Quilt Patchwork Patterns

Lionel O Gauge Trains

Ahh Lionel Trains…who hasn’t heard of them? Baby boomers still remember Lionel as the crème-de-la-crème of model trains.  If you grew up in the postwar period and you saw a model train setup at a store, without fail it was a Lionel model train setup.  In New York City, for example, almost every major department store put up a Lionel train display on or near their toy department. Although its not what it used to be, Lionel still gives off a certain aura. Here’s the story why:

It’s the O gauge:  Part of the reason why Lionel fell from power in the post World War II era can be explained by the size of its locomotive. Lionel trains were usually in O gauge, but with the growth of model training in the 50’s more and more middle class model train hobbyists began to purchase trains for smaller spaces.  Real world trains are just 48 times the size of O gauge model trains. The smaller 4’ x 8’ space required by HO models lured would be Lionel customers away.  Lionel’s failure to stay in tune with changing times is what cost it and what makes its odd scale a real draw for enthusiasts these days.

Lionel’s long history makes it a model train lover’s favorite:  Because Lionel has been around for so long and was so popular in yesteryear it is one of the favorites of collectors. We cannot down play the nostalgia that Lionel inspires. These are, after all, the toy trains they grew up on or would like to have grown up on. Lionel’s durability also has helped it with fans.

You’ll find no lack of manuals and news items on Lionel:  Unlike a lot of toy train manufacturers, you can find several books focused specifically to Lionel. Lionel books come in two variations.  First, there are books that are specifically devoted to getting you going with model training using Lionel O gauge trains.  Second, there are several books that focus on the many incarnations of Lionel trains from the early days to the present.

Finally, Lionel is popular because they just made good trains:  Ahh, the quality of Lionel trains! No train is better for detailing and weathering. The size of Lionel trains make it a favorite among people who love to paint and detail model trains. The scale is also a big aesthetic draw for hobbyist’s who value looks.  You simply can’t look over a Lionel train.

Regardless of the company’s finances, Lionel O gauge should be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to visualize the model train world without Lionel. Lionel on very few occasions disappoints.

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

4′ x 8′ Model Railroad

Is this as much space as you as you’ve got for your model railroad? It would be really inconvenient anywhere else?  I dig you. Nothing to worry about.  4’ x 8’ is a good amount of room for a model railroad.  HO model railroad manuals advice this as a minimum space requirement.  HO?   Not versed in HO?  HO is the most popular scale of model trains these days.  Real locomotives are 87 times larger than their HO versions. Want my two bits on your track plan?

A loop:  This is the most basic layout for a model railroad. Around and around it goes like laundry in a dryer. It’s an simple solution for a limited space. Avoid boring people by making use of the interior.  Consider building a little town on the interior of your setup. Add small details like hills to the central space to spice this basic track plan up.

Just like in ice skating, a figure eight can be great: One of the best alternatives to the basic oval is the figure 8 set-up. This set-up cuts right into the large interior space that makes the basic oval a bit awkward. The figure 8 divides the space into four distinct zones where you can still add artistic detail to the landscape by setting up little buildings and other landscape features.

Concentric tracks also work well:  You can create several alternatives on this, but the basic idea is to have a smaller track surrounded by a larger track. You could perhaps have two trains, one on the short and one on the outside track. Although a train yard usually brings this setup together, you might try a artificial lake at its center instead.

Dual train tracks:  Another way of increasing interest to this set-up is to have two separate trains, one on the interior and one on the exterior of the track  Now two trains draw the viewer’s gaze.  This makes the need for interesting interior decoration less imminent.

Using N Scale trains increases your track possibilities greatly:  To get more bang for your buck in terms of space, use n-scale trains.  These little guys are just one 160^th the size of real trains. With these guys you will no longer be forced into the three types of formats I have mentioned. You can add interest to your design and variation to your landscape.  You could perhaps have a tiny metropolis on one end and a hilly landscape on the other. But, of course, n-scale is virtually microscopic to the point of eye strain.

Your imagination can overcome many of the drawbacks here.  In model training we are always trying to overcome space limitations but solving this problem creatively can actually add interest to your model training experience. Some of the most unforgiving space requirements have produced some of the most imaginative layouts.

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

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.