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. 

Track Plans for Model Railroads

Just getting started huh?  Well, it’s probably a good tip to begin simple to get going.  It’s wonderful to think of the initial fundamental track design as one of three possible seeds that you are going to develop into a huge more spread out design.  Choosing one of them gives you a wonderful starting point from which to expand your model locomotive empire. So which seed to choose? Here are some tips:

Start by choosing the location your toy train will occupy:

Attempt to pick the biggest most open place available for your track.  You simply can’t run your model train empire out of a shoe box or closet.  Your tracks need their elbow room for turns.  Too sudden a turn and you will have constant derailments, so don’t attempt to do too much in too little of a location.

What is the minimum space?  

Alright, well here are the extreme minimum requirements for area.  You can never get too giant but you can definitely get too small.  So here they are: If you own the little guys, N size trains, you will need at least a 2’ x 4’ location.  4’ x 8’ is the requirement for HO size.  If you you’re into those O size Lionel trains, you’ll need an 8’ x 16’ area.  This is also about what you’ll need for those German garden locomotives, but those you should really put in your yard instead of keeping them cramped up indoors.  You’ll only be able to do the most basic designs with these minimums.  This is the amount of area you will need to do the absolute least with your locomotives.  You should really think of them as a starting point and not a goal.

What are the best track designs for these limited locations? 

The three fundamental layouts are oval, figure 8, and concentric circles.   The oval shape is the most common and straight forward layout for most rookie toy train enthusiasts.  The track simply goes around the edge of the area leaving the inside for a model city or for a pretend lake perhaps.  Think Matterhorn at Disneyland with the Disneyland Monorail winding around it.  The version I experienced was fairly successful for what it was attempting to do.  The second option is to create a figure 8.  This makes for a more fascinating layout but cuts into the internal location giving only four tiny areas for you to work with in terms of accessories.  But if you’re mainly into watching the locomotives go round this is a great circuit.  Finally, there is the concentric circles set up where you have two concentric circles for your locomotive to go around.  This works especially well if you make it into a train yard with a round house at the center.

What else do I have for you?  

My huge suggestion would be that you use what are called hobby tables.  With these tables you can configure your display space to any shape you can imagine.  This is a big help as you start to rethink your track design.  Wife bothering you about what an eye sore your circuit has become? Just move it.  It’s no big deal with domino tables.  So you’ll still be able to park your car in the garage.

Just remember the usual cliché; a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  A lot of the sorts of complications that you might anticipate are easily answered as you get into the process of creating your model railroad. But figuring out a solution to a seemingly untenable complication can be half the fun of toy trains.  So what are you waiting for?  Away you go!   

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