Putting together your model railway layout is a lot of fun and a great hobby. But setting up your model train layout can be a challenge. "Model Train Help" has the tips, tricks, and shortcuts to help you succeed.
If you're new to model railroading, Model Train Help will give you everything you need to know to get started with creating your first model railroad layout. Click here for more info.
November 1, 2009 <- Thinking about getting started with model railroading? A model railway club might be the best place to get the info you need to get started and get a little experience.
Check out the mountains and hills and all the tunnels in this layout. This model railroader says that it can take 10 minutes for a train to make its way around the entire loop of his setup.
This shows why you might consider N scale for your model railway layout. If you like long trains, then N scale is for you. The small size of the scale allows you to have long trains snaking around the track without need to have an absolutely huge layout.
October 25, 2009 <- Wow–here's a model train that is only an 1/8th of an inch in size. It's the world's smallest working train model and rides around on a 3/4 inch track. It's hard to imagine a smaller model railway layout.
I came across this great set of pictures demonstrating the construction of a layout complete with track installation, and wonderful rugged mountain scenery. Its has lots of great pictures showing just what Steve did to make this model railway layout.
The HO scale is far and away the most popular scale for model railway layouts. It is 1/87th of the actual size. Most model layouts are done using this scale. HO stands for half O scale, and that means that it can be done in about half the space, which is what originally let to it popularity. And because of its popularity, kits can easily be found and prices are affordable.
Most HO scale locomotives run very well and those that sometimes have a stalling problem can often be improved with the addition of rail wipers adding more electrical contact.
Detail is often missing in ready to go accessories, but you are free to add however much detail as you like. The smaller scale can make difficult to go too far with detailing, since the details become more difficult to see.
If you find that you have a modest amount of space for your layout, HO scale is a reasonable scale to pick. It doesn’t have nearly the space requirements that the O scale does, is easier to work with than N scale, and there are plenty of accessories and kits available at very affordable prices.
A big factor in selecting your model railway layout is space. How much space do you have? The big driver in deciding your space is the scale you choose to model.
One scale to think about is the O scale. It is usually the largest scale used inside. The O scale is approximately 1/48th of the original size. The O scale is smaller than the scale that you would use outside, but works well inside. It is approximately 1/48th of the original.
Because it is relatively large, many of the features available for the O scale are fairly detailed. If you like making models that are really accurate, O scale is a great scale to choose for your model railway layout.
O scale can often be the easiest to use of all the scales, mostly because it is is heavier and so has more weight on the rails.
On the negative side, however, O scale is generally more costly and the assortment of kits available is not as many as for HO or N scale. The amount of space is obviously the other challenge with O scale.
A good radius for curves on your layout is around 72 inches. That comes out to be 6 feet in radius! Of course, If you have a great deal of room, or if you plan to have room, O scale just might be the one to use.
