It is not known how many people develop their passion for model trains as a result of getting a toy train set in their very early years. It is always a pleasure to see very young children getting so much pleasure from playing with a small battery driven engine pulling a few carriages. They can get many hours of happiness from re-arranging the lines, deliberately crashing the engine and then putting it all together again. They can re-design the scenery, put all different articles in place to represent a variety of situations, all the time using their imagination to explore endless opportunities for developing their artistic desires.

Fast forward to today. People of all ages become totally involved with their passion for model railways. Did this passion start from those early childhood memories? Make no mistake, however, today’s model trains are far from being toys. People who collect these models are known to take them very seriously, some spending huge amounts of money and time on them, because model trains have so much to offer. They are collectible items, very attractive and customisable.

With model trains, variety is always the spice of life. They come in a large variety of forms and size ratios the most common being the “O”, “HO”, “N” and “Z” gauges. These gauges refer to the size of the model in comparison to the size of the original train. Some people prefer the very small trains while others enjoy the construction of very large ones.

Model train collectors take much pleasure in designing their own environments for the trains to run in. Some prefer to create a large city or small town environment, while for many, there is much pleasure in creating a rural or alpine scene to lay out their track. Even though many people may have the same model trains, one of the unique benefits shared by model railroad enthusiasts is the ability to be creative in the design of their own scenery thus making every layout completely different to all the others.

When people look at model train layouts, they often think it would be impossible to move from one location to another. In many cases the opposite is true. While some of the really large layouts have been created to remain in that one location, many layouts have been specially designed with landscapes that fold up and pack very easily, which allows them to be moved from one site to another. This is very handy for those that want to display them at different places such as a convention, school or shopping mall.

Model railroading is a non competitive hobby, but each hobbyist takes a huge amount of pride and pleasure in presenting their models for other people to see. They are always looking for ways to communicate with other modellers as well as trying to enthuse other people into taking up train modelling as a hobby. In the past there were always magazines that would help them keep up with new model developments. While this avenue is still available, it has become even easier now being able to use the internet. It is now possible to search for any number of model railroad forums and web sites to keep up to date as well as having the opportunity to locate new models or accessories worldwide for your own railway. By sharing your experiences and having discussions with other enthusiasts from around the world, not only can you pass on valuable information that might otherwise be lost, your own knowledge continues to expand is this non competitive hobby

The power for these small trains is carried in the tracks and is used to drive tiny electric motors in the engine car as well as in some of the carriages and freight wagons. Some older types of model trains were actually run off little steam engines – just like their very large counterparts.

This hobby is great fun for all ages and is something that can be passed on through the family. One thing to remember. If you start collecting model trains and installing the railway systems, it is very addictive and once you start it is difficult to stop!