Image source: http://csusap.csu.edu.au/~ssharm63/hobbies.png
There are many reasons for having a hobby of model trains. Some people are interested in the aspect of collecting antiques for the pride of simply having an antique collection; others are interested in the monetary value of such a collection.
Another significant reason people get into hobby trains is the sheer creative joy of it. There is virtually no limit to what you can bring into being with your hobby train set. Actually, the only limit is your imagination.
Let's get started! The first thing you're going to need to determine is the amount of space that you can set aside. If you have a small house or apartment you will want to stick with the Z or HO scale. Remember scale refers to the proportion of the hobby train compared to the real train. The HO scale is 3.5 mm equals one foot and the Z scale is one inch equals 22 feet. To give you an idea, the Z scale will fit on a coffee table.
You may want to put your set outdoors if you have a house with a yard. In this case you would probably do well with a G scale since the space is larger. A few other things to consider before you head off to the hobby shop are making sure you accurately measure your space, what kind of a layout are you going to have and what kind and how many accessories are you going to have.
For the beginner, the simplest layout is the "oval" and will require a 6'x 4' piece of plywood. As you get more familiar with hobby trains you may want to evolve your layout into a "point to point" layout or an "out and home layout". The "point to point" layout simulates a real train track. With the "out and home" layout there is just one terminal and the train returns to its point of origin. These are only a couple of the layouts possible but they're good for a start.
Now we get into the really fun stuff: buildings, lighting tunnels, people, greenery, etc. This is where the imagination really comes into play. What kind of a theme or era do you like? Did you know there is even a Harry Potter series? So, once you decide on a theme or era you can start.
One of the most basic decorations for your hobby train set is greenery. The easiest type of grass to install is imitation felt, which you can get at a hobby store along with some adhesive glue. Simply cut it to size and glue it on the plywood.
Next you will want to think about buildings. There are three main types: plastic building kits, ready -made buildings and self built buildings and self built buildings - you just make it exactly like you want it.
Another area where you can get really creative is with the lighting. There is an array of colors to use: white, yellow, green , red, and orange. Orange is actually a great color to use as it diffuses the light through a building and doesn't show the imperfections like white light does, although there are ways to handle that too.
There's lots of additional ways to spruce up your model hobby set: shrubs, signals, tunnels, hills, water and last but not least don't forget the people!
As you can see, there's a lot more to the hobby of model trains than "just another collection". It's an untold world of fun and exploration! Indulge yourself!
