Model Railroad Track Plans
Model Railroad Track Plans
Have you ever played that computer game Sim City or Civilization? Yeah, that’s right, they’re games where you have to plan out and run a city (or nation in terms of Civilization) so that it grows and prospers. It’s a very different kind of fun than the usual shoot-‘em-up, blow-‘em-up sort of games that you see kids playing. But there is something really entertaining about making plans and slowly growing this contained imaginary world. In Sim City you can alter the terrain of your city at the beginning so that you are dealing with different landscapes and climates. When you do, it changes the nature of the city you build.
Details Make Model Railroad Track Plans More Interesting
Well, that’s what model railroad track plans are like. You are trying to create the most interesting layout for your model train while still staying within the confines of what often is a limited space. So that’s the two things that are always in conflict: our imaginations and the actual limits of space.
Here are some ideas for getting started with your model railroad track plans.
-
Start with the simple oval model railroad track plans: When you first get your kit and lay down your track it’s not a bad idea to just do an oval track at the very beginning. Keeping it simple allows you make sure that everything is operating correctly and functional before you add levels of difficulty to your planning. Of course, the oval set up gets boring even before your coffee has cooled.
-
Experiment with other simple designs: Next you’ll probably want to experiment with other simple designs like the figure eight track (you’ll need an overlapping x shaped connecter in the middle) or a couple of concentric circles. Even these however will quickly get boring.
-
Add scenery to simple model railroad track plans: Adding tiny people, animals, buildings and designing scenery that matches the time period of your train really adds to the interest you will draw. But what really gets people’s attention are trees, hills and especially tunnels. People love to watch trains disappear behind hills and then come back out through a tunnel on the other side. The joy of it is primal—it’s the game of peek-a-boo for people of all ages.
-
Add multiple trains to your model railroad track plans: Even if the trains are both running on separate tracks right next to each other or around each other, having multiple trains running across a landscape quickly adds to the interest a track plan can draw. We love to see trains run next to each other or in opposite directions.
-
Think of your model railroad track plans vertically as well as horizontally: As you become more confident in your crafting abilities, you’ll often find that a good way to solve space issues or to just add interest in a track is by having trains rise onto or come down from different levels. You’ll want to plan easy grades as your trains rise, but you’ll find the problems with grading are mostly minor compared to curves. A great trick is to have a train rise up behind or within a large hill or mountain in a landscape and then come out at a different level than it went in at. The surprise often creates great joy in viewers.
-
Consider placing your train in an unexpected room or area as part of the room’s decoration: Finding a model train in a room where it isn’t expected can be a great joy as well. Consider for example winding your model train around the edges of your children’s playroom or around the edges of your home office. You can sometimes make a model train part of the decoration of public rooms. A local hardware store where I live has a large model train setup just as you come into the store. Parents love it because they can park their kids there while they quickly find what they need.
Hidden View of Model Train Layout
The best model railway track plans though can’t be summarized effectively. What they do is what a good architectural plan or interior design plan does: they take into account the specifics of the space they inhabit and create a plan that uses that space’s limitations as part of the plan, turning a drawback into an asset. I once, for example, went into a friend’s attic where he had created bridges over the top of the staircase to connect two separate train areas on opposite sides of the stairs. It produced a wonderful effect as you rose up into the area. That’s the sort of creative thinking we need for really great model railroad track plans.
