Posts Tagged ‘Toys’

Before adding scenery to your HO or O scale model trains toys, first determine the theme, location and layout.

Theme: Consider the theme or purpose for the setting you want to achieve. Is it a passenger train, a military base, or some other setting? The location should be considered, such as if you want the train to travel through towns to and from its destination. Think about the era; do you want your trains toys to be vintage or modern? Your setting and scenery should reflect the overall theme of your train set. Keeping the scenery consistent with the era and theme will keep your train realistic looking.

Location: Decide where you want to display your model trains toys. You might build it on a shelf or countertop for more permanent mounting. You could create an intricate design in which your train runs through the walls (near the ceiling) of your house, traveling from room to room. A different town or factory could be in each room. (Of course, the downside to this type of track is chasing down derailments, but it would be an interesting hobby.)

Layout: After you know the theme and location, plan the layout for the track, terrain, structures and finally, the scenery. The scenery must work within the constraints of the space available and it should compliment your scale model trains. To get some ideas on what you can do with scenery, there are books available from hobby shops. Another source which is faster and cheaper is a Google search for “train stations” or other related keyword phrases. When you find a real train station, then choose maps, then the Satellite tab and zoom in for a view of the scenery around a real station. You can model your station after that or use parts of it for your own design.

To get started with laying out the scenery, draw a rough sketch design on a piece of paper to get an idea of where you want to place different items. After you have a plan that you like, use a pencil to lightly draw directly on the surface of your layout, whether it is a plywood board or wherever the scenery will be positioned. Plan for height and depth based on the scale of your trains.

Use either construction foam (spray-on kind) or plaster to build hills. The spray foam insulation can be painted and cut to fit your style. Spray the foam on a working surface where you have room to work, away from your actual layout, shaping it to the bottom layer of the “hill.” Trim the edges until you are satisfied with its look. Add more layers, spraying and trimming each time, until your hill is the correct height. Be sure the layers fit together. Once you are satisfied with the hill’s height and shape, glue each layer together with a product like Liquid Nails. Hold the layers together with toothpicks until dry. Once dry, you can glue the hill to your board, making it part of your scenery. Let this sit aside while you continue adding scenery.

Begin adding ground cover materials around the track. Your hobby store should have several sizes and shades available; a mix of colors and sizes will provide realistic settings for a wide variety of trains toys. If you will be painting or trimming any scenery near the tracks, be sure to cover the tracks with masking tape.

Decide the placement of trees, grass, and other ground covers before moving to the next step. Be sure you have marked the board with the location of each item.

When you are ready to use ground cover, brush an earth-colored brown paint onto an area a few feet square. Your ground cover will stick to the paint as the paint dries. Add some broken branches or more ground cover to enhance your scenery. Continue this process around the board, being sure to protect the tracks as you work.

If you added water to your scenery, be sure to check that the water flows easily, but doesn’t gush and therefore cause damage to your track. The complexity of your water scene determines how much containment you will need for the water. Simply adding a green paint with shimmers gives the illusion of a small pond.

Once the ground cover is all in place, it’s time to add your trees, animals, or other items to your scene. Be sure that purchased items are the same scale as your scale model trains. Your towns can include traffic lights, building, cars, people, and pets. Browse your local hobby shop or an online store for items that fit your theme, whether it’s early steam engine or modern supersonic trains.

Once you’ve mastered these simple scenery-building basics, you can add intricate designs, holiday-themed elements, and trees and scenery that reflect the change of seasons. As your train set expands, you can add detailed cities, construction sites, and other scenic items as you choose. Have fun with your designs. Take pictures, keep them in a photo album so you can see your progress, and have a record of your changes.

Technorati Tags: best, Layout, Making, Model, Scale, Toys, Trains

There are many ways to lay track for trains toys, but most experts agree that, for anyone really serious about model trains, roadbed is a must.  What is roadbed? In the real world, roadbed is the foundation on which train tracks are laid, and is made out of a variety of materials, including gravel and asphalt. This foundation helps keep the track even, and helps trains run smoothly.

So why install roadbed on a track intended for trains toys? There are a few reasons. Many model train enthusiasts like to be as authentic as possible, making roadbed a must. But installing roadbed on a model track has many practical applications, too: it makes running model trains quieter, keeps the laid plywood track smooth, and makes laying, repairing, and re-installing track easier.

If cosmetic issues are the only consideration – such as the inclusion of roadbed in a raised right-of-way – snap-in-place plastic roadbed is available. For the more practical applications considered by the serious trains toys collector, there are three major types of roadbed: cork, rubber, and Homasote.

Cork roadbed is the most common – it’s cheap, easy to install, and only semi-permanent, making it a good choice for beginners. If you do decide to go with cork roadbed, though, be aware that cork can dry out, split, and crack. A good tip to avoid this is to spend a little time painting cork roadbed with a latex-based paint. This acts as a sealant and keeps the cork from drying too much.

Rubber roadbed is another great choice if you’re looking for ease – most rubber roadbed is ready to go, meaning that roadbed installation is a simple, one-step process. But rubber roadbed is expensive to buy and permanent, making it more suited to intermediate trains toys collectors.

Homasote is the premium choice in ready-made roadbed installation (some collectors work with asphalt and gravel for the most realistic experience possible). It’s extremely durable and long-lasting, has an authentic appearance, and allows for some customization. It also provides the best sound insulation. But Homasote roadbed is best suited to advanced collectors. Why? First, despite its many advantages, Homasote is quite hard to install – if you’ve never used it before, or have no experience with roadbed, you may want to take a class or spend some time learning from another trains toy enthusiast. Second, it’s permanent, so you need to be sure of your model track plans before starting a Homasote roadbed.

Model trains can be a lifelong, rewarding hobby, especially if you take the time to plan well. With a little patience and guidance, installing roadbed can certainly enhance this experience.

Technorati Tags: Guide, Model, Roadbed, Toys, Train

Adding scenery to scale model trains is an expression of creativity and a great way to have fun too. Required materials are easy to access.

The goal for all terrain, tunnels, and landscaping is to achieve a realistic looking design which has the same scale and perspective as your model trains toys. Beyond that, the scenery should complement the look and the era of your train. Within these few parameters, you are only limited by your own imagination and ideas so have some fun.

The first step for trains toys scenery is to give some thought to what you want to achieve. This can be challenging to do on your own, so it is recommended to start looking at photos and layouts of other train hobbyists to help give you ideas. If you happen to live in an area where a train show is coming up, that would be ideal. However, a far easier solution is to go online and start surfing the web.

After you have formed a plan for your scenery, you need to translate the plan into materials and components required to implement that plan. The good news is many of the elements you will need are available to you at no cost because they utilize everyday resources found around the house and even in the yard. You can always supplement your scenery with store bought landscaping and structural components, or you can just buy the raw materials to build your own structures. To help you complete your materials list, the following provides you with some basic information about some of the most popular scenery elements, which include mountains, waterfalls, tunnels and landscaping.

Mountains – An inexpensive method of forming mountains and valleys is to form them with chicken wire, coat it with wet, plaster coated strips of gauze from bottom to top, overlapping. Once dry, it can be painted accordingly. Cliffs and rock walls can be made by wadding up newspaper and holding it down with masking tape; then the same wet strips of plaster covered gauze are put over it, from bottom to top, overlapping. Again, once dry the rocks or cliffs can be painted.

Waterfalls – These are made with sheets of stiff plastic that must be clear, although they can be colored in realistic amounts and colors. The plastic strips must be sealed by an acrylic, high-gloss gel. That same gel is used to coat the rocks along the sides, top, or bottom of the falls. The gloss must be blended together.

Tunnels – One of the most popular components for scenery is tunnels. Tunnels are just plain fun to have in your layout. The easiest way to build a tunnel portal is to cut it from a 1/2 inch thick sheet of beaded Styrofoam, the kind often used as packing material. Cut it in the shape of the opening, always keeping in mind the fact that your train must be able to pass through without touching anything but the rails. Washes are used to paint the Styrofoam, and dark stains can be added to give the appearance of soot. Styrofoam sheets can be used to build the body of the tunnel. Dark construction paper is glued to the inside that is visible.

Landscaping – Trees can be formed from pine cones that have been shucked, until only the core remains. The core is then dipped into thinned glue then dipped into a mixture of dark green turf and Styrofoam. Twigs from your backyard can also be used, if there are enough small branches to pass as a tree. Artificial turf can be used as grass, and extras such as people, signs, and telephone pole can be purchased from many suppliers.

Adding your own creative scenery to scale model trains is a fulfilling way to spend your time and it opens up a miniature world of creative expression and beauty. What began as a set of trains toys can develop into a true work of art.

Technorati Tags: Adding, Model, Scale, Scenary, Toys, Trains

For those interested in model toys, particularly that of the model train, one thing they will inevitably come across when commencing their hobby is the issue of how to wire their railway.

One of the most popular ways to do this is through the device called common rail wiring, the basic concept of which lies in always insulating the same piece of rail, while leaving the other one still connected. Sketch and/or draw a layout of your system that shows the dual tracks while marking the outer and inner rails as “plus” and “minus” respectively. In the example of an oval track layout, this means that the outer rail will always be positive no matter where it goes, and the inner rail will therefore also always be negative. The benefit of this is, once you have insulated the inside rail on every siding (even those controlled via on-off switches), the outer rail therefore becomes akin to common ground, while the inner rail resembles hot switched lead. This is why this method has become known as “common” rail wiring for the model train. Two different power packs are recommended for this system, both insulated from each other (such as in the cases where an oval is inside an oval), as they can then have the ability to control different areas of the layout in the same instances. Both packs need at least one wire to be attached to the common rail, with a second to go to either the insulated rail of the oval or to the sidings in order to be controlled.

The common rail system is a very popular one, primarily because it enables the system to pass on control from one of the packs to the other, with the model train on the track thus gaining power from the right side of the front truck at the same time as it is getting it from the left side of the rear truck. Minus the common rail, the model train would otherwise regard the insulated joint as a malfunctioning switch and would thus then just stall on the track. Just be prepared for the possibility of the model toys surging unexpectedly fast when crossing over the joint!

One last point – remember to double insulate on the section of the track where you require the train to reverse back on itself – this means that the positive rail will suddenly run smack bang into a negative rail, and thus an insulating gap and plastic joiner are essential here. A DPDT (double-pole, double-throw) switch will be required for this operation.

Aside from this, however, the common rail wiring should be the best solution for your model train toys system.

Technorati Tags: Common, Electric, Guide, Model, Rail, sets, Toys, Train, Wiring

Derailments of model trains toys can be a frustrating problem to figure out, especially if they happen in the same place, but not during every pass. In some cases, the derailment is a one-time event caused by dust or dirt on the track. Clean the area and replace the cars and engine back on the track, allowing it to run a few times. If the derailment doesn’t happen again, there is probably no need to trace the cause of the derailment.

In the case of a derailment that continues to occur, especially in the same place, you need to figure out the root cause of the problem. There are several things to consider, such as changed scenery or new or different cars or engines. Try to determine where the problem originates as it might not be at the site of derailment.

Consider the scenery in the area of the derailment. Look for very small pieces of scenery that may be stuck in the track of your model trains. Carefully inspect the track to ensure that all the nails are hammered down all the way and be sure that the nails have not worked their way loose. Be sure that small tools are not left on the tracks.

Change cars to see if one specific car is the cause of the derailment. Run the engine by itself to see if it derails. If you can figure out which car keeps derailing, inspect the car thoroughly. Look at the wheels and couplers as these can be the culprit. Couplers (magnetic or regular) that are mounted too low can cause derailments by rubbing against the tracks.

Be sure that the wheels are set correctly for the width of the track. Shimming or replacing wheels or couplers would be the solution to prevent this car from derailing in the future. A shim placed correctly may improve the height ratio, keeping the cars from derailing.

The wheels might be a cause of derailment. Check to be sure that the wheels are clean. If the wheels are dirty, clean the dirt with a small cloth. Do not overlook the dirt on the wheels as it can blend into the colors on the flange.

To ensure which car is causing the problem, check the car in front of and behind the car that derails. Some cars have longer coupler housings than others, so you may have to adjust the coupler to tuck it a bit further under the derailing car.

Check the cars for correct assembly. The body needs to be correctly centered on the frame and there can’t be anything rubbing against the wheels. The wheels should move freely by hand and the couplers should slide back and forth easily.

If the engine seems to be the derailing problem, inspect it carefully. Turn the engine upside down and examine the wheels, the truck housing, and the coupler. A bit of filing of the truck housing or shims on the wheels or coupler could fix the problem. You may have to try several things before the model trains run correctly again.

Another item to check is the curve of the tracks. If the curve is too tight, a derailment can occur. Generally, a six axle engine requires a 22” curve radius. If the train derails around a curve that is the correct radius, look several feet before the curve, checking for a small gap in the rails. Inspect for nails that may be loose or not pushed all the way down. Check the track for levelness. A small dip can cause derailments. Also check under the track to ensure there isn’t any debris or dirt that is causing the derailment. Transitioning from one model trains table to another needs to be smooth to prevent derailment. Likewise, transitioning to a grade in the track needs to be smooth. A slight variation between tables or the grade could be enough to cause the trains to jump the rail. You may need to shim the table legs to level the tables.

Dips and bumps can cause derailments. A common cause for dips and bumps is a loose or partially driven nail. Check carefully to be sure that a nail hasn’t come loose and worked its way under the track. Check to be sure the nails are through the wood and not the tracks rails.

A National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) track gage can be used to ensure that the rails are the correct space apart. Incorrect rail spacing has been known to cause derailment. In some cases, you may need to replace the track or bend the switch point clearances to allow the wheels to pass by without rubbing and derailing.

If you have tried several solutions but your trains still derail, trace it backwards from the point of derailment. Inspect all connections, rail joiners, rails, and scenery for failures, looseness, or dirt and debris. You may have to replace items to correct the derailment. Eventually, you will find the problem and once again be able to enjoy smooth performance from your trains toys.

Technorati Tags: Derailments, Electric, Model, Toys, Trains