The point is: the the layout brought pedestrians into the store and they inevitably ended up buying something even if it was just to get their kids to leave that hypnotizing layout.  So here’s the thought I had:

Use display g scale railroad locomotives to entice pedestrians in:

Toy retailers have known this for ages and hardware stores have found this a natural fit since shoppers can buy the parts and tools for model railroading all right there.  But I think other kinds of establishments could really improve the bottom line by having a model railroad, especially eye catching g scale trains and tracks. If you’re part of a line of stores or by a entertainment center this could be perfect for your establishment. You don’t really need to be a business that is in any way hobby related. A family physician’s office might just have a g scale display to keep the kids busy while they waited for their appointments or for prescriptions.  Kids would pull their parents into the store and many parents would have great trouble leaving without getting their kids a little toy at least.  Some parents would even welcome the time that their kids are fascinated by the models to browse for themselves. The increased business would be well worth the drawbacks in terms of space, start up costs and maintenance. Any place by where families spend time could take advantage of these little lures.  Thankful parents would make for return business.

G-Scale Model Railroad Designs could also make for unique businesses in the hospitality industry:

You know how you’ve been thinking of making your quaint little house into a Bed-and-Breakfast now that your children have all gone to college.  Well what better way to help create a special individualized experience than to add a g scale model railroad layout to your B & B?  You could advertise your Bed-and-Breakfast as a toy train Bed-and-Breakfast and you could have entire train theme. Customers would really get into watching the trains winding around them. The strangeness would be sure to bring out people with their kids and you could make a little bit of extra money by selling model train related accessories like key chains.  If you have a nearby tourist trap that is locomotive related you could create a tie-in to this site.  If you are in the Western US this shouldn’t be difficult since most of its history is related to the rise of rail travel.

 It’s a dog eat dog world out there since the financial bubble burst.  But that is exactly why it is the best time to look for a business increasing plan like this.  Whatever you can do to make your business seem individual and to have it stand out from the crowd can help the increase revenues.  I’ve only scratched the surface. Picture a bar where your drinks are carried to the end of the counter by a Budweiser decorated trolley or…

Here is more information on G Scale Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Technorati Tags: g model railroad designs, g scale model railroads, g scale model trains, ideas for small business, model railroad track plans, toy trains

What are the hot collectible locomotives today?  Here’ the huge three:

Lionel trains:  

We have to begin with the huge tuna, Lionel locomotives.  Lionel train has been the longest lasting toy training obsession.  Lionel locomotives once dominated the model training community.  Baby boomers will remember the Lionel Holiday displays they saw as children. Lionel still has a quality that most toy locomotive manufacturers would kill for.  Famous folks like the rocker Neil Young and the actor Tom Hanks have been long time Lionel enthusiasts.  Lionel has a strong literature that helps support it.  Because Lionel was ruled in the 1950s and because the post War decade was the high point of model hobbying, it is no surprise that Lionel should be as prestigious as the brand is.. Lionel’s value is raised by the fact that it positioned itself out of range for most customers back in the 50’s, creating a scarcity that helps bouy its value even today.

American Flyers:  

The only model locomotive brand that can really give Lionel a run for its money is American Flyer.  Although Gilbert failed to usurp Lionel with his S gauge train in the 50’s, American Flyer trains are perhaps even more sought after today than Lionel’s historic locomotives.  Gilbert’s effort, however, made some of the most beloved locomotives around and collectors go absolutely ape doo doo over these vintage toy trains.  The fact that they are one of the few types of trains that run on S gauge, an in-between scale smaller than O but hugger than HO, only adds to the uniqueness of these locomotives.  They are so popular among collectors and fans that Lionel LLC, the current owner of the American Flyer patent, plans on releasing many of the most popular locomotives from this period.  Watch out for them.

Ives:  

If you actually want to get a locomotive that no one has try finding an old Ives train.  Ives was the third challenger in the Lionel versus American Flyer triumvirate.  An old Ives model train is a real find.  Most are in O scale just like Lionel but they are real collector’s items these days. 

Clock operated trains of the Victorian era:  

These toy trains from the very early period of toy training are really a discovery.  They don’t have the complicated detail that the Lionel and American Flyers would have after World War I.   These clock operated locomotives, however, really paint you a picture of how such trains were viewed before model training became so popular.  You can really make out the hand crafting on these simple wooden trains. They were clock operated because there was no electrical source yet.  And they were pricey back then.  They clearly had the children of the well off in mind.  These trains can really capture the imagination of another age.  In fact, you might say that model training came to us just like kindergarten.  Both were part of Germany’s obsessions with childrearing in the early 20^th century.

There is great joy in restoring one of these old model locomotives.  You could choose a far worse hobby.

Here is more information on Model Steam Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Technorati Tags: American Flyer, American Flyers, collecting model trains, historic trains, Ives, Lionel, Lionel trains, model steam trains, vintage model railroads, vintage model trains

Just throw it on the floor like your laundry in college:  

The lazy solution is to just leave it on the ground.  This preserves the time and trouble of getting or making a hobby table, but it is not very good for tinier locomotives.  Bending over and kneeling down do not make for the best hobbying experiences for adults.  The bird’s eye view of the tinier gauges foregrounds the weaknesses of theses locomotives.  It also addes to the chances of taking unexpected slips when you accidentally step on your trains.  You really need a display hobby locomotive surface for the HO and smaller variety locomotives.  Even O locomotives look better on a train table.

Pre-existing shelves, the fortunate lazy man’s option  

If you’re really fortunate there is a location in your house that is already elevated and large enough that it can play a dual role as display area.  This natural shelf answers the problem of line of sight perhaps and if you are extremely fortunate can find the perfect place for our toy trains.  This is certainly better than putting your locomotives on the carpet for the visual aspect of things.  You might try to fool yourself into believing that you have found the perfect spot but think of the problem aspects of this arrangement.  These spaces tend to be too small for a hobby train layout and they tend not to be configured in the right way.  So, such spots dictate a host of limitations to your toy training.  This is never a good way to grow your model train empire.

Another fortunate possibility is that you happen to have a spare area just lying around somewhere:  

Some hobby trainers just use an old table they had lying around unused.  This helps in that you can carry it to the spot you would like, but the majority of tables that are not specifically built for toy training have other problems.  Not only are many such tables wobbly, but you still have to adjust your train display to fit with the pre-existing measurements of your area rather than the other way around.

A table that screams “I’m cheap but I know the value of hard work crafting”:  

For the make-it-from-scratch crowd, nothing is better than creating and building a display area themselves.  It is incredibly satisfying to design a table that exactly matches the precise requirements of our track plan.  You can also really give your locomotive surface some unique personality in this manner.  This isn’t for everyone.  If you aren’t that into making furniture then you’ll want to avoid trying this.  Just as large of a drawback is the fact that such tables tend to be permanently one size and as your hobby training empire expands you have to go through the trouble of building yet another surface to increase your surface area.  Also, if you are pressed for time, this will really add a substantial amount of time that you have to spend getting ready before you even start your actual model locomotiveing.  I won’t put down homemade tables except to say that if your engineering talents don’t extend beyond model locomotives, trying to build a surface can really be a black hole of time and effort that you may not have much to show for on the other side.

Hobby tables, the option if for those who are willing to shell out the clams:

There are these special kind of hobby table that is just perfect for hobby locomotiveing.  They are called “domino” tables because that can be connected on any side to form any shape, no matter how idiosyncratic the shape.  The tables also can be adjusted to sit at more than one height so that you can customize it to the specifics of the surroundings you’ll be displaying your locomotive setup in.  They let you realize your mental plan as you saw it.  Also, because they are lightweight they can more easily be moved out of the way and since they can easily be changed and added to as you see fit, they can grow with your model training ambitions.  You can also more easily transport your table if you want to show your design around.  For this reason, these areas are really the best decision for toy locomotive displays.

With your area decision out of the way you are now free to really embark on your hobby locomotive adventure.  Good lucky and happy hobbying!   

Here is more information on Model Train Track. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains. 

Technorati Tags: model train accessories, model train table, model train track, model trains

Lionel Trains:  

Lionel was perhaps the gold standard of model train makers in your father’s day. Lionel’s great marketing allowed it to outrun the competition. One strategy Lionel deployed was intermixing model trains with Christmas traditions by putting out images of train tracks around Christmas trees.  Their O scale trains which were one 48^th the size of actual locomotives ruled the roast up until the 1950’s when HO scale trains started to take over the market. Starting in the 60’s Lionel went through several ups in downs but is still around. Lionel O gauge is back and as hot as ever. Their great trains are well loved by all.

American Flyer:  

We mostly recognize American Flyer trains as a line of trains now, but they were their own manufacturer until 1966 when they were bought out by Lionel. American Flyer was born in Chicago around 1900.  They were bought out by A C Gilbert who also popularized the famous “erector sets” of the early 20^thcentury. American Flyer was the most robust national competitor to Lionel and its trains are perhaps the most popular collectible trains to this day. After World War II the company slowly failed as its trains switched to S scale.  When Lionel bought American Flyer in 1966, they kept and refurbished much of the equipment.  Lionel’s newly produced American Flyer trains are a top seller since the turn of the millennium.

Bachmann Industries:  

This is actually the most venerable of the three model train makers, started way back in the 1830s but was the last of the three to enter the toy train business. Ancestors of the original founders of the company, the Carlisle’s and the Bachmann’s, are still on the company board, though the company is now based in China, not in Philadelphia. Bachmann rose up after WWII by marketing starter kits to a middle class audience.  Their success continues to this day and they are still one the leaders in HO model trains in the world.

We have never had more alternatives in model training.  The internet has really made the model training hobby into a buyer’s market. The internet makes it so you can now locate any gauge from almost any era of time.  The three American classics that I just mentioned can now be fully experienced for what they are: American jewels.

Here is more information on Toy Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

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Start by putting together a model locomotive weathering toolbox:

You will be helped out by having a group of tools to apply your detailing.  Paintbrushes, small sponges and a square of cloth are a good start.  Those are the absolute fundamentals.

Step Two—Crafts Materials:  

Ask yourself, “What look do I want for my locomotive?”  Sometimes it’s easy achieving the effect you want.  Other times you have to really work at it.  The web often has materials like decals that can really help you.  Sometimes you just have to experiment until you get the impression you want. You can find a host of articles on line on how to use these different materials for the goal that you want.  Look for articles specifically on weathering in crafts magazines.  In the end, you will just have to feel around for the effect you are looking for.

Find inspiration for your toy locomotive weathering in historical pictures:  

A good thing to do is to watch out for pictures of actual trains from a period and place that has to do with the one that you have created.  Photos from such sites will help you picture your locomotive “in your mind’s eye”.  It helps to ask specific questions like what shade does navy blue become when exposed to Northwestern fog year and year?  What effect does the hot air have on a paint coating of a locomotive that goes through desert conditions day after day? Etc.

The natural world gets weathered too: 

We train lovers often get hyper-focused on our trains to the exclusion of the rest of our layout.  But our locomotives are only as impressive as the worlds they travel through.  The figures and objects in the world too should be appropriately weathered.  The desert sun will fade the paint on buildings and cars just as much as locomotives.  That sort of eye for detail is one of the things that so captures our imagination in model training.

Weathering takes a creative touch.  For this reason it is a wonderful opportunity for drafting members of the family that may not have been into the mechanical/technical aspects of model training but that loves painting and other sorts of crafts.  Someone with a real eye for colors and details can really bring such a design to life.  If your daughter can distinguish between 15 types of pink for her lipstick, she can certainly choose and apply the right weathering to a freight car.  If your son likes to make up cartoon characters to draw on his notebooks he can help highlight the figures in your fictional world.  Draft them to help you.  Aren’t these the sorts of memories you have from when you were young?

Here is more information on Model Railroad Track Plans. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Technorati Tags: model railroad track plans, model train arts and crafts, model train weathering, weathering model trains

Nostalgia: 

Baby boomers grew up with these trains and had their impressions ensconced into their minds even before they developed a notion of their own identities.  They’re the model trains from the holiday displays you remember as a boy.  They’re the o toy railroad that you wished you would wake up to on Christmas morning.  And they’re also likely to be the toy locomotives that you didn’t get because they were too expensive.  Because of this they are also the trains that remained forever in the realm of the wished for. Now that you have become a hobbyist again, they are the trains that are most likely to scratch that long festering itch.

Lionel:  

It was Lionel (now Lionel LLC) that popularized these trains.  Lionel is probably the representative model train making company in the United States.  They have survived more ups and downs than any other train maker and had more face lifts than Elizabeth Taylor’s had husbands. The reason why you associate toy trains with holiday is because of an advertising campaign invented by Lionel in the 1930’s.  It was these strategies that made them the kings of the model training world in the first half of the 1900’s.  It was mainly because Lionel started to corner themselves at the higher tier of the market that the prestigious train maker opened themselves up to usurpers.  By the Vietnam era when model training was at an all time low in terms of American participation, Lionel’s cheaper, littler sized fellow train makers drove it out of business. Now produced in China like most toy locomotive manufacturers, Lionel is ready to make a comeback.  The Lionel brand still retains a certain allure that other long standing train makers like Bachmann don’t.

Weathering and detailing are a breeze with O scale trains:  

Even though O gauge requires a lot more room than HO or N, its size also adds a great host of positives.  O scale model railroads are not as large as the German g scale that appeals to out-doorsy enthusiasts.  Real world trains are 48 times bigger than O gauge model locomotives.  It is a locomotive that is easy to pigment, decal and weather.  You don’t require incredibly fine motor skills so even the least coordinated of young people or most palsied of old folks can work with these locomotives.  Trust me, even when I’ve had one too many lattés and my mits are shaking like leaves in a storm I still have no problems with these locomotives.  Also, because of its dimensions, you can really take in the little aspects of these trains.  The O gauge human miniatures have discernable faces and the locomotives can be detailed to the point of making individual sleeper windows look open or closed. O gauges reputation is well deserved.

Hobbyists appreciate O gauge because of its full tradition:  

Mostly because of Lionel’s long history in American model training O scale is one of the favorite collector’s items.  Vintage Lionel locomotives of bygone eras consistently fetch good prices on e-bay and many toy locomotive enthusiasts like to collect Lionel locomotives from different decades so that they can have a sort of living history of the evolution of toy locomotives. 

But O scale is also a wonder in itself. It does take up more room than other smaller kinds of trains, but this drawback seems well worth it for most of us.  Lionel, because of its wonderful brand identification, is unlikely to fall to its debt troubles.  Even if all Lionel died, it is likely that someone would design a train of this scale.  Just ask the rocker Neal Young who loved O gauge locomotives so much that he was at one point part owner in Lionel and is still kept on an advisor to the company!

Here is more information on Model Train Scale. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.  

Technorati Tags: Lionel, Lionel trains, model train scale, O Model Railroad, o scale, O scale model railroad, o scale model trains

Build model railroad roads like we would build them in real life:

Make roads like in the actual world. Begin with the foundation.  Then use molding plaster to shape a dome over this surface.  The border of the road should be lower than the middle since roads are built to direct rain towards the edges.  A cool tip:  Here’s a real cool effect that I saw recently. This model railroad setup was going for a rural feel so when it made a road that crossed down into the model little prairie house it made it a dirt road.  To get this effect the hobbyist used actual sand. What an effect!

Railroad roads can be detailed too:

Weathering and detailing are indispensable to avid model train hobbyists. Like the paths we traverse in real life, model train roads should be equally beaten up.  You will find that the effect really adds whole new dimensions of realism to your model railway train world.

Pre-fab toy railroad roads:

Even though we train hobbyists really love the result that we get when we design anything on our model locomotive railroad layouts, sometimes it is better to just purchase pre-fabricated roads and streets.  A fast google search on “toy railroad roads and streets” will turn up several good leads.  Walthers Cornerstone is a great little company for HO scale.  They make lots of fantastic structures but I especially like the roads.  I personally also like their brick streets. They are really, really neat.  Walthers also makes several real cool accessories. Check out their line of steel products that they bundle under the title of  “Ashland Iron and Steel”.  If you’re into HO gauge Walthers Cornerstone is good place to go to get your accessories.

The borders of the road are just as important:

Your average sidewalk has pedestrians, stray cats, fire hydrants and street signs and so should yours. The childlike joy of such details is unquestionable! There is a form of awe that we get from looking at the uncannily shrunken that is every bit as powerful as what we get from the Grand Canyon.  Also, if you have a family member that is into the arts but not generally into the whole mechanical or historical aspect of the model railway trains experience, this may be the perfect opportunity to recruit them in the family fun.

Suggestion: Check this product out. Cool little working lamps that really light up lend a lot to a set up. Think of your train set up as a night scene and change the whole nature of your lay out. Soooo cooool!

Model railroad roads are just one of the many parts of the model train world that you can choose to focus your artistic gifts on.  Natural scenery also can really foreground a landscape.  A uneven surface, for example, is far more interesting than a flat one.  Oaks and redwoods and streams and mountain faces all really add to the uncanny feeling that you are looking at a shrunken world. A vintage phone booth, a sheriff’s station, a telegraph line—such historical detail helps paint the picture of the world we are creating.

Here is more information on Model Railway Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.  

Technorati Tags: model railroad accessories, model railroad roads, model railroads, model railway trains

No matter what your vision is, there are many retailers available, both in your neighborhood and online who can help bring it to life.

One thing that you should consider when you design your model landscape is the overall scope you would like to include. Human eyes cannot really take in more than one scene at any given time, so if you want to include more than one setting, you should be sure to separate them with a nice stretch of track that will allow your brain to identify what is coming.

This means that you will not only need enough pieces to establish your multiple settings, but other minor accessories to fit in between the scenes. This could be trees to follow a long stretch between two rural areas or a small patch of mountainside that connects a small country ranch with a nearby town.

These can be very simple things, like a lake with some deer, or a glen of trees near a modest hillside. If you do this properly, everything will flow together smoothly and you will not be overwhelmed by an overabundance of intrusive detail.

You should also try to include different levels of elevation in your model train scenery, both topographically and urbanely. In your cities, you need buildings of different heights, much like in real life. Along your countryside you should form hills, valleys, and mesas perhaps with hidden groves or orchards.

These different levels help your eye to appreciate the perspective of relative space and the overall scale degree to which you have constructed your model. There are even designers who put smaller buildings behind larger ones to create an illusion of distance. The more realistic it seems, the more you and your friends and family will appreciate your hard work.

Technorati Tags: g scale trains, model railroading, model train, model train scenery, model trains, n gauge trains, o gauge trains

What’s so great about Bachmann’s Thomas the Tank Engine starter set?

Four words: Thomas the Tank Engine! 

If the kid is into Thomas the Tank Engine already he’ll just go coo coo over this beginner set.  The starter sets are great for both boys and girls, since they usually include Claribel as well.  But the real thrill for Thomas lovers is watching as Thomas makes his way around the track by himself.  Bachmann really gets it correct, even including the moving eyes that imitate what the little ones are used to on the TV program.

One more word: Bachmann! 

Bachmann is one of the best brands for amateurs just starting in on the model locomotive hobby.  You get everything you need to get going within minutes all bundled in one reasonably priced package.  It includes the locomotives and digital controllers so you can run them easily.  The starter sets also give you enough track to get you started right out of the box and enough options so that you can get exactly what you want.  You couldn’t ask for anything more in a beginner kit. The whole thing can be up in running within minutes of having it out of package.

Still not convinced about Bachmann, Mr. Paranoid?

Bachmann is actually the industry leader when it comes to HO scale starter kits.  Bachmann has remained at the top of the model locomotive world since the 1950’s by undercutting the price of higher end train makers like Lionel while still preserving quality.

The other cool thing about a gift like this is that it’s a gift that your nephew and his dad can grow on.  Model train operating is really a great hobby and once the kid starts to outgrow his Thomas locomotive phase and leaves the island of Sodor behind, he might come to appreciate the more realistic trains that Bachmann and other model train companies have to offer.  There are great learning opportunities for kids who get involved with the model train hobby.  It is great for developing a kid’s geometrical skills, his engineering skills and his imagination.  Model train making and operating is a great hobby in general for growing the mind.  It is also a great bonding experience for parent and child.  Many model locomotive enthusiasts have fond memories of working on model trains with their own moms and dads way back in the day.  In short, it’s the perfect gift!  

Here is more information on Bachmann Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Technorati Tags: Bachmann Model Trains, Bachmann Thomas Train, Thomas the Tank Engine, Thomas the Tank Engine Model Trains, Thomas train

A unbalanced surface can’t handle it:

To begin, you don’t want to choose a surface that is weak and that will lean or that can be easily bumped over. You don’t need your trains to stay upright against a the “Big One” but they shouldn’t fall over when the school bus shakes by outside. One horrible moment and your locomotives could be in fragments tossed about the ground. Imagine the possible cost and the time you just trashed! Don’t open yourself up to this setback.  If you’re practiced with your hardware you could fashion this train table yourself.

Cool Tip: Here’s a cool suggestion. Remember that unused ping-pong table that lays forgotten in the basement? Sure you do, it’s the ping pong table that became your new model train table. Ping pong tables are nice and big so they free lots of options for your design.  Think of how complicated you could make your HO track plan on a table of these measurements.  Even if you have a Lionel O or one of those new S gauge trains, you’ll find that you can really do a lot with a table this big.

Portable tables for travel:

Look to shell out a bit for a strong train table. A quick web search will list a gaggle of leads focused on train tables.

Cool suggestion #2: Here’s a room saver: Lower your table from the ceiling.  Want your car port back for your cars?   Attach your table to the ceiling with a pulley device and your problem is overcome.

Interlocking tables:

The best bet when it comes to tables, though, is domino style tables that can be used in any configuration. These tables usually come in 2’ x 4’ cuts that can be fastened in any direction so that you can make really long pieces by connecting the thin sides or you can make wider tables by connecting the 4’ to 4’ sides.  What these great domino tables let you to do most however is to grow your train layout in any way that you would like.  Unlike other types of tables that force you to change your design to match their dimensions, these tables allow you to control the limits of your layout. The light weight design is ideal for model train lovers.  If you want to take your model train down in the basement, you can just carry the table down to your work area.  If you want to take this over to your brother’s house to show his kids your track, it is light enough to be hauled.  They are so easy to reconfigure that you might actually have difficulty keeping to one track plan.

And these tables can grow with your model training experience letting you expand your surface setup along with your developing toy railroad layout.

Here is more information on N Scale Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Technorati Tags: model train table, model trains, n scale model railroad, n scale model railroad lay out, n scale model railroad table, n scale model trains