When I was a kid, I had a prized possession, a Lionel train that was set up under our Christmas tree every year. It was made even more special because it used to belong to my father when he was a kid. Doing the math, I figured he had been given the train sometime in the early 1940s. The amazing thing was, the train worked perfectly, right down to the pellets that you dropped in the stack to create smoke. I’ve held onto the now 60 year old train with the intention of passing it down to my own son.

It is no wonder that model railroading is called the “World’s Greatest Hobby”. It allows for almost unlimited use of your imagination, and the model railroading world you create is uniquely your own. You can go as small as you like, as with my childhood once-around-the-Christmas-tree setup, or you can go big with city and country dioramas that take up entire rooms or even full basements. The only limitations you have are the ones related to your budget.

You want to start out with a visual sense of what you would like to create. Are you looking for a peaceful country setting? A busy railway yard? A sprawling city scape? You can assemble photographs of scenes that interest you and work towards duplicating them in miniature.

You should also decide what scale you wish to work on. Model trains come in a variety of scales, from the diminutive N scale (1/160) to the larger and more complex O scale (1/48). You will need to again determine not only budget but the amount of space you have for a given setup. For example, O scale trains would not encircle your Christmas tree (unless it was one of the famous California Sequoias!).

Once you have decided, begin building your track. Model trains are available at virtually every hobby shop, with some stores specializing in the railroad hobby. Beginner sets can be had that include track, transformer, locomotive, and cars. You can of course add cars to your set as time goes by.

You can also add additional track pieces at a nominal price, which you will have to do as the scope of your project expands. Make sure all of your track pieces are compatible.

The transformer is the nerve center of any model railroad, providing not only power to the locomotive, but also the control of how fast or slow, or in which direction the train is going to go.

At the same time, you should begin working on your landscape, building bridges or tunnels, as well as crafting the scene that you wish to create. It is a time consuming task that may be somewhat daunting at first, but eventually you will get the hang of it and you may inadvertently acquire a few new modeling skills in the process.

By this point you are probably wondering how much this whole thing is going to cost. Again, the sky is the limit, you can spend as much as you feel comfortable. Typically a starter set can be had for between $50 and $300 depending on the scale. You will incur additional expense for every length of track or new car or piece of scenery you purchase.

The biggest hurdle to overcome is to simply get started. All of us can name projects that we put off forever, despite our best intentions. There comes a time you just have to take a step out and do it. And don’t fall for the notion that someday you will be “finished”. Model railroading can last a lifetime, and there is no end to the unique and innovative changes you can bring to your specific setup.

Author Bio: Darrell is the Director Of Content for Leadsbyfone, a marketing and lead generation company servicing the basement flooding and water damage restoration industry.

Category: Recreation
Keywords: model, railroad, locomotive, track, scenery, transformer, cars, Lionel