Model Railroading

Building bench-work for the first time for your model railroad is an exciting moment! To create a good first layout for HO scale model trains , a great way to start is with a basic plan for 4 x 8 foot bench-work. You are essentially building a table from a piece of plywood and will construct your exciting new layout on that. Below are some instructions for building a good, solid bench-work for your layout, starting with a materials list and moving into instructions. The materials you will use include the following: 1 4 x 8 sheet of plywood (a good size for HO ... Read Full Story

Building bench-work for the first time for your model railroad is an exciting moment! To create a good first layout for HO scale model trains , a great way to start is with a basic plan for 4 x 8 foot bench-work. You are essentially building a table from a piece of plywood and will construct your exciting new layout on that. Below are some instructions for building a good, solid bench-work for your layout, starting with a materials list and moving into instructions. The materials you will use include the following: 1 4 x 8 sheet of plywood (a good size for HO ... Read Full Story

Whether you’ve purchased a Lionel train set or another brand of model railroad trains, you will need to know a few things about the power supply. This article offers some helpful tips from the National Model Railroad Association which can help you get off to a good start. Something to remember is that the more intricate your layout, the more turns and other pieces, the more places you will need to add power, since those rail joints cause some resistance and the train will tend to slow down as it gets further away from the feeder wires coming from the original power source. When ... Read Full Story

Whether you’ve purchased a Lionel train set or another brand of model railroad trains, you will need to know a few things about the power supply. This article offers some helpful tips from the National Model Railroad Association which can help you get off to a good start. Something to remember is that the more intricate your layout, the more turns and other pieces, the more places you will need to add power, since those rail joints cause some resistance and the train will tend to slow down as it gets further away from the feeder wires coming from the original power source. When ... Read Full Story

Designing and setting up the track layout for Bachmann model trains can be a fun and rewarding experience. Scale model trains require consideration of many facts while planning their design. This article provides some important facts about the track and ballast, and how these two components can work together to create an amazing surface for any scale model trains to run on. Track is available in several finishes and sizes. When selecting a finish, choose nickel whenever possible. Though it is the most expensive option, brass is being phased out and steel oxidizes and attracts debris rapidly. Each track is assigned a code number ... Read Full Story

Designing and setting up the track layout for Bachmann model trains can be a fun and rewarding experience. Scale model trains require consideration of many facts while planning their design. This article provides some important facts about the track and ballast, and how these two components can work together to create an amazing surface for any scale model trains to run on. Track is available in several finishes and sizes. When selecting a finish, choose nickel whenever possible. Though it is the most expensive option, brass is being phased out and steel oxidizes and attracts debris rapidly. Each track is assigned a code number ... Read Full Story

There are a few things to remember when designing custom layouts for HO scale railroad model trains. First – enjoy yourself! There is lots of room for creativity, just stay with in a few basic guidelines. Some very useful online tools including free software to design your own railroad model layout; search for it – it is even fun to use. You can also do it the “old fashioned” way, using pencil and paper with a compass for curves and a ruler for straight-aways. Keep in mind that no matter how exact you are in your design, when it comes to laying the materials, ... Read Full Story