Many people’s first introduction to model railroading is with a simple circle or oval on a sheet of plywood. No scenery, no landscaping and maybe not even any buildings or vehicles.

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Okay, you’re looking to create the ultimate model railroad layout this side of the Mississippi and you’re wondering, “Just what scale do I want to make this monster in?” Well, there’s several things you need to consider and let’s look at some of them.

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One of the more fun aspects of model railroading is planning and executing the scenery and landscaping that your track and engines will meander through ” for some it is almost like playing God in that you can decide and create on any scene you desire.

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With model railroading just as with real railroads it all comes down to the tracks on which the trains roll. If they are stable and well designed the trains will safely make their journeys year after year. If not they may not be able to complete even a single trip without problems or derailment ” so what goes into the creation of a safe and stable track system?

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Prototyping is the word used to describe the use of scaling real-life objects down and typically for Model Railroading different names are given to differing ’scales’ to represent the percentage of the original. For instance the ‘HO’ scale means 3.5mm represents 1 foot, with a ratio of 1:87.086 … needless to say this can get difficult.

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Model railroading enthusiasts enjoy only one thing more then showing off their pride and joy: seeing other prototypes and displays that they can then go back home to compete with! Fortunately since showing off is inherent to all of us getting a chance to see some truly spectacular displays is not that hard, and in many cases involves only a short journey as there are literally hundreds of museums across the country that displays tens of thousands of locomotives, cars and scenes between them.

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The first model train systems worked on wind-up clock parts, followed shortly thereafter by miniature steam engines. The materials of the locomotives and cars were typically cheap tinplate or lightweight woods that didnt hold up well.

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