Surprisingly, one of the most popular hobbies in today's modern world is model railway trains. I'm not sure why, but perhaps it's because model trains are such a great hobby for enthusiasts of all different ages, appealing to both young and old. In any event, the popularity of model railway trains is still on the increase, even though they are considered one of the more old fashioned toys.
So why do people still manage to have so much fun with model trains, even in the face of opposition from games consoles, computers, virtual worlds and whatnot? It could be because model railways are a great way for kids to physically apply their imagination to something real.
They can choose what trains to run, what track layouts to have, whether to have scenery, tunnels, bridges or level crossings. And when they've decided, they can create it and watch it run. That's got to be very rewarding from a child's perspective.
And even for an older person, there's a world of opportunity for diving in deeper. These days the level of detail on the model trains is astonishing, they are extremely realistic, much more than they used to be. It's not at all difficult to find yourself spending hours or days on just a small part of your model railway.
These days, manufacturers seem to have settled on just a few of the sizes that used to be available, and that's probably a good thing for the average model train hobbyist. Popular scales range from G - the largest, down to Z which is the smallest. But the most popular of all is now the HO scale.
I always chuckle when I think about where the letters came from. You'd imagine it to be some obscure technical measurement system, devised years ago. But no.. H actually stands for half and stands for ordinary or standard, so the HO scale means it is half the size of the standard scale. I like the simplicity of that. Mind you, there's no real standard to the standard size, so don't put too much importance on it.
Not surprisingly, model trains used to be powered by hand in the old days. I'm sure they had all the other accessories such as scenery, tunnels and bridges, but electrical model trains didn't come along until quite a bit later. Of course these days almost all trains are electrical, many of them controlled by a computer. Just like in the real world!
What I love most about collecting model railway trains is that it can appeal to just about everyone, and anyone can start collecting. It can be as cheap or expensive as your wallet allows, and it really is a case of your imagination being the limit. The more enthusiasm you put into your model railways, the more enjoyment you will get out of them.
So why do people still manage to have so much fun with model trains, even in the face of opposition from games consoles, computers, virtual worlds and whatnot? It could be because model railways are a great way for kids to physically apply their imagination to something real.
They can choose what trains to run, what track layouts to have, whether to have scenery, tunnels, bridges or level crossings. And when they've decided, they can create it and watch it run. That's got to be very rewarding from a child's perspective.
And even for an older person, there's a world of opportunity for diving in deeper. These days the level of detail on the model trains is astonishing, they are extremely realistic, much more than they used to be. It's not at all difficult to find yourself spending hours or days on just a small part of your model railway.
These days, manufacturers seem to have settled on just a few of the sizes that used to be available, and that's probably a good thing for the average model train hobbyist. Popular scales range from G - the largest, down to Z which is the smallest. But the most popular of all is now the HO scale.
I always chuckle when I think about where the letters came from. You'd imagine it to be some obscure technical measurement system, devised years ago. But no.. H actually stands for half and stands for ordinary or standard, so the HO scale means it is half the size of the standard scale. I like the simplicity of that. Mind you, there's no real standard to the standard size, so don't put too much importance on it.
Not surprisingly, model trains used to be powered by hand in the old days. I'm sure they had all the other accessories such as scenery, tunnels and bridges, but electrical model trains didn't come along until quite a bit later. Of course these days almost all trains are electrical, many of them controlled by a computer. Just like in the real world!
What I love most about collecting model railway trains is that it can appeal to just about everyone, and anyone can start collecting. It can be as cheap or expensive as your wallet allows, and it really is a case of your imagination being the limit. The more enthusiasm you put into your model railways, the more enjoyment you will get out of them.
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Want even more information on collecting model railway trains? Learning and discovering about collecting model railway trains can be easy if you know how to do it. You can find all the information you need on model railway trains at http://modelrailwaytrainsguide.com I'll see you there!
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