equipment.

N scale has some real flexibility. It can fit on a shelf or be stored under a bed. It can fill whole rooms, the basement or garage for major landscape and train running scenes.

N scale has also grown because of being a leader in the modular railroad movement. You can build a 2 foot by 4 foot section and join up with other modules (railroad sections). This enables you to run VERY long trains with other people and only use a small amount of your own space to do it. You should also know that manufacturers have addressed the old complaint about not having enough pulling power. Now medium to high quality N scale engines can pull long trains, most longer than those in the other scales.

Amazing thing about N scale and the NTRAK modules is that they have been used to create some of the largest scale model railroads in the world.

HO scale is larger than N or Z. It is the most popular scale. There is a wealth of scenery, trains, and other supplies available in HO. It has provided a good balance between model detail/accuracy and moderate size. HO can quickly take up an entire room, garage or basement.

G scale is an even larger scale. It is so large that it usually used outdoors in a garden setting or in a single loop around the holiday tree. It could provide an extremely high level of detail. Since it was originally sold as a “toy” or “collector’s” scale you’ll only find high accuracy/detail in recent offerings. G scale is also so large that trains are often kept short to fit in the available space. G scale is rising in popularity because it can combine gardening with railroading and attracts family members of all ages.

O and S scale fit between HO and G as to size.  They are more popular than Z but less popular than N or G. They have also had a tradition of being either “toy” or “collector” scales. Many of the products still are. There are some better accuracy/detail products available now too. Buildings, scenery, and accessories are limited, compared to the more popular scales.

What are the most popular model train scales?

Popularity of train scales is shifting slowly as products improve, and offerings and tastes change. You can safely choose from these scales. The most popular model railroad train scales in the US are in order (from most to less): HO scale - 1:87, N scale - 1:160, G scale - 1:20.3, O scale - 1:48, Z scale - 1:220, and S scale - 1:64.

What does this mean to you? A wide range of products are readily available from sources that carry scale model railroad trains in most of these scales. The customer demand is large enough for manufacturers and dealers to produce and carry products that you may need to build your railroad. Track, trains, people, buildings, vehicles, animals, and numerous railroad related items such as crossing signals, and more. Some people enjoy the challenge of making everything on their own, others enjoy running the trains, or creating their own miniature scenes. Having products available ready to go makes model railroading more fun for those that want to emphasize running over building your own.

Have fun!

Trainguy

WHAT IS SCALE?

Scale is the size of your model and how it compares with the size of other things. It is a ratio. It is usually stated as two numbers: 1 to something (model:full size).

It is possible to create a miniature world around your model railroad and make the illusion that it is real last longer if all the items that you see at one time are of the same relative scale. Many manufacturers have worked to make their products accurate to a scale. They know this makes it more fun. They will prominently label any products that are compatible with a particular scale. Look for the numbers or two letter designation! If the scale is not shown on the packaging then it’s probably not any particular scale. It may still fit in, but you’ll have to make that decision.

A good example of something out of scale is when your pet hops over a model train. Most trains in the real world could not be easily hopped by your pet. This immediately breaks the illusion of a miniature, realistic scene, and spoils the fun. An example of something that is in scale is when your scene has a cat or dog that is much smaller than the train, perhaps less than half the height of one of the smaller train wheels.

Another example of being out of scale is when you reach down with your hand and move the train (rather than using a switch). This is jokingly referred to as “Giant Hand Operations”, because only a giant would have a hand that large and be in proper scale. (Of course you can move a model train by hand, it just breaks the illusion, and using a switch helps to keep the illusion.)

There are many different scales. Most have a letter or two that indicate what relative size they represent. A few of the most popular scales are - HO scale, N scale, G scale, O scale. Other scales include - F scale, S scale, and Z. There are more scales (like TT), but they are not used by many people and equipment is only available from a very limited number of sources. Each one has a different size and ratio to real world things. Stayed tuned, I’ll discuss each of the most popular scales briefly tomorrow.

If you are buying equipment and model accessories for your railroad scene try to keep them all in the same scale. The are many scales in many sizes. This may be a little confusing. Each one has its strengths and purposes, you decide what’s best for you. When you select the scale that you are going to model in, consider your available space, your interest in detail/realism, your eyesight, and general durability (for handling). HO scale is 1 to 87. This means that a 1 foot long model engine is equal to an 87 foot long real engine. The other way to say the same thing is that an 87 foot item would take 1 foot of space to model.

HO has been the most popular scale in US and continental Europe for over 20 years. Newer scales such as G and N are gaining popularity quickly and each have a significant share of the market. If a store or internet source specializes in one scale, it may not offer another scale for sale. Just keep looking.

Scale applies to all items in your scene. A 5 foot 6 inch tall person is 66 inches tall. To find the correct HO scale size simply divide 66 inches by 87. The result is 0.7586206 inches. A model 5 foot 6 inch tall person in HO scale would be about three-fourths (3/4) of an inch tall.

Have fun!

Trainguy

scalemodelrailroadtrains.Today.com Launched

October, 2008 Trainguy  launched scalemeodeltrains.today.com It is a source for answers and experiences with scale model railroad trains. Whether you are a beginner trying to get started in the model train hobby or experienced with scale model railroad trains you should find something of interest in this blog.

Trainguy has over 40 years experience in many scales, and settings. His blog is open for suggestions and links. The blog provides a place to share photos and stories.  This blog is your number one source for a daily message on scale model railroad trains and all that makes it fun. Part of the fun is engaging in the conversation and using this blog as a resource to join in.

The scalemodelrailroadtrains.today.com blog provides industry news and product reviews.

Model railroading can be great fun for people of all ages and abilities. There’s a size and scale, like HO scale, G scale, N scale, and more that can make your dreams come true. Model trains let you show your imagination and creativity. This blog covers much more than trains. It covers how to create miniature houses, people, and scenes in a small space like a shelf or the great outdoors in a garden railroad.

The blog has something that will be of interest to almost anyone in scale model railroad trains.

Have Fun!

Trainguy