Between Horst-Sevenum and Eindhoven at May 21,2008. Place Horst-Sevenum. test run ,brandnew electric emu trains.In the next future Arriva trains go running commuter trains between Geldermalsen and Dordrecht in the Netherlands

Technorati Tags: Arriva, Brandnew, electric, GTWStadler, runnningNL, trainstest

The surface where you set up your Model Train Layout can make a significant difference as well. Even with N scale this can be important. Everything is so miniscule in N scale that it just doesn’t seem like you need all that good a surface for it. Wait a second.  Give me a chance to argue my point.  I know it makes a huge difference what type of table you have your set up on.  Here are some reasons why:

A sturdy surface is a necessity:

Straight off, you don’t want to have a surface that is unbalanced and that will lean or that can be easily pushed over.  When you flaunt your new layout to your younger family members you don’t want the little tykes to be able to easily knock over your locomotives with just an slight touch. One bad instant and your locomotives could be in pieces scattered about the floor. What a horrorshow!  No, you definitely must have a nice well designed surface.  If you’re knowledgeable with your hardware you could fashion the table yourself.

Cool Tip: Here’s a cool tip. If you happen to own an good ping-pong table you don’t use any more, then stop thinking of it as your ping pong table and start thinking of it as your new locomotive table. Ping pong tables give you lots of room for any but the highest gauge designs.  Imagine how complicated you could make your HO circuit layout on a table of these measurements.  This is perhaps the easiest most cost and time efficient way of getting a great platform for your train set up.

If you like to go places with your trains, you must have a good hobby table:

Be ready to shell out a bit for a well designed hobby table. A quick web search will list a host of sites specializing in model tables.

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

Domino tables:

The best bet when it comes to tables, though, is domino style tables that can be used in any setup. These tables can be connected in any configuration or layout. These domino tables frees your track plan to grow naturally. You control the limits of these tables. 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. Its even no problem to fit in your car trunk. In fact, you might find yourself altering your track design on the daily.

A great toy train lay out is only as solid as the foundation it is constructed on.

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

Collectors collect lots of unusual things.  Some hobbyists collect stamps, some hobbyists collect coins and some collect sports cards.  There’s something unique about collecting classic toy locomotives though.  When you collect something that actually still does what it is supposed to in the world it is different than when you take that thing out of real life.  So it’s not like you are just looking at them in some book or on some wall.  You can get just as much enjoyment from them as when they were first sold.  Try doing that with your stamp collection!   

What are the cool collectible locomotives these days?  Here’ the large three:

Lionel trains:  

To start there are Lionel locomotives.  If you collected one of these historic model locomotives from every period in the last century you could arrange a pretty good record of toy training.  When you collect a Lionel train you are collecting toy locomotive royalty.  Baby boomers will remember the Lionel Holiday displays they saw as children.  Lionel’s classic toy trains are some of the best received and widely available trains around.  Famous folks like the rocker Neil Young and the actor Tom Hanks have been life long Lionel admirers.  Lionel has a well regarded literature that helps support it.  Because Lionel was dominated in the 1950s and because the post War period was the high point of model hobbying, it is no wonder that Lionel should be as prestigious as it is..  The fact is that Lionel was in the process of being overtaken by other train makers during that time and that most of us, like Neil Young, didn’t actually get Lionel trains as Christmas gifts only makes Lionel more popular now as a collector’s item.

American Flyers:  

Among hardcore collectors and toy locomotive enthusiasts no type of toy train has more cachet than the American Flyer S gauge toys that came out just after World War II.  A. C. Gilbert’s attempt to take the Midwest company and make it a competitor of the juggernaut Lionel ultimately failed. Many collectors will absolutely swear by the quality of these locomotives. The uniqueness of s gauge adds to the mystique of the American Flyer brand.  They are so popular among collectors and enthusiasts that Lionel LLC, the current holder of the American Flyer patent, plans on releasing many of the most popular trains 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 locomotive.  Ives was the third competitor in the Lionel versus American Flyer three way.  An old Ives toy train is a real find.  Like Lionel, Ives operates on O gauge. 

Clock operated locomotives of the Victorian era:  

These toy locomotives from the very early period of model training are really a discovery.  These are mostly shown at museums these days but if you can actually find one, you’ll have a train that is really a part of the genesis of model locomotives.   These clock operated locomotives, however, really give you a sense of how such toys were viewed before model training became so popular.   These vintage toy trains were clearly geared towards young people. No plugs, no batteries, no electricity—these are wind-up trains in the truest sense.  They were largely purchased by the rich back in the day and that’s who can afford to collect them now.  You can see how the plain style really could have appealed to small children.  These locomotives 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 enjoyment in restoring one of these old model trains.  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

• Gp38-2 high nose diesel locomotive with working headlight
• Contains six authentic railroad cards
• Train cars measure 5.25″ x 1.75″ x 1″ approximately
• Produces perfect electrical contact
• Contains operating dual crossing gate

Product Description
The Freight Runner Train Set comes with illustrated instructions and more than 200 pieces for the ultimate experience. UL listed; no batteries required. Features:GP38-2 High Nose Diesel Locomotive with working headlightSix Authentic Railroad Cards including matching 8-wheel Caboose89″ x 38″ Figure-8 layout with Power-Loc Track System and Terminal RerailerUL-Listed Power Pack with Forward and Reverse90-degree Cross Power-Loc Track Eliminates the Need for Bridg… More >>

Life Like Freight Runner Electric Train Set

Technorati Tags: electric, Freight, Life, Like, Runner, train

Well, it’s not only about the tiny engines, you know? It’s also about imagining that historic period that our trains are in—the legends behind the locomotives. The cultural time, the natural scenery, the weathering and painting are all equally intricate and absorbing as the locomotives for a lot of us hobby railroaders.  Not only that but the fun of painting, detailing and building these landscape features adds a whole new venue to our model training experience.  Try these tips:

Get going by picking a exact time period for your metropolis that accords the locomotives you will be using:

We model train hobbyists are usually fairly good readers and there is nothing more annoying to us than noticing a 1950’s era American automobile on the cobblestone streets of European city near a typical 19^th century whistle stop. If you can keep your topographical details consistent with your type of model train it will impress other fans who pay attention to that sort of detail. There are countless possibilities for you to decide between when it comes to time period and scenery. If you got a Western motif stick to sheriffs and cacti and avoid cobblestone paths and Big Ben.

Start by planning the larger buildings and planning out the paths:  

It’s nice to have roads that segment your topography. Once you have these planned out you can structure your other smaller structures and figures around these major decisions.

Consider placing natural scenery into you city area:

Metropolitan areas are not just streets and houses, they have trees and pools and animals as well.  You might want to consider having some type of a canal leading into your city.  Some of the ideal designs I’ve seen include a central reservoir area in a city with a river that flows out and under the oval train tracks. This gives you the greatest variety of accessories and track designs.

Don’t forget to include the tiny details that bring out the realism of a village layout:

Tiny details are at the center of good model railroad city. Make your cityscape as complicated as you can imagine. Your efforts will be well rewarded in the end.

This is a rewarding aspect of the model training world that you can involve the entire family in.  Almost all children enjoy painting and coloring.  There is a great enjoyment in linking parts together and adding tiny weathering details to buildings and paths. Now’s the time to get that fledgling artist in the household involved with your beloved pastime. You can really use this as a bonding experience for the whole family. This is a rewarding way of forging lasting family recollections and customs.

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

Technorati Tags: ho model railroad city, ho model train, HO Model train railroad city, model railroad accessories, model railroad city, model train setups