Last update: 02/06/12
I received a toy train set when I was 7 or 8 years old. It was a Southern 2-4-0 steam engine and tender, with a consist of 4 cars (hopper, gondola, flatcar, and caboose). The track was a simple figure eight, that could also be arranged in an oval. I played and played and played with that train, with adventures fueled by my imagination. I use to dream of expanding it into a larger layout, but lack of money and living in a small town that didn't have hobby stores pretty much nipped that dream in the bud. But that didn't stop me from having fun. I built tunnels and trestles for my simple track. I had a pretty good supply of plastic cowboys, Indians, and horses. I can't count how many times that train got robbed. I built train depots out of my Lincoln Log set. And of course, every now and then we'd have a major "earthquake" that would slide the depot onto the track, only to be "destroyed" by the next passing train. My imagination made up for the lack of track. I'd pretend each transit around the layout represented so many miles.
A thousand years later, my interest in model trains was rekindled by finding some track and rail cars at a yard sale, and the discovery of a flea market vendor that sold used model train stuff. As an adult, I've been able to indulge in the model train hobby and realize some of my childhood dreams. And I get to share those dreams with my kids. I now own quite a bit of track and a good number of locomotives and railroad cars. Below you'll see various pictures from our train adventures. At the bottom of the page I have some links and information to model train resources.
Layout.
This is my current fixed layout . It's basically a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood with green deck carpet and track tacked on. It has changed quite a few times, but this one seems to be the most versatile. The train can travel on the outer loop (in the direction indicated by the red arrows), or it can also come inside to travel on the modified figure eight. There's a spur off the figure eight for parking cars. There's also a spur off the main loop, that trains can back into for "fueling". My son Jonathan really likes spurs with bumpers, and I like the way they light up. From other layouts I've attempted, I've learned that kids need some "green space" to play in. To be honest, this is probably more complex than it needs to be. A large oval with a passing siding and a couple of spurs with bumpers would probably satisfy just about any kid.
I've also found that a sheet of plywood can be very heavy! I keep this layout against a wall in my garage, but it's kind of cumbersome to bring it in to play on. If it was in a room where I could just lie it down on the floor, it would get used much more often. I'm beginning to think a smaller layout, perhaps created with Lionel's Fastrack, would get more use and have my trains running more often. Hmmm.....
Trains for Kids
First of all, buy your kid a train! They are great to play with and really foster the imagination. Pair it up with some other building toy, like Lincoln Logs, some blocks, or Legos, and the fun will never stop. However, I personally would NOT recommend buying a HO scale train for a child! While it's probably the most popular modeling scale and cheaper overall, it is just too small and flimsy and aggravating for small hands. Buy an O gauge train instead, like the ones from Lionel or Mike's Train House (MTH). At about 1:48 scale, O gauge trains are big and rugged. They are made to be played with. While more costly than HO scale, they more than make up for it in how they stand up over time and what can be done with them. With this larger scale, you'll notice that your kids incorporate their other toys into the play. Before long you'll notice various other toys will be catching a ride in the hopper or boxcar, as it speeds around the track.
Diesel or Steam locomotive?: It can be a personal preference. While I prefer steam myself, I've never noticed my kids preferring one over the other. They seemed to like the diesel horn better than the steam whistle. But a steam engine is also neat, especially when it smokes. Just make sure whatever diesel you get does have a horn, and whatever steam engine you get does have a smoke unit and a whistle. The only caution is that with the steam engines, you do need to put a few drops of smoke fluid in them from time to time. You don't want to run them dry for very long or the heating element that produces the smoke can burn out. On nicer units, you can actually turn the smoke unit off for unlimited running without smoke fluid.
Freight or Passenger?: Unless the passenger train is tied to a particular movie, like The Polar Express, or a TV show, like Thomas the Tank Engine, I find that most kids prefer to play with a freight engine. With freight cars you have more action. You can put things in the gondolas, hoppers, and flatbeds. They also have operating cars such as the log dump cars, or cars that light up like the searchlight cars.
Layout: The layout doesn't have to be big in order for a kid to have big fun. A simple oval or figure eight will please any kid getting their first train. But for a little extra, you get ten fold the playing ability if you add a switch and a siding, or better yet, two switches and a passing siding. That lets them operate the train like a real train, moving cars to and from the siding. And when in doubt, add length. Longer running trains always means more fun.
Track While it's quite a bit more pricey than the traditional tubular track, Lionel's Fastrack is a great option for creating a small layout for the kids. I think most of Lionel's sets come with it now. Most sets will have a basic oval. It has a built in roadbed and really stays together. The built in roadbed also helps to protect the floor underneath (i.e. keeps the carpet from getting dirty), and provides a more stable platform for when you do setup on soft surfaces like carpet. I've got a few locomotives that seem to run much better on the Fastrack than they do on my old tubular rails. And old might be the keyword. Older, used track can sometimes have problems. If you're looking to save money, tubular track is definitely the way to go. But save yourself a headache and buy new, or at least track that's in like new condition for the kids to use. Save the tinkering with old track and switches for yourself, when the kids are in bed.
Accessories: You really don't have to worry about adding accessories at the beginning, because the kid's imagination will fill it in. They will incorporate their other toys into the train play. But a couple of things that go a log way is a few diecast cars or trucks (pretty cheap at Walmart) and a couple of grade crossings so they can drive them across the track (though they aren't absolutely necessary). Flashing lights and other specific train accessories are neat too, but they generally involve more hands on from the parent to get them working.
Buildings: Adding buildings is an inexpensive way to really expand the imagination and play. And you don't have to buy the high priced ones made specifically for model railroads. Anything will do. I've used bird houses and Lincoln Logs in my layouts. My kids have also used Lego bricks. You could even make some buildings out of cardboard. Those Christmas Village style houses that people use for holiday displays also work great. Buildings provide the depots, stations, and towns for the trains to stop at during their daily runs.
Train Sets
Southern Steam Train Set
The train set that started it all! Here's an image of my first locomotive, the Lionel 2-4-0 Southern steam engine. The body is plastic, but it has a nice motor in it (although in recent years it hasn't ran that well). The plastic bell has broken off and I've been meaning to replace it. The tender has a wheel that contains gravel or something similar in it. It rolls along the center rail of the track and gives a "chugging" kind of sound. It does not have a whistle and the engine does not smoke.
Below you'll see the rail cars that belong to my Southern line train. They came with the set, although they represent other lines. They originally had plastic trucks with plastic wheels (what was Lionel thinking?!) but have been replaced with diecast trucks.
Here you see a Lionel Canadian National hopper and a Lionel Republic Steel gondola with containers.
Here you see a Lionel Union Pacific flatcar (stakes lost many years ago) and a Lionel Southern caboose.
Santa Fe Steam Train Set
Lionel stock photo.
Here's an image of my Lionel Santa Fe 4-4-2 steam locomotive and tender. The engine smokes and there's an air whistle in the tender.
Here you see a Lionel Santa Fe boxcar and a Lionel Santa Fe flatcar (with a truck trailer).
Here you see a Lionel Santa Fe log dumping car and a Lionel Santa Fe flatcar (with a two car load). The log dumping car is fun to use.
Here you see a Lionel Santa Fe searchlight car and a Lionel Santa Fe caboose (lighted).
Chessie/B&O Diesel Train Set
Lionel stock photo.
Here's an image of my...uh...Jonathan's Lionel Chessie Diesel engine. It has dual motors and a horn. I've been thinking about adding a bright LED for the headlight to make it more realistic.
Here you see a Lionel box car and a Lionel hopper from my Chessie line of rail cars.
Here you see a Lionel coal dumping car and a Lionel tanker from my Chessie line of rail cars.
Here you see a Lionel searchlight car and the Lionel caboose from my Chessie line of rail cars. The caboose is lighted.
Polar Express Train Set
Lionel stock photo.
Here's an image of my Lionel Polar Express 2-8-4 steam locomotive. It's a very heavy engine and nicely detailed. The classification lamps glow on it. There's an air whistle in the tender. It runs very well and the wheel action can be mesmerizing. The engine also smokes..
Below you'll see the rail cars that belong to my Polar Express line train. The set originally came with three illuminated passenger cars. Lionel also made a few more add-on passenger cars for the set, and a reefer box car.
Here you see the Lionel coach that contains the toys and marionettes, and the Lionel add-on baggage car.
Here you see the main Lionel coach car and the Lionel add-on dining car.
Here you see the last Lionel coach car with observation deck. I'm planning on replacing the non-illuminated rear marker (which they used a red rhinestone for) with a glowing LED. A lot of people are doing this to make it more realistic.
Coming soon: I've also acquired the hot chocolate add-on car and will be posting an image of it soon.
Plymouth PRR Diesel Switcher Train Set
Here you see a K-Line Pennsylvania (PRR) Plymouth switcher train set. It's a cute little train that has prototypical couplers. The size of the cars are a little too small to use with normal O scale (and they don't have O scale couplers anyway), but the locomotive will work (it comes with spare O scale couplers).
The locomotive is diecast and has illuminated marker lamps. It also had directional lighting and a smoke unit.
The freight includes a box car and a tanker.
An illuminated caboose brings up the rear.
Pennsylvania Passenger Train "Set"
The reason I have "set" in quotation marks is because this is a set I created by purchasing the passenger cars and the engine separately, then putting them together. The engine was made by K-Line while the streamline passenger cars are from MTH.
This is the K-Line GG-1 Pennsylvania electric locomotive that pulls the consist of passenger cars. It has a diecast body and is quite a hefty piece. It is a very strong puller. It doesn't have an electronic horn, but I'm thinking about trying to add one. Any suggestions?
This is the MTH Pennsylvania baggage car.
This is the MTH Pennsylvania coach car.
This is the MTH Pennsylvania vista dome car.
This is another MTH Pennsylvania vista dome car. While the other passenger cars were purchased as a set, this one was purchased separately at a train show. It is slightly darker, with a slight difference in the lettering font and the pen striping. But it's still a good match to the other cars and adds length to the train.
This is the MTH Pennsylvania coach car, that brings up the rear of the train.
Central Railroad of New Jersey Work Train "Set"
This is a Central Jersey (CNJ) work train that I have created, hence the "set" being in quotation marks.
I've acquired a diesel NW2 locomotive with a calf unit to pull it, but haven't snapped any pictures yet. This is a photo of a pair from an auction site. I've thought about trying to add directional lighting to the calf unit.
Here you see a Kline Central New Jersey crane and tender car set. The other side of the crane car has two hand wheels that turn to lower/raise the boom and hook. These two cars are what started the set. I was looking for a crane car at the time, and ended up with the CNJ line.
This is a Lionel Central New Jersey bunk car and a Lionel Central New Jersey tool car. Came across them at a train show and thought they'd go well with the crane car.
Here's a Lionel Central New Jersey caboose.
I spiced it up a bit by adding a diecast Kline truck to the front, and a MTH diecast truck with flashing end-of-train device on the back. The original back truck didn't have a knuckle coupler on it anyway. The flasher is neat in that it has a burst at the end of its cycle. Check out this (low quality) video of the caboose.
With the addition of the locomotive, the work train is basically complete. I don't think true work trains are very long. However, I still might add other car to go with the crane. Perhaps a flat car for hauling stuff.
Coming soon:
Image of Lionel Jersey Central gondola.
New York Central Passenger Train "Set"
I have no official images of my cars for this one. Shown is the Lionel stock photo. A few years back I bought a Lionel NYC passenger car expansion pack that had three passenger cars. I just wanted some relatively economical passenger cars to play with. But I never took them out of the box for some reason or another.
I've recently decided to create a full NYC passenger train so I acquired a couple more passenger cars that were intended to compliment the expansion set.. I got a baggage car and a vista dome car car. These are Lionel stock photos.
Needing something to pull these passenger cars, I also acquired a NYC F3 set. It's by MTH and it's two A units, one powered and the other a dummy. This is a MTH stock photo. I'm thinking about adding directional lighting to the dummy unit such that it's headlight will only come on when the train is in reverse.
New York Central Flyer Freight Train Set
I have no official images of my cars for this one. Shown is the Lionel stock photo. I bought this used set after seeing it advertise locally. Wasn't really in the market for it, but I figured at the used price it was worth it to get the extra track, transformer, and another steamer engine. This brings my number of NYC search light cars up to three. And I have about three other searchlight cars as well. I could create a searchlight car train! This engine/tender has the Trainsounds sound system, which is an upgrade from my other engines. I also plan on using this engine every now and then with the NYC passenger cars.
Other Locomotives
I picked up this Industrial Rail trolley at a local model train show. When the train hits a bumper, it switches direction. That means I can setup a straight length of track with bumpers at each end, and it will travel back and forth automatically. It also has a "reversing unit" (i.e. forward, neutral, reverse) in it which means I can run it on my layout like a normal train.
Here's a Southern line diesel switcher that is made by Ready Made Toys (RMT). It has dual motors and directional lighting. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a diesel horn.
This is the before image of a used Lionel New York Central 4-4-2 steam locomotive that I picked up at a local model train show. I've been wanting a cheap, diecast steam engine similar to my Santa Fe, but I wanted it in a Southern Railway green color. The only Southerns I've been able to find are the higher price models. So I decided to buy this one and paint it myself.
This is the after image. This is now my Lionel SOUTHERN 4-4-2 steam locomotive. I painted it with enamel green paint. It actually looks pretty nice. I wanted the SOUTHERN letters on the tender to be smaller, and in gold, but that didn't work out. I ended up using some stick-on vinyl letters. This engine is for playing, so I didn't put that much work into it. Though, I have been thinking about getting some enamel modeler's paint and doing a few more details for fun.. Plus I need to put some numbers on the cab. It smokes and has an air whistle in the tender.
Here's an Erie line 4-6-4 steam engine by Lionel. It has good hauling power. The tender is equipped with an air whistle and the engine smokes. It's a good smoker and will blow smoke rings at times. I think this engine is from the "Riding the Rails" set by Lionel, given the hobo stick/sack painted on the front.
Here's an image of my Lionel New York Central 0-6-0 dockside switcher. It's diecast, has operating couplers on the front and back, smokes, and has an electronic whistle (pitiful sound). The only flaw is that horrible sounding whistle, which sounds more like a buzzer. Otherwise this is a gem of train.
Miscellaneous Rail Cars
Here you see Kline Union Pacific flatcar with pickup trucks, and a MTH Conrail searchlight car. The searchlight on this one automatically turns.
Here you see a Lionel Gulf tanker and a Kline Missouri-Kansas-Texas boxcar.
Here you see a Kline Reading tanker and a Kline Nickel Plate Road boxcar.
Here you see a Lionel Seaboard boxcar and a Lionel Midget Mines coal dumping car. Coal dumping cars add extra action to a layout.
Here you see a Kline NYC boxcar and a Lionel NYC searchlight car. Searchlight cars add a lot of fun to train.
Here you see a Kline NYC caboose. The caboose is illuminated.
Here you see a MTH NYC searchlight car. The searchlight rotates automatically.
This is a K-Line Southern crane car. The other side of the crane car has two hand wheels that turn to lower/raise the boom and hook. I recently purchased a Southern crane tender/boom car to go with it.
Coming soon:
Image of 3 cars for a Santa Fe Crane set, made by Kline. It includes a crane car, a boom car, and a searchlight car.
Image of an Erie caboose, made by MTH
Image of a NYC Pacemaker boxcar by MTH
Image of a Penn Central gondola by Lionel
Image of a Southern crane tender/boom car by K-Line
Accessories
Below you'll some accessories that make playing with trains a bit more fun.
This is a before image of a birdhouse I bought from a local craft store.
This is the after image once I turned it into a water tower for my steam engines. Although a little too big for O scale, it still fits enough for imaginary play. The ladders and the supporting pilings with crossbeams are scratch built. You can also manually lower and raise the water funnel.
Various Model Railroad Scenes
Here's an image of the Chessie passing some cars parked on the siding.
Other Railroad Related Pages On My Site
Model Trains (current webpage)
Wax sealers, telegraph, whistle
Model Train Resources and Information
Local stores:
Nick's Trains, 5201 Oak Park Road, Raleigh, NC 27612, Phone: (919) 881-1010. Nick
is the flea market vendor that really got me back into model trains. He
has since opened up his own store. The store has various railroad items,
from antique to modern. Nick can also take care of your repair needs.
He's a great guy to talk to and can offer you advice on your railroading
needs. Email:
NicksTrains
Website: http://www.nicks-trains.com
Tom's Train Station, South Hills Shopping
Center, 1239 Buck Jones Road, Raleigh, NC 27606, Phone: (919) 388-7246.
Tom runs the store. Good place for all your train needs. Good
service and dedication to the hobby. His charges catalog prices, though
occasionally will have stuff on sale. It's a well stocked store and he has
some running layouts to watch. Website:
http://www.tomstrainstation.com
Todd's
Train Depot, 3169 Wendell Boulevard (US Business 64 Wendell, NC),
Phone: (919) 365-5006. Edna runs the place. Excellent place to buy Lionel and
K-line stuff. Mostly O-gauge with a sprinkling of G-gauge. Great prices! It's
internet priced stuff without the shipping costs (for local people).
Model trains and supplies:
Lionel Trains Toy trains. The name brand leader in O gauge trains.
K-Line Trains Toy trains. Another maker of O gauge trains. Great quality. Update 11/09/11: Sadly, now out of business!
MTH (Mike's Train House) Toy trains. Another maker of O gauge trains. Great quality.
Industrial Rail Toy trains. Update 11/09/11: Can't seem to find the website anymore.
Ready Made Toys Toy trains. Nice little diesel (BEEP).
Williams Electric Trains Toy trains.
Wholesale Trains.Com Toy train dealer. Good prices.
Charles Ro Supply Company Toy train dealer. Good prices.
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com Diecast trucks and other stuff
http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/bl-212.html LED lights and other stuff
http://myworld.ebay.com/dansdrumheads/&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2754 eBay dealer that sells LED lights, etc.
http://www.mapajunction.com
Ma & Pa Junction. Never bought from them, but advertise as having low
prices. Sells a Williams sound board for $30 (also found on Amazon for
about the same price)
Train simulation software:
Microsoft Train Simulator A pretty attempt at a train simulator from Microsoft, though it was plagued with bugs. Unfortunately it has been discontinued. This website offers some information and some downloads and updates.
Train Artisan Maker of add-ons for train simulator software. They sold an add-on for Microsoft Train Simulator and offer a few free downloads of locomotives and rolling stock on their website. Update11/09/11: I can't seem to get the website to finish loading, but I'm leaving the link for now.
Maple Leaf Tracks Maker of add-ons for Microsoft Train Simulator. Looks like they do more modern locomotives (i.e. diesels) and rolling stock. They also have new routes. They use to maintain a forum that is now located at: http://65.75.159.161/main/index.php
Auran Maker of the Trainz Railroad Simulator. This is basically Microsoft's competition and they seem to be the only major player in the game at this point, given that Microsoft has discontinued its product. It looks cool.
Train-Sim.com Website dedicated to train simulators with information, forums, files for download, etc.
Other train resources:
Forum: Classic Toy Trains magazine Great forum for talking about toy trains. This deals mainly with O scale.
Forum: Model Railroader magazine This forum deals more with modeling, with more emphasis on smaller trains like HO and N scale.
http://www.traincity.com/price_guide Prices for used trains.
North Raleigh Model Railroad Club Also lists local area train shows.
All-Gauge Model Railroading Page
http://www.aorailroad.com Awesome O-scale layout. Very realistic.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/larry.lajambe Another awesome O-scale layout.
http://www.kfnrr.com Found this layout while searching for something. Missing photos and such, but I independently came up with a track layout with some similar features so I'm book marking this one for future reference.
Directory of World Wide Rail Sites
Golden Spike Enterprises Lists some of the bigger trains shows and events on the east coast.
http://www.building-your-model-railroad.com
http://www.ogaugerr.com O Gauge Rail-Roading
http://ogaugerr.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x O Gauge Rail-Roading forums
http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/HomePage XTrackCAD (layout software)
*** Wanted Model Railroad Items ***
Below is a list of items that I'm casually in the market for.
1) Lionel Polar Express Wood-Sided Reefer 6-36166
3) Southern Railway caboose
4) General freight railcars, any line. Tankers, gondolas, hoppers, and box
cars. Or anything else.
5) Lionel Fastrack
6) RR-Track software
7) Modern New York Central diesel locomotive. O27 curves.
8) Clean O31 track and switches
2) Southern Railway crane car tender (boom car). Found
one!
