Quilt Patchwork Patterns

Model Train Table

So where are you going to put your model train anyway?  That looks pretty good but did you say it gets wet a bit in here when it poors.  Yeah that’s the drawback, isn’t it?  It’s good to carefully plan where we place our setup.  Here’s some ideas:

Floor based plans:  

Some people just place their trains right on the ground.  This saves the time and effort of getting or constructing a display area, but it is not very good for smaller locomotives.  It is one thing to have a g scale locomotive on the carpet or in your back yard, but it is another to stare down at the smaller build of an HO train set.  The bird’s eye view of the smaller scales foregrounds the weaknesses of theses locomotives.  Not to mention that your locomotives are much more likely to be smushed and damaged in careless moments.  A higher display level tends to foreground the strengths of HO and N gauge trains.  Even O locomotives look better on a train table.

Pre-existing display areas, the blessed lazy man’s choice  

In some houses there are natural display areas or elevated spaces that lend themselves to toy train track plans.  This natural shelf solves the problem of elevation perhaps and if you are extremely lucky can find the perfect location for our hobby trains.  Very few of us are this lucky however.  You might try to fool yourself into believing that you have found the perfect location but think of the problem aspects of this arrangement.  These areas tend to be too small for a toy locomotive layout and they tend not to be shaped in the right way.  So, such spots dictate a host of limitations to your toy training.  This is never a good way to grow your model locomotive empire.

Using a pre-existing surface:  

Sometimes you get lucky and serendipitously come across a table at home.  This helps in that you can move it to the spot you would like, but most surfaces that are not specifically built for toy training have other problems.  Not only are many such surfaces flimsy, but you still have to adjust your train display to fit with the pre-existing dimensions of your area rather than the opposite way around.

A table that says “I’m cheap but I know the worth of hard work crafting”:  

For the make-it-from-scratch crowd, nothing is better than imagining and building a display area themselves.  It is incredibly satisfying to design a table that exactly fulfills the exact requirements of our track design.  This is a wonderful option because it gives your toy locomotive a unique platform and because you can arrange it as you see fit.  This isn’t for everyone.  If you aren’t that into designing furniture then you’ll want to avoid trying this.  Just as large of a problem is the fact that such surfaces tend to be permanently one size and as your model training empire expands you have to go through the trouble of building yet another table to increase your surface spot.  Such a project can be a very inconvenient drag on our time.  I won’t put down homemade tables except to say that if your engineering talents don’t extend beyond hobby locomotives, trying to build a area can really be a black hole of time and effort that you may not have much to show for on the other side.

Hobby surfaces, the option if for those who are willing to shell out the clams:

If you’re willing to spare the expense, the best kind of hobby locomotive areas are probably the domino style surfaces.  They are called “domino” areas because that can be connected on any side to form any shape, no matter how idiosyncratic the shape.  These areas do away with many of the spatial limitations that you might have had with other area choices.  This rights the balance of power between you and your table making it so that you dictate the shape of the surface rather than the surface dictating the shape of your track plan.  Also, because they are lightweight they can more easily be moved out of the way and since they can easily be changed and added to as you see fit, they can grow with your toy locomotiveing ambitions.  Also great if you want to make a train for school project and would like to transport it without undoing too much of the track.  In short, this is perfection in hobby areas.

With your table option out of the way you are now free to really embark on your model train adventure.  Good blessed and happy modeling!   

Here is more information on Model Train Track. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains. 

N Scale Model Railroad Table

Here’s something we haven’t thought enough about, the surface where we’re placing our models.  I know, you like those little N scale trains so it doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Everything is so miniscule in N gauge that it just doesn’t seem like you need all that good a surface for it.  But hold up.  Give me a chance to set out my point.  I believe it makes a significant difference what type of table you place your layout on.  Here are some reasons why:

A weak surface will disappoint:

Straight off, you don’t want to choose a surface that is weak and that will tilt or that can be easily pushed over.  When you display your new setup to your younger family members you don’t want the little tykes to be able to inadvertently derail your trains with just an accidental touch.  Or even worse: what if your whole table gets knocked on its side. Imagine the possible damage and the amount of time you just wasted!  No, you definitely must have a nice firmly constructed surface. You’re good with your hands, you could probably construct the table yourself.

Cool Tip: Here’s a cool tip. Remember that unused ping-pong table that lays forgotten in the garage? Sure you do, it’s the ping pong table that became your new toy train table. Ping pong tables are nice and big so they open up lots of choices for your layout.  If you have HO or smaller, you will never need any more room than this.  Even if you have a Lionel O or one of those new S scale trains, you’ll find that you can really do a lot with a table this big.

Portable tables for going places:

Be ready to unburden your wallet a bit for a strong hobby table. A quick web search will pop up a gaggle of leads geared to train tables.

Cool tip #2: Here’s a space saver: Lower your table from the ceiling.  If you’re good with your hands and in need of extra space, the best way to save floor space is not to use it.   You can use pulleys to raise and drop your train whenever you would like.

Interlocking tables:

The best bet when it comes to tables, though, is domino style tables that can be used in any setup. These tables can be united in any shape or layout.  What these wonderful domino tables let you to do most however is to grow your locomotive layout in any way that you can imagine. You set out the dimensions of these tables. The light weight design is ideal for model train lovers. So light, its no problem to take your entire setup from room to room.  If you want to take this over to your brother’s house to show his kids your track, it is easy enough to be hauled. In fact, you might find yourself altering your track design over and over.

A well designed toy train setup is only as sturdy as the foundation it is set on.

Here is more information on N Scale Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.