MODEL RAILWAY TRAINS

By Robert Anderson - Author of the best-selling MODEL TRAIN HELP ebook.

What Model Railroaders Get From The Hobby Of Model Railroading

If you ask model railway enthusiasts "what appeals about the hobby?" you'll get a variety of answers. For some model railway enthusiasts, it is a way of re-creating a fond childhood memory. Others simply enjoy building a world in miniature with all its detail and realism. Then there are those model railway enthusiasts who love solving the technical problems of building and operating an electronic control system.

It doesn't seem to matter whether you're 5 or 95... or somewhere in between. The personal satisfaction of building and operating a realistic miniature railway layout is rewarding and fun... no matter how old you are. Model railroading is a truly rewarding leisure activity that will keep most model railway enthusiasts busy and entertained for hours... if not a lifetime.

The Model Railroaders Own Wonderful World

Model railroading is a fun-filled leisure activity that provides plenty of scope for the creative individual with a technical bent. It incorporates a variety of interesting activities from building, maintaining, upgrading and operating a model railway. What kind of world you create, where you create it, and how much time you spend in it... is entirely over to the individual model railroading enthusiast. We are all different.

A model railroader can build a layout in the solitude of his or her basement, attic, shed or garage workshop... or they can sit in a sun lounger and watch trains weave around their garden... or the model railway enthusiast can join a local model railroad club and share their model railway ideas and experiences with others. The opportunities for the model railroading enthusiast are endless!

"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing," George Bernard Shaw.

By Robert Anderson - Author of the best-selling MODEL TRAIN HELP ebook.

 
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RAILWAY GUAGE

What Model Railway Guage Should I use?

One of the first dilemmas to hit a new model railroader is "What guage should I use?" And pretty soon, once you start to research, you will realise that the word is "gauge" and not "guage". But it's tricky when you're new to this.

Many are led by the recommendations of model railroad friends or family members. Many model railroaders are totally focussed on why one gauge is better than others.

In truth, there is no one gauge that is better than others. They all have their benefits and faults. It all comes down to personal preference.

Definition of Gauge

Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing parallel rails that make up a single railway line.

Popular Model Railway Guages

Some of the more popular gauges are:
- 0 scale (1:45 ratio, 16.5mm gauge)
- 00 scale (1:76 ratio, 16.5mm gauge)
- H0 scale (1:87 ratio, 16.5mm gauge)
- N scale (1:160 ratio, 9mm gauge)
- S scale (1:64 ratio, 22.42mm gauge)
- Z scale (1:220 ratio, 6.5mm gauge)

As you can see, gauge is not the same as scale. And there are many more scales and gauges to choose from than those listed above.

What Would You Recommend?

If you are an experienced model railroader, do you have a favourite scale or gauge? What would you recommend to others?

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GARY COLEMAN ON

Gary Coleman was the little guy, Arnold Jackson, on Diff'rent Strokes - one of the many child actors we grew up with on our television sets.

Although he passed away on May 28, 2010, his famous catch phrase "What you talkin' about, Willis?" will live on and on - though I'm sure he grew tired of hearing it long ago.

But how many of you knew of Gary's love of trains?

Gary Coleman On Railroad Model Craftsman Magazine. Gary was featured on the cover of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine in September of 1990. His model train world a refuge where he can feel big. When Gary lived in Colorado Springs he built an 800-square-foot model railroad layout. When he moved back to California in the early 1990s, he couldn't take it with him so he donated to the Pikes Peak N Gineers Model Railroad Club in Colorado Springs. Over the years, the Club was forced to put the trains in storage, but it is now working to rebuild "Colemanville".

Gary was into both HO Guage and N Scale model railroads. An avid collector with many, many trains and accessories on his vast railroad layouts.

Gary Coleman had a passion for locomotives. His entire basement was filled with model trains and his cabinets were sorted by train parts.

His model train collection was bequeathed to several model train stores, including Allied Model Trains, The Original Whistle Stop, The Train Shack and Model Railroad Emporium, however Gary's ex-wife stepped in with claims the trains were to go to her. I wonder what were Gary's real wishes for his beloved train sets.

It has been reported that his ashes were scattered on train tracks so he could forever remain beside his favourite pasttime.

Peace be with you, Mr Coleman. You brightened up so many lives.

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