O Gauge & Other Model Train Sets

Model train sets are arguably the greatest hobby in the world. Dispute that with any model train enthusiast and they will argue with you until you agree with them.

If you are unable to view this video, you can watch it here on YouTube: http://youtu.be/_ckMHw58rCw

We develop a love for trains when we are young, usually with our Dads or Grandads. As we grow older and hit our teenage years, it is no longer cool to like trains, and we drift away. Then later in life we come back to our beloved trains.

Often it is when we have our own children that we come back to trains. We remember the wonderful memories of our childhood and want to create similar memories for our children.

Setting up tracks, building layouts, moving the trains around the tracks. It is a wonderful learning experience.

What other hobby can teach you so many skills…. and without you even realizing.

If you are just starting out in the hobby of model train sets, it can be a little confusing. There are some great books and clubs available.

The greatest thing about the era we live in now, is that you can buy ebooks online and be reading them within minutes. You’ve got to love the internet!

Anyway, back to the point, if you are just starting out, check out my pages of information to get you going…

• A review of the two best ebooks available online today.
• My recommendation for the best online model railway club where you can get all the help you need.
• Some of the popular books and model trains at the moment.

I hope you enjoy your model train journey as much as I do. I can’t recommend it enough as a wonderful past time.

Many model railroaders get to a certain point where their layout seems a little ho-hum and doesn’t give them that zing they used to get – that buzz of excitement.

So what can you do?

One way to get even more out of your O Gauge Trains Layout is to add lighting.

Lighting can make a world of difference to your layout.

It changes the whole look. Buildings suddenly come to life, and trains seem more exciting. You can even change the focal point of your layout depending on whether it is a day or night track.

Here’s an example of what a train layout can look like with some added lighting.

This video is just over eight and a half minutes, and is provided by "strasburgfanatic" on youtube.

If the video doesn’t work, you can view it here on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie1F4hgzUsk.

Have a think about what you can do with your layout. It doesn’t have to be as full-on as in the video… just a bit here and there will make a difference.

Tell us below (in the comments) what you would like to do…

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Technorati Tags: model railroad layouts, O Gauge Trains, Trains O Scale

When it comes to Train Set Layouts, sometimes it’s the curves that can cause the most problems.

You need to do some planning before you get too far, and a little bit of knowledge is always helpful.

Track Curves And Geometry

Think back to your school days, remember the circle… with a diameter and a radius? The diameter is the length across the circle at its widest point. The radius is the length from the outside of the circle to the center of the circle. The radius is half the length of the diameter. And there is also the arc, which is a segment of the outer circle.

So why the geometry lesson? You need to know this for your track layout.

The gauge that you are working in will have a set minimum radius for the curves of your track. You can use a wider curve, but you can not use a smaller curve. If you do, you will have problems with derailments, or at the very least the movement of your train
will not look realistic.

Track Curves And Your Layout

If you don’t have any curves, your layout is a straight line – boring! You need curves to give your layout some life and to allow your trains to turn around. But a circle is also boring. You need a mix of curves and straight track. And you need enough space to accomodate those curves.

As an example, the minimum turning radius for O Gauge Trains is 24 inches, or 60 centimeters. If this is the radius, then the diameter is 48 inches. So to turn your train around 180 degrees, you need four feet of space. You probably want a bit more than that because you don’t want your track to be right on the edge of the bench with no scenery.

The ideal space would be to have an extra 6 inches on the outside of the track. So take the minimum turning radius for your scale and double it, then add on how much extra you want on the outside. So for O Scale you would calculate:

    (24 inch radius x 2) plus 6 inches on each side = 60 inches = 5 feet

Use this same calculation with your Scale’s minimum turning radius plus an edge to work out how much space you need.

Of course, if you can, it would be better to use a turning radius larger than the required minimum. But this depends on how much space you have.

One other thing to note is that when manufacturers quote a minimum turning radius, their measurements go to the middle of the piece of track, not to the outside of the track. So keep this in mind when designing your layout.

Track Curves And Your Choice Of Scale

As you can see from the calculation above, O Scale takes up a fair bit of space. If you don’t have this much space, then you can simply choose another smaller scale to invest your time and money into. You still get the same level of enjoyment (or frustration!) from the hobby no matter what the size of the trains and layout.

Track Curves And Testing Your Track

Once you lay your track, play with your trains for a bit before gluing anything in place. See if it works the way you imagined it would. Let your trains run around the track and make sure there are no problem areas. Sometimes it is necessary to widen a curve, and this is far easier to do before you glue the track into permanent place.

If your trains stay on the track but look disjointed as they navigate the curve, you can always hide that part with buildings, tunnels or scenery. This is often the easiest way if you have no more space to play with. The main this is that the curve is wide enough for the train to run without jumping the tracks and derailing. Lack of smoothness can always be disguised.

Technorati Tags: model railroad layouts, model train sets, O Gauge Trains, toy train sets, Trains O Scale

When it comes to O Gauge landscaping and scenery, there is no right or wrong. It is all a matter of personal choice. You see something you like and you incorporate it into your layout.

Planning your layout from scratch can be a daunting task – so many possibilities, so many opportunities, so many different variations to choose from. The trick is to get past this step so you can move on to having fun!

If you ask any model railroader, many will tell you that the layout they have in front of them is not how it looked on paper before they started building it.

Get a TRACK LAYOUTyou are happy with, and the rest can grow and develop and materialize before your eyes as you go along. All of the landscaping and scenery is a work in progress.

There are many different SCENERY TECHNIQUESthat you can use to get your landscape looking just the way you want – mountains, deserts, lakes and streams, and rural and town scenes. Some of the techniques are much easier than you would think.

Here’s a youtube video for inspiration: O Scale Train, by cooter661.

Remember to always include aspects of humor in your O Gauge layout to create interest.

Technorati Tags: model railroad layouts, model train sets, O Gauge Trains, Trains O Scale.

One of the best things about the model trains O Scale, is building your model railroad layouts.

To an outsider, model train sets appear to be a dumb hobby – something a child can do. But we know better!

When you look closer, you find that it is a complex and serious involvement. The fun is not found in dumbly watching trains going around and around. The fun is in the success of the engineering feat, the construction of a small village, the design of the landscape, the creation of the long and winding track for your majestic trains… the list goes on.

This is no task for small children. This is a thinking man’s game. And it’s not just for men – many women enjoy their trains too!

If you are new to model trains, let me tell you that most model train kits come with some trains and some track, and are usually designed to build a specific layout. This is fine, and probably recommended, if you are a beginner. You don’t need to worry about the design. Just follow the instructions and get started.

But if you have built a couple of starter kits and are looking for something more, you will find yourself bored with the stock-standard model railway design from the box.

Take a step back and free yourself. You are not limited to follow the design that came with the train kit. Learn how to create your own designs. This is when you will start to get far more from your model train hobby.

Building layouts for O Gauge trains requires a clear-cut sense of organization and detail. Like any engineer or architect, you first start with paper and pen. List your ideas, make your wish-list, draw diagrams, imagine your layout, draw inspiration from wherever you can.

Then pull your model train kit out of its box, and look at what you have to work with. It is easy to modify your ideas on paper before you have constructed your layout.

The key to broadening your imagination, when it comes to O Scale train layouts, is to look at model train websites, read books about model trains and layouts, watch videos such as youtube for ideas.
10 minute video from mgjb747200

You don’t have to follow someone else’s idea exactly. You can modify it to suit your needs.

By the end of this ideas process, you will have come up with your own design, an original masterpiece… and you can set about building your O Scale train layout.

Lay your pieces of paper out in front of you – your ideas and your diagrams. Put them into some sort of order. You now have a master plan to work from.

Stick the pieces of your master plan up on the wall so you can refer to it whenever you need.

If your plan changes as you go along, you can easily remove pages that are no longer relevant or add new pieces as you progress.

If you work your model train hobby correctly, you can get just as much enjoyment from the planning process, as well as from the construction and from viewing it all put together.

But be warned – a model train layout is never finished. You always find something else to do, something to add, something to change.

Sign up now and get your free ebook with more information on O Scale train layouts.

Technorati Tags: model railroad layouts, model train sets, O Gauge Trains, Trains O Scale