Feb 06 2009
Scale Model Railroad Trains for the Whole Family
Scale Model Railroad Trains for the Whole Family
Scale model railroad trains and model railroading can be interesting to everyone in the family. It is an activity that can be shared between young and old, men, women, boys, and girls. The old stereotype that it is for older men only NO longer applies.
Bring the family to scale model railroad shows, sales, and meets. Scale model railroading is so diverse that some aspect is bound to catch everyone’s attention and interest. It’s a creative and artistic activity that has no equal.
Young children enjoy the movement and sound of the trains. Slightly older children enjoy the attention from parents and friends as they learn how to handle the trains carefully (with adult supervision, of course.) It’s a proud moment when the little ones learn how to correctly get a box car on the track with a re-railer ramp. Kids will put one freight car on after another. They love to watch it glide down the ramp and roll flawlessly down the track again and again.
Older children enjoy learning how to switch the engine and freight cars. This is a wonderful teachable moment. You can guide them through the challenge of making up and breaking down trains without ever touching them with their hands. They enjoy the trust and responsibility of being given the throttle to control the railroad. We’ve had many a kid standing on a chair or wooden box to get a good view of the railroad as they took the controls.
Many girls and women have fun using their creative side in a whole new arena. They bring a different perspective to model railroading that is refreshing and fun. Many enjoy all the basic features of railroading and trains. One of the young women in a club nearby made an elaborate Halloween scene with meticulously constructed and detailed haunted house and train. It was the hit of a regional train event. Hundreds of seasoned modelers were in awe of the skill and creativity displayed by this first effort. It matched or exceeded that of some of the most respected modelers in the region.
Other girls and women particularly enjoy the plantings and landscaping in connection with outdoor railroads. Several outdoor railroads in our area have become major family projects. They involved the whole family in various aspects. The results have been stunning railroads and great family experiences that will last in their memories for generations.
Model railroad are a natural bridge between older people and the young. Many older people rode the trains and lived in communities build around the goods and services that railroads would bring and carry away. It is an activity where you can share some quite, close, time that rarely happens in the life of young kids who are be driven to and from lessons, sports, and other activities.
Many families have passed cherished engines and train equipment from one generation to the next.
Valentine’s Day will soon be here. Model railroading is for lovers too. A friend of mine delivered an engagement ring and proposal of marriage on the back of one of his flat cars as the two young people were running the model railroad one evening. I’m sure they’ll never forget that night.
Have fun!
Trainguy
