Starting any new hobby always brings a sense of anticipation and Model Railroading is no exception.  Once they have been to a train show, or have simply seen a model train layout displayed somewhere, many people become excited by the possibility of operating their own train setup.  This excitement often leads to a sense of being overwhelmed and sometimes sticker shock, after visiting a hobby store and looking at the huge array of model railroad supplies available and the wide range of prices. 

Well, it doesn't have to be overwhelming and it doesn't take a fortune to get started with model trains.  The simplest layouts consist of a small oval track and an locomotive with a few cars.  It can be set up on the floor, a simple table, or even an old door or piece of plywood on two saw horses!  Often when you talk to experienced hobbyists, they talk about the need for a strong custom bench and lots of room to set up your layout, but don't let that stop you from getting sta... [more]

Model train scales are a measurement of how large the train is, compared to the real thing. For beginners this can be the most confusing part of this hobby, and often the mistakenly mix up scale for gauge.

While this is a common misunderstanding, many train buffs will get quite angry if you mix up the two. Gauge is the distance between the rails on a track, not size.

First for the facts about model train scales. It is measured like this.

First thing you will notice when looking at a model train scales is a letter. Here are the most common lettering system, in order from largest to smallest.

While there are some others that can be larger or smaller, they are hard to find and some smaller sizes are difficult to work with, especially if you have large hands, or have arthritis. HO is probably the easiest to work with, find parts and accessories easily, and is one of the most common train scales.

In order from largest is G sca... [more]

When you say you are modeling in HO scale what does scale mean and what is the difference between scales and gauge? In model trains began with what was called Carpet Railways. These were built usually out of brass, and were basically a boiler on wheels. The boiler was filled with water and the burner was lit. The engine ran until it ran out of fuel or hit a piece of furniture sometimes turning over and spilling flaming fuel over the floor. These trains had no scale they were whatever size the modeler made them. Electric trains appeared around the turn of the 20th century, but these trains still had no certain size or scale. Even after manufacturers began making commercially produced model there was a difference between model sizes according to the maker. It could be very frustrating to buy the track and maybe the rolling stock from one company saying it was O scale, and buying the locomotive from another manufacture as an O scale. You get the locomotive home and it would not fit your t... [more]