ZacWalker

Having a model railway can become a very thrilling hobby. If you're eager to share your passion with your little ones, and you're looking to design a model railway in their room, you're facing a challenging task. From planning the railway size to deciding how much money you want to spend on it, there's a whole array of aspects you'll need to cover before you can enjoy looking your little trains travel in circles.

Opting for a scale

If your kid’s room is rather spacious, you don’t have to decide on a single railway scale. Instead, you can easily have multiple scales or build multiple layouts in different scales. You’ll also need to pick a certain size of the trains because many of the subsequent standards that will follow will depend on the train size. Furthermore, you can combine gauges on a single layout, too. If you opt for standard and narrow-gauge trains, you can have them share a common scale. That way, you won't have to worry about sacrificing any aspect of the scenery. Make sure you pick out a model train’s scale before you start doing anything else. The most popular scale choices include O, HO, N, and Z, and they all differ in size and proportion compared to a real train. The largest-selling scale worldwide is HO, while the N scale follows being the second-largest selling.

Consider the layout

After deciding on the scale, you should consider the layout of the railway. Look for the layout plans online and see which one would best fit your space. Track planning software packages can come in handy with layout design. You can also visit the track manufacturer’s website, and look at their layout examples. Also, be sure you pick out the brand of model railroad track to make it easier to decide on the layout you want.

Make a sketch

You should draw a plan of the future model railway so that you can have the entire sketch before your eyes and see how the final work will look. Whether you choose a computer program or you decide to sketch it on a paper, design a layout by adding actual measurements. Grab a ruler and a compass and start planning. To ensure scale at all times, use graph paper. You can also use track planning templates with standard sizes track pieces. Whether you have just an outline of the platform and track or you decide to draw in every little detail – any form of a sketch design will come in handy with the planning. Feel free to draw in tracks full-on, add a little colour and decorate with lots of scenic features to make the railway look as real as possible. This way you’ll be able to see if what you envisioned looks good in reality too. It’ll be much easier to erase too tight a curve or too close together the yard tracks from the paper, that it would be to do all the building and rebuilding.

Pick an era

Once you have all the layout figured out, it’s time to come up with an idea about the time period and surroundings of your railway. You can shop for various model railway supplies at E-Trains and get the coolest accessories for your railroad. Whether you opt for a real place and time or you go with an imaginary setting, you'll have a lovely railroad for your kid and yourself to enjoy playing day after day. Place it in the year 2000, or maybe in the 16^th century, the decision is entirely up to you. Let your imagination run wild.

Budget planning

In the middle of all the design planning, you mustn't forget about the budget. Depending on how passionate you are about the model railway, you should plan for the costs. Get ready to pay between $350 and $500 if you want to start with HO or N scale. You'll need to pay much higher amounts for O and Z scales. However, those prices will only include a locomotive, a basic oval of track, four to six rail cars, a DCC controller starter set and minimal expansion.

Final thoughts

Designing and setting up a railroad will be challenging, but with a little bit of planning and a lot of effort, you'll do it easily, and with zero fuss. Your kid will love it, and you'll be able to spend more quality time together. It's definitely a win-win combination.