Introduction
Before the 1930s, there were no common standards pertaining to model railroad equipment. One manufacturer’s equipment would not necessarily work with another manufacturer’s or even run on someone else’s track. Many modelers built to their own standard or from their own designs and ideas. In many cases it was difficult, if not impossible, to take your cars or locomotives to another modeler’s railroad and expect them to run without problems. There were nearly as many couplers as there were manufacturers. This situation could only work to the detriment of the hobby as a whole.

The NMRA came into being in 1935 with a gathering of model railroaders, manufacturer’s, and publishers, in response to the need to bring order out of chaos. The NMRA Standards were developed as a way to help insure that equipment could be interchanged between one model railroad and another and that cars and locomotives of one manufacturer could run on the track of another manufacturer together with cars and equipment of still other manufacturers and modelers.

Since 1936, many of these basic Standards have remained virtually unchanged from the time of their original publication. They have been added to and refined, but they have stood the test of time and have proven to have been of great benefit to the hobby of model railroading and have contributed greatly to allowing the hobby to develop to the point where it is today.

“WHAT IS A STANDARD AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM A RECOMMENDED PRACTICE?”

A Standard is a figure, relationship or dimension that is mandatory, it is “cut in stone” so to speak and must be followed to facilitate interchange or interface, whichever the case may be. Standards can be changed from time to time but ONLY by the vote of the NMRA membership after proper policy procedures have been followed and the membership has been fully informed.

RPs (Recommended Practices) are those figures, relationships or dimensions that the Engineering Committee has established through actual tests and feel are beneficial to operation. These are not required to be voted by the membership except when in a package such as the Module Standards and RPs. These are presented to the Board of Trustees (BOT) for their study and approval.

As charged by the NMRA REGULATIONS, NMRA STANDARDS provide the primary basis upon which Interchange between equipment and various North American scale model railroads is founded. Under this requirement NMRA STANDARDS include only those factors that are considered vital to such Interchange. For less critical matters see the NMRA RECOMMENDED PRACTICES.

Conformance
Upon official Inspection by NMRA, those items found to be in Conformance to all NMRA STANDARDS, applicable NMRA RECOMMENDED PRACTICES, and industry quality metrics, may be recognized by the display of the Conformance/Inspection Seal of NMRA in their advertisements and on-their packages as authorized by the Certificate of such Conformance awarded their manufacturer.

Source: NMRA.org

NMRA Standards is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

The first thing to know is that you can’t take a layout that has already had the scenery developed for fall, spring or summer and just add “snow” to it and expect it to look like a winter scene – mostly because the colors that are already there will show through.

You have to start by removing any existing scenery and then paint the terrain with full-strength white latex paint. If you’re starting from scratch, build the scenery base and terrain as you normally would, insert whatever rock formations you want to use, paint the rocks as usual, but leave the rest white (or if it isn’t already white, paint it white).

If you wish to have only a thin layer of “snow”, you could add a little earth color and dirt texture here and there to the white base to show through as dirt patches.

Before adding the “snow”, you may wish to incorporate your structures, fences and even some of the larger trees into the winter scene, since you will probably want to add some snow to these items as well.

Trees can be modeled as evergreens or deciduous varieties without leaves. A light dusting of gloss white paint on the upper halves of the branches, followed by a sprinkle of plastic sparkles or Woodland Scenics Snow will help create the effect of snow-covered trees.

Snow Goop

Dave then uses a special blend of stuff he calls “snow goop”, consisting of acrylic gloss medium, titanium white acrylic tube color and acrylic modeling gel in equal parts. Then add 1-2 drops of cerulean blue. Stir it all up so that it’s about the consistency of mayonnaise. You may need to add a little water if it seems too thick. If you’re not going to use it all in one setting, you can store it in an airtight container.

Once you have your “snow goop”, you can spread it over your landscape with a trowel. Try to simulate snowdrifts, create snow banks, and spread it smoothly over rooftops like icing on a cake; allow some of the snow to hang over the edge a little. Use a smaller knife to spread it on the tops of tree branches, create pathways of plowed snow, pile it up on one side of fences, etc. Use reference photos to help guide you.

Be extra careful when applying the snow goop around tracks and turnouts. Go ahead and brush the goop over the ties, but make sure the rail tops and flangeways remain clean and completely clear of any goop. Don’t get any of the stuff around the points or other moving parts of turnouts. If you do, clean the parts carefully, making sure they still work.

After the goop is shaped the way you want it, you can smooth out the surface by spraying with “wet” water (water mixed with a few drops of liquid detergent), and then smooth it out with a foam brush. You can also use a stream of air from an airbrush compressor to smooth out the snow using a circular motion well above the snow.

If you want to create big piles of snow, you can first make the pile with Sculptamold, then cover it with the snow goop.

Before the snow goop dries, sprinkle tiny plastic sparkles (that you can buy at craft stores) over the “snow” to make it sparkle. Let it all dry out for about 3 days before you touch it. You can then add small trees, bushes and other details as you wish, to complete your winter scene.

Distant trees and bushes can be simulated for your winter scene by stretching out white polyester pillow stuffing and painting it (off the layout and preferably outdoors) with brown or black automotive primer. After it’s dry, then pull apart the stuffing into small fluffy balls and glue them in the background on the snow base, mixed in with evergreens for variety. After the glue dries, tease the tops of the bushes to spread them out a little more to make them look like lots of tiny branches sticking up. You may optionally want to spray the tops of these bushes with hairspray or scenic glue spray and again sprinkle on some WS Snow, or just add a light dusting on the top with glossy white paint.

Icicles

Buy a tooth brush with clear nylon bristles, cut the bristles in different lengths, pick them up with tweezers, dip them in gloss medium as the glue, and then place them on the bottom of eaves and overhangs of buildings and on tree branches. After they dry, you can brush on a little more gloss medium to make the icicles look more tapered and realistic.

Another method of making icicles for your winter scene is to use Woodland Scenics Water Effects and dribble long thin ribbons of it on a Teflon-coated surface. After it dries, you can then use a hobby knife to cut out wedge-shaped icicles. Use the WS Water Effects gel or gloss medium to glue the icicles to the overhangs and downspouts of buildings or to the bottoms of trucks, trees or anywhere else you would find icicles in winter.

You can also brush the acrylic gloss gel onto the sides of water tanks, ending the vertical strips of gel at the bottom of the storage tank with icicles.

Ice Mixtures

Crystalline ice – Mix up 3 parts of clear fine sparkles from the craft store, 3 parts of gloss medium and 1 part Titanium White paint with 1/20 part Cerulean Blue paint. Add a little water if necessary. Now you can apply this mixture with a brush anywhere that you want to simulate crystalline ice – on the edges of roads, creeping down rock surfaces or around the bottoms of boulders.

Smooth ice – Use the same mixture without the sparkles for smooth ice on a pond (on the surface of a small oval piece of Plexiglas, for example); or you could use it to make ice puddles in roads or along paths. Use WS Water Effects to make ice oozing out from cracks in rocks, and then coat it after it dries with the smooth ice mixture.

Winter Light

You may wish to use a fluorescent bulb covered with a soft diffuser to light up winter scenes. Small blue floodlights can be used as accent lights to add a slight amount of blue color into the scene for a better wintry Christmas-card-like effect.

Source: Building Your Model Railroad

How to Make Winter Effects is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

• Magic Water
• EnviroTex
• Aqua Model Water by Busch
• Rippled plastic water sheets or films by Busch, Kibri, Faller, Noch and others
• Realistic Water, Water Effects, Water Kit, Ripplin’ Water Kit and E-Z Water by Woodland Scenics
• High-gloss matte medium
• Mod Podge Gloss Lustre
• Liquitex Gloss Medium
• Acrylic modeling paste or gel
• Gallery Glass Window Color (glossy acrylic varnish)

Some of these acrylic products can be tinted with a drop or two of acrylic paint, but not too much, to make the water look blue or muddy.

Some of the products could be used in combination to create a variety of effects for your model railroad water. For example, you could use EnviroTex to lay down a nice glossy flat pond but once it dries, add ripples near the shore with gloss medium.I haven’t used all of these products personally yet, but there are 2 methods that I have used that have worked well for me…

Making model railroad water for ponds and lakes

These are usually very stationary bodies of water without much rippling or many waves. I have used Realistic Water for this very easily, but you could use any of the above water-making products. The process is as follows:

First, cut out a shallow hole in your layout surface deep enough for a 1/8-inch layer of “water” and however deep you want your banks to be. Taper the edges of the “banks” to be steep or shallow, as you wish. This step should be easy if you’re using extruded foam as the top layer(s) of your subroadbed.

Prepare the surface of the pond by laying soaked plastercloth on the surface of your depression and mold it into the area to serve as the base for your pond. Apply a little extra amount of Hydrocal and spread in on the surface to be sure there will be no leaks ant the fiber of the plastercloth is covered. The bed of the pond should be very flat and level as much as possible, even if the rest of the surrounding terrain is not level. Let this dry overnight. Sand the base of the pond smooth the next day. If you see any openings in the bottom, use Hydrocal or spackling compound to fill them in.

Next, put down all your usual ground cover around the edges of the pond and on the top of the banks including the appropriate paint or stain base, grasses, bushes, sand, rocks, etc. Use earth color to paint the banks down to the water level.Paint the base of the pond flat black as a primer. Once this is dry, start at the center or “deepest “ area of the water with flat black mixed with a very small amount of cerulean blue, blue-gray or green-brown (whatever your preference is for the color of the water, but definitely not sky blue or bright green). As you work your way out to the edges of the pond in a circular or oval fashion, add more and more of the color to the black so that the shallower water will have more color than the deeper water, blending each different shade of the colors into the one before it. When you get to the banks, use a stippling effect with your brush to blend the “water” color into the earth brown paint on the banks.

Now you can place small rocks around the bottom of the banks along with weeds, cattails, etc. If you wish to place a small boat or canoe in the “water”, attach it now with a small drop of glue, and let it dry.

Now apply the Realistic Water (or whatever other water medium product that you have decided to use for your model railroad water), following the directions that came with the product carefully. Apply one coat or one thin layer at a time, and let it dry for 24 hours. Then add more thin coats if you need to build it up further. It’s easier to add several thin coats than to put too much down at once. Some of the product may wrinkle or crack if you try to put down too thick of a coat the first time.

Once your final coat is dry, then you can fix up the edges of the banks with more sand, ground turf or vegetation as you wish. Add people and pets swimming, fishing or boating.

Another, even easier method is to use high gloss acrylic medium for your model railroad water. Prepare the bed as above, but when it comes time to add the water medium, brush on a coat of high-gloss acrylic medium instead. This goes on white but dries clear. Add more coats as you need to. You can make small waves or ripples with this by how thick the coat is and how you apply the brush strokes.

I have read about other methods for simulating model railroad water such as using a sheet of Plexiglas, painting the bottom as you would the base of the pond, laying the Plexiglas down into the bed with the painted side down and then applying high gloss acrylic medium liquid to the surface. This is supposed to give the water more depth. I’ll be anxious to try it the next time I need a lake.

Rivers and creeks

One of the most interesting scenes you can create on a model railroad, I think, is that of a stream weaving along the side of a railroad track in a hilly or mountainous region. The first thing to think about is, does the stream have a source and a destination, real or imagined? It can’t just end in a clump of trees. It could go behind a hill into an area imagined, but not visible. It could empty into a larger body of water. You could have 2 or 3 creeks winding down from the mountains and joining into a stream or river.

The preparation of the bed is similar to that described in the pond section, except that the surface doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth and flat. In fact, you may want a lot of irregularity in the surface. (Sculptamold could be used for the base.) Also, the paint colors you use for the riverbed may be more likely a green-brown or gray-brown color since moving water is usually muddy; although it doesn’t have to be. You may want rocks or trees in the water at the edge of the river. You may want to add fallen trees or branches at the water’s edge.

After you have most of this scenery in place, use the high-gloss acrylic medium and brush the fluid onto the surface of your riverbed. You can simulate rippling and rushing model railroad water by using a stippling and/or streaking effect with your brush or small stick. The water downstream from rocks or branches will have more evidence of agitation, which tapers to a point a cm, or two behind the rock or branch. You may want to use high gloss acrylic gel instead of the liquid acrylic medium to model very agitated water in rapids or over short waterfalls.

Use reference photos to help make your streams, rivers and lakes as realistic as possible. It always helps to see what it looks like in a photo rather than trying to reproduce it from memory. You will almost certainly detect and reproduce more details that way. The better your model railroad water looks, the happier you will be with it in the long run, and the more enjoyment you and others will get out of it.

Source: Building Your Model Railroad

How to Make Water Scenes is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

Screen or chicken wire

This is one of the older methods of creating contour for your model train scenery, but still works and is fairly inexpensive, especially if you have some old screening material or chicken wire or any other similar malleable material lying around the house.

You can cut the material in sections so that it’s easier to work with. Then staple or glue the bottom edge to the sub roadbed. The top edge should be folded under and attached to the wall or backdrop in such a way that the screen comes to a peak then begins dipping down behind itself before it’s attached. This way it won’t look like your trees are climbing your wall when you’re finished. The screen can be shaped in any way that you want to form an undulating meadow, irregular hills and valleys, or tall mountains. You may need to use pieces of wood or Styrofoam or wadded up newspaper underneath the screen in order to prop it up securely in some areas.

Make sure that no metal parts of the screen or wire mesh come into contact with the rails of your track after you have finished fastening it down.

Then take plaster cloth (which is a gauze material coated with dry plaster; it’s usually readily available at hobby shops) and cut several 6 or 8 inch lengths so that it’s easy to work with. Take one strip of the plaster cloth and place it in a flat pan of water for a few seconds, just enough time to soak the cloth. Then pull the cloth out of the water by holding it at 2 corners and pulling in out as a sheet. Then place the sheet of soaked plaster cloth on the screen form starting at the top and cover over a section of the screen with the cloth.

The next piece of plaster cloth should be applied in a similar fashion overlapping the first sheet. Continue to do this till you can’t see any of the screen or wire material any more.

If you don’t have any plaster cloth you can use regular paper towels soaked in a soupy mixture of plaster or Hydrocal (which is a lighter form of plaster that you can get at hobby stores).

If you don’t want to use plaster at all you can use stiff paper towels and glue them on the surface of the screen using a paintbrush and a container of liquid glue.

Cardboard web strips

This method of beginning your model train scenery requires an old cardboard box and some heavy-duty scissors or a good box-cutter knife.

You will need to cut many one-inch wide strips of cardboard in varying lengths depending on the size of your layout and how high you want your mountains to be.

Then start attaching the strips to the subroadbed by folding the very bottom of the strip underneath itself and attaching the fold to the subroadbed. Use the same technique on the top of the strip, folding the top of the strip underneath and attaching the folded-under portion to the wall or backdrop.

Place the next strip about 1-2 inches to the side of the first and do the same thing.

After you get several strips in place, then take another length of cardboard strip and glue or staple it horizontally across the vertical strips. Keep doing this with several more strips until you end up with a lattice or web of cardboard strips. You can adjust the height and shape of this web in various places to create the effect of mountains and valleys.

After you have formed and shaped your latticework of cardboard strips, you can then apply the plaster cloth or paper towels soaked with plaster as described above.

Wadded newspaper method for making model train scenery

I like this method the best. I got this from a Woodland Scenics book on model train scenery. Just wad up some old newspapers – one half sheet at a time – in such a way as to make each wad have a somewhat rounded top and irregular bottom. Then start stacking these wads on top of each other, holding them in place with masking tape.

After you have stacked a few of the wads in the shape of a hill or mountain, you can then get out the plaster cloth and lay sheets of the soaked cloth on the surface of the mountain, layering them so that none of the newspaper is visible underneath.

Using foam sheets to build terrain

If you have used extruded foam sheets for your subroadbed, you already know how easy this is to cut and shape. This is a great material for adding landforms to your model train scenery.

If you want to make a mountain, start by cutting out the general shape of the base of your mountain according to where you are going to put it on your layout. Use this as a template to draw the shape on another sheet of foam. Then cut out the second form so that it’s about an inch smaller in size than the first one. Then use the second form as a template for the third on and so on, making each new form a little smaller in size than the one before it.

Soon, you will be able to stack these forms in the shape of a mountain using progressively smaller forms on top of the larger ones.

You can then further “shape” your mountain by moving the forms around a little on top of each other and by cutting off edges of some of the forms, such that eventually you end up with the general shape that you want. Then glue the sheets together using Liquid Nails.

You can then use a hot knife to trim the unwanted upper edges of the foam sheets in order to smooth out the sides of your mountain and also create crevices or indentations to further enhance the shape. You may want to cut out the places where you want to install rocks or rock formations.

When you’re finished creating your mountainous shape, then cover it with plastercloth using the method described above. This is necessary for the surface to be textured properly so that it will conform to the rest of your layout; and it will be easier to paint it and apply ground cover properly. Plus, you don’t want to have pink or blue foam peeking through your model train scenery!

Ceiling tile

Another method of creating cliffs, rock walls and mountainous terrain is to break up old ceiling tiles and stack them up so that the rough broken edges are lined up to look like a cliff or rock wall. You will have to do a little shaping and breaking off edges to get it to look right. Then glue the layers together. You can tilt the shape to make it look like layers of rock that have been disrupted by glaciers or b earthquakes. You may wish to paint or airbrush the edges with various rock-like colors. The top of the tiles will have to be disguised by other scenery or built up further with tapering layers of tile.

Great Stuff method for model train scenery

You can buy cans of this product (actually called “Great Stuff”) in hardware and building supply stores. It is meant to be used as an insulating material that you can spray into areas of your home that are hard to get to. The foam spray, after it is applied, expands and hardens into a foamy material that you can cut with a serrated blade or handsaw very easily.

If you use this to create a mountain for your layout, remember that the material expands to about 2-3 times the size of the blob you spray out on the surface of your subroadbed.

Also, once you’ve opened a can, and used it once, you can’t use it again later on another day.

One more thing – don’t touch it or try to shape it while it’s still wet. You will just make a mess and won’t be happy with the result. You should wait till it dries and then shape it.

After your mound of Great Stuff is dried and shaped the way you want it, you can then place the plaster cloth over it as described above. Once again, I like to do this step because the plaster cloth provides a better surface on which to paint and glue down your ground cover later.

Polyurethane mountains

You can purchase this at hobby shops sold specifically for the purpose of making “Mountains in Minutes” as a way to develop contours, land forms, rock walls, etc. for your model train scenery. You have to pour one liquid into another in a paper cup then pour the material on your subroadbed where you want a hill or mountain. The instructions that come with the purchase are very good so they don’t need to be repeated here. The end result is again a hardened foamy material that you can shape with a knife or handsaw.

Undulating meadows

If you just want some mild undulation of the surface as a base for your model train scenery, so your landscape isn’t totally flat (which it shouldn’t be to be realistic, unless you’re modeling in the city), you can just glue down some small flat rounded pieces of Styrofoam to your subroadbed positioned irregularly on the surface, then cover with plaster cloth.

One thing to remember is that when you’re making landforms, meadows or other natural elements in a model scenery landscape, you don’t have to be perfect. In fact, it probably looks better and more realistic if you’re not too perfect while doing this.

Source: Building Your Model Railroad

How to Build Model Train Terrain is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

Source: Wikipedia
-DiecastTrain.com

Scale Chart is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

If you are into model trains and want to add some character to your model train layout, you may want to consider adding a train bridge. Not only is this an excellent way to give your train collection a little bit of pizzazz, but it is also a great way to present your skill as well.

There are many different types of materials from which your train bridge can be built, and the type of material that you decide to use will all depend on how much weight the bridge is going to have to carry. Adding a bridge will also give you a chance to add more features to your layout such as ponds, rivers, streets, schools ect. In addition you will also gain a world or knowledge, and after you have built your first bridge, you will be ready to tackle some larger projects as well.

Before you get ready to start construction on your new bridge, you will first have to figure out how wide and long you want your bridge to be. After you have made the decision, you will need to start out by building a base for the tracks. Keep in mind that your base will need to be strong enough to support the trains and the landscape, as well as any landscaping that you have decided to add to your surrounding layout. What this simply means is the bigger the train, the stronger the wood. Most people opt to use 2×4’s for a project of this magnitude.

The next thing that you will need to do is build your basic box and cover it with plywood, after which you will move on to building your arches. In order to accomplish this, you will need to decide precisely what size you want, and how many arches you are going to use. You will also need to decide if you want your train to pass through the arches as well. The next order of business is to place your arches along your structure, being careful to make sure that you place them evenly throughout. After that you will need to secure two pieces of foam core.

Place the pattern that you want onto the top sheet of foam and cut it out. This process will be a whole lot easier if you cut both pieces at the same time, and will also help you to make sure that the cuts are evenly cut. After the necessary pieces have been cut, your next order of business is to glue them to the track bed. Make sure that you give the glue sufficient time to dry. After this step has been completed, turn the bed upside down so that you can easily access the bottom of the train bridge if you need to.

Now you are ready to move on to the installation of your supports. It is suggested that these be installed between each of the arches in order to provide strength to the bridge itself. Pieces of foam are perfect for this step, just make sure that you cut the pieces so that they will fit together snugly.

After you have checked to make sure that you have a level fit across the bottom of the bridge, you will be able to move on to the process of gluing them carefully into place. The outside of your project can also be decorated at this time as well.

Last but not lease, cover your train bridge with whatever decorations you would like to add. Some people will decide to go with a couple of brick designs which can be made by printing out some brick shaped designs and painting them to look like bricks, or they can be painted directly on the foam if you so decide.

– Bennie Perry
-DiecastTrain.com

How to Build a Model Train Bridge is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

Anyone who has ever seen a train can tell you that none of them are pristine, unless they’ve just rolled off the assembly line. As a matter of fact, most of them are pretty banged up. Weather, neglect and everyday wear and tear will have their effects on train cars, so why shouldn’t the miniature version in your basement reflect the same conditions? I’m not suggesting grabbing up your expensive collectables and deliberately damaging them so they look worn in. I’m talking about taking some of your less expensive rolling stock and making it look a little more like the real thing.

I recommend starting out with the cheapest cars you can find and start from there. Finding some unwanted boxcars or hoppers is pretty easy to do. If you mess things up with these, you’ll only be out a few dollars but the lessons will be invaluable. On the other hand, you could wind up with some truly choice cars. I’m not going to get into airbrushing because it’s a big mess, even though some have found terrific results from it. Instead I’ll concentrate on hand painting for more depth and realism. The first step is to get rid of that glossy shine. There are a number of companies producing dull-coat sprays. Find a product you like and lightly spray your rolling stock to dull things down a bit. Do this in a well-ventilated area or you’ll find yourself getting a little dopey from the fumes.

Gather up plenty of pictures of real trains to get a feel how different types of cars weather. Notice how some areas tend to rust out more than others? Or how certain cars seem to have more damage from forklifts? Randomly weathering your stock is ok, but true realism calls for some research. Even better, if you can get some photos of the full-sized versions of your collection, you can practically duplicate them.
Weathering requires finesse, so you’ll need to pick up some items before continuing. You’ll want a few small paintbrushes, with short, stiff bristles. Grab some water based acrylic paints in colors in the red, brown, black and white ranges. You’re going to need these for creating rust. Pick up some black and brown leather dye, black ink, an eyedropper, Q-tips, rubbing alcohol, a soft bristled brush and some paper towels, as well.

Make a mixture of alcohol and ink in a small bottle and use the eyedropper to rinse your stock. Allow the mixture to seep into all the corners and cracks of your cars. This will add some definition and depth as it draws out the details. You can also use this concoction to create streaking effects to great result. Experiment with the mixture to find the right level of blackness to fit your needs. Adding a dash of brown will give the effect of rust, so use this where appropriate, too.

As you go over your stock, remember to put rust on exposed metal areas. Create water streaks; add some dirt and grime, especially on the lower areas of the cars. Highlight parts that stick out (such as rivets, roof walks and steps) with light colors, like pale tan or while. Darken areas that would normally be shadowed on real trains, like in between the wheels. After each application, allow your piece to dry thoroughly before adding second coats.

I mentioned adding some dirt and grime to your stock; this is where the leather dye comes in handy. Mix up some of your leather dye in a jar with rubbing alcohol. There isn’t an exact ratio to use, whatever suites your eye will work fine. Using one of your stiff-bristled brushes, dip the brush into your jar and run it under the roofline of your car, letting it simply drip down. Use a Q-tip to soak up any excess at the bottom. You can do this as many times as you need to get the results you want. Just remember to allow each application to dry before applying the next one.

These are just some basic techniques. With a little experimenting, you’ll be able to use them to create some impressive results. Don’t give up if it seems like you’re results aren’t what you want; a little practice will get you there. If you think you’re ready for some advanced techniques, there are some great resources at the library and on the Internet. A fellow named John Allen wrote some great stuff on the subject back in the mid-1950s. It may sound a little dated, but the information he laid out then is just as relevant today. In any case, just have fun, experiment and create a layout that you’ll enjoy.

– Mark Murphy
-DiecastTrain.com

How to Weather Your Model Trains is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

One other consideration to bear in mind is the gauge of the model railway – buying an avid collector of N gauge an O gauge train will not be so warmly received as if you can buy someone the model they love, in the gauge they collect. So check out which gauge you should be looking for if you are buying a present for someone else.

If you want to collect the best, then a couple of manufacturers offer an amazing range. There are some great special editions being manufactured, for example, and it is also possible to buy vintage/second-hand models either on-line or by going to a collectors’ fair. EBay is a wonderful source of model trains and accessories, for example. The collecting of vintage models can put a serious dent in your pocket but bring you much joy, especially if you are old enough to remember the vintage models from your own childhood!

For most American model railway enthusiasts, Lionel Trains will be a well-known name. A popular manufacturer in the 1940s and 1950s, the company started in the 20s and antique Lionel trains dating from those early years are certainly sought after. Any collector lucky enough to get his hands on the Liberty Lines 600E 2-6-4 will consider himself fortunate indeed and the Lionel Super 381E is most likely to be seen in a museum than a private collection, since only a hundred were ever made. So whilst these particular trains may be impossible to afford as a gift even if you could source them, Lionel Trains do make new models still and it is also possible to pick up a great vintage item that many a collector will love. To find something in your price range, try using TM’s Lionel Price & Rarity Guide (which comes in two volumes) or Greenberg’s Pocket Price Guide to Lionel Trains to assist you in your search – both books detail the prices you can expect to pay for Lionel trains. As the cost varies enormously according to the condition of the train, they are clear about how much you can expect to pay for a mint condition train, say, rather than something in fair or poor condition. If the person you are buying for is a real model railway enthusiast, they may well be delighted with a rare model in poor condition that they can restore, rather than a run-of-the-mill model in excellent condition that doesn’t have any excitement value. It sounds odd to recommend buying someone a beat up old train for a present, but if you buy the right one, you could make someone very happy!

Bassett-Lowke was an English toy company founded around the turn of the twentieth century, which is well known for its O gauge locomotives made with great attention to detail. Superb production quality and careful construction meant that every model was excellent but the company could not survive financially in competition with the more mass-produced and cheaper models which flooded the market in the late 1950s and early 60s, and ceased trading some forty years ago. In the high-end vintage train market today though, Bassett-Lowke is a name to conjure with, and pristine condition vintage models might set you back two or three thousand pounds sterling ($4000-$6000). Fortunately for most collectors, in the last ten years Corgi have started producing brand new high end collectibles with the Bassett-Lowke name. These are proving popular once again, and Corgi have stuck to the original O gauge scale, producing beautifully crafted limited edition pieces, some of which even have a miniature smoke generator so they can produce real steam. This is top quality, but it comes at a premium price, with many models costing GBP500-800 ($1000-$1600). For the serious collector they are a must though. If you can put any of these on your present buying list, you will be likely to find yourself with a very pleased collector on the receiving end of the gift.

Bachmann is another manufacturer that produces a good range of collectibles, and theirs are often in HO gauge, which is perhaps advantageous to many collectors as it is such a popular scale. They also do the Graham Farish range in N gauge, and both of these are much more affordable, being in the hundreds, rather than the thousands of pounds sterling. Many have digital control and a range of features which make it worth putting the loco on the tracks and using it, whereas some collectors of other top end models prefer to keep them pristine in the original packaging. To be honest, if they paid three thousand pounds/ $6000 for one rare vintage locomotive, who can blame them! Like Lionel, Bachmann trains can be sourced on the internet as well as at fairs. Do be careful with Bachmann though as some of the older models are not top quality, but anything from the “Plus” or especially the “Spectrum” range is likely to be much better than from the standard range.

On thing to consider in a top quality model train is whether it supports DCC or Digital Command Control. This is a means of powering each individual loco by means of a decoder fitted to the train which responds to commands from a DCC controller. Many top quality locos can now be bought with a decoder already installed and the ability to operate the train independently of the power in the track in a great step forward in railway modelling. If the train is not DCC ready it is worth asking if it can be converted – i.e. can you fit a DCC chip yourself? In a top end loco it is a real advantage – it allows the modeller to include on-board sound and lighting effects, for example.

Though it is impossible to recommend particular models as the top ones to have, as that will depend on the special interests of the collector, my personal favourites include Hornby’s OO gauge R2610 Caledonian or the Flying Scotsman LNER Class A1 4-6-2 loco (R1072). Happy collecting!

– Lauwra Magdalena Suwanta
-DiecastTrain.com

Model Trains for Serious Collectors is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

I believe not many collectors have the answer to that. Few are able to see their valuables as assets and thus insure them against fire, theft and the like. Having said that, if you treasure your collection and its worth, its mandatory that you call your insurance agent and discuss a plan to cover your collection.

But unless your agent is also a diecast collector, he would not know how much those vehicles are worth. It will be a tragedy that you get paid hundreds for a collection worth thousands. In the first place, you will have to convince him/her that your collection are “assets”, therefore worthy of protection. And ask for a rider to your household insurance, which will provide the full cost of restoring your collection to what they were before any unfortunate incidents. If applicable, it is strongly recommended that you ask from insurance companies offering collector’s insurance. You will be glad you looked for the right person to solve your worries.

How to Gauge there Worth

Simply visit eBay. Type the model of the diecast collection you want to find out, and soon you will see how for how much money others are buying or selling them. Get a full estimate of your entire collection and talk to your agent. Make sure the policy will pay you back the real amount of money required to replace your entire collection. If the cost of insurance is very high, you might want to consider for a while, although I know the most hardcore ones will just go ahead with it. The values of your “assets” may change, which is why it is important to check the values at a regular basis

–Rod Low
-DiecastTrain.com

Protect Your Collectibles is a post from: DiecastTrain.com

A diecast metal model train collection can be an interesting sight and building them can also be fun. If you are just getting started with collecting and building your first diecast metal model train, there are some things you may want to consider. Building a diecast metal model train from scratch is very detailed work, more-so than with a model car or plane. There are many tiny pieces involved when building a model train. This is especially true if you will be building a train that will eventually run on tracks. Building the train from a kit will reduce your workload some, if you choose the correct skill level, but trains are still more difficult to piece together than other model vehicles. Another option is to opt for a pre-built diecast metal model train. This way, most of the building will come in assembling the train sections together to run on the tracks.

Whichever option you choose, you will want to have some basic materials around to help you in building your diecast metal model train, as well as have some information and resources available, should you need help or ideas. CA glue is probably the most often needed tool for anyone building a diecast metal model train. Even if you will be working with a pre-built, you’ll still want the glue handy as these trains can be delicate. If a piece somehow breaks, your CA glue will come in handy.

Some other materials that can come in handy for building a diecast metal model train include a soldering gun, solder, tweezers, cleaning brush and cleaning cloth, metal cutting tools, wax paper for covering the work surface, model paint, and clear acrylic. You may find you need other materials as well, but these are the general materials you should probably have on hand. If you will be working from a kit, some of these may be included. Be sure to check the packaging to see what comes with the kit and anticipate what extra things you may need.

There are also extra accessories to consider adding if they do not come with your model or you are building a diecast metal model train from scratch. Some of these could include a sound chip and bell, a working engine, tracks, scenery, a display case, extra train cars to attach, and much
more. Building a diecast metal model train can be very simple or it can be very detailed and involved. It all depends on what you are looking for and how much time you are willing to commit.

– Lyn Lomasi
-DiecastTrain.com

Building Model Trains is a post from: DiecastTrain.com