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Model
Railroading: The World's Greatest Hobby
Do you have a collection? Shells, stamps, coins, dolls, butterflies?
Many people do. But with most collections, there isn't much you
can do with your collection besides look at it. That's not the case
for model railroaders. Many enthusiasts say that movement is what
sets model railroading apart, and that the best part of their hobby
is running a train through a finished scene. You can experience
the thrill for yourself and learn more about this popular hobby
when you visit Tucson's GPD Toy Train Museum.
There are three major divisions within the hobby of model railroading.
Some collectors are interested in toy trains, like the Lionel or
American Flyer train sets that we often think of as being set up
under Christmas trees in years gone by. Garden railroaders are another
group. They enjoy creating outdoor settings for their trains, which
are bigger and more rugged than traditional toy trains.
The most popular category, however, is scale model railroading.
Scale modelers set out to duplicate the locomotives and cars used
by real railroads, right down to the rivets and bolt heads. The
goal is to create a miniature world, known as a layout, that features
not only the trains, but a complete and precise replica of their
surroundings. Trains are differentiated by their scale and their
gauge. "Scale" refers to the comparative ratio between
a miniature and its full size prototype. The second aspect of a
model's size, "gauge," refers to the space between the
rails of the track. The most popular size is approximately half
the size of
O gauge models, and so is called "HO," for "half
of O." Look at the Model Train Scales chart to get an idea
of the sizes of popular model trains. Model railroading is a great
way to combine interests in science and art. You can learn about
woodworking, electricity, and physics, as well as working with plaster
and other art materials. You may also find yourself drawn into the
history of railroading, learning about how real railroads work and
the role they have played in our history and economy.
Model Train Scales
If you were creating a scale layout and wanted to put a house in
it-or maybe even yourself-you would have to calculate how large
to make your models. Use the formula below to calculate the size
of your models for each of the commonly used model train scales.
Use the following formula to make your conversions:
First, calculate the size of the item being converted into inches.
For instance, a 75-foot-long locomotive would be 900 inches (75
x 12 inches in a foot).
Next, divide that number by the number of the ratio for the scale
are using. The ratio for Z scale is 1:220, so divide 900 by 220
and you will get 4 (with a remainder of 20). Since the remainder
is so small, the answer is rounded to 4 inches.
Tune-up
Your Mind
Look for these books and related materials:
Trains and Railroads
edited by Miranda Smith and Stephen Setford (DK Publishing)
Steam, Smoke, and Steel: Back in Time with Trains
by Patrick O'Brien (Charlesbridge Publishing)
The Big Book of Trains edited by Jane
Yorke (DK Publishing)
All Aboard! CD by John Denver (Sony Music)
Model Railroader Magazine
Details
What: GPD Toy Train Museum
Where: 3975 N. Miller Avenue
When: 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.,
Saturday, December 23 and Sunday, January 8
Admission: Free
Information: 888-2222
Discovery
Detours
If you go.
The GPD Toy Train Museum has 5 large layouts (surfaces
that contain track, buildings, and the landscapes comprising the
model train environment), in a variety of scales. Many of the trains
produce smoke and have whistles and bells. Some of the new trains
are remote control and are automated to produce sounds recorded
from real trains as well as station announcements. The toy trains
running on the layouts on any given day may represent toys from
the early 1900s to brand new trains. They may be steam or diesel
engines. Almost all are toy models of real trains that were operated
by American railroads since the early days of railroading in this
country. Controls on the layouts provide opportunities for museum
visitors to run the trains and operate activities on the layouts.
Fuel
for Thought
Did
you know...
Today, most trains run on diesel or electric power,
but for many years, they were powered by steam. A Greek inventor
named Hero, who lived in Egypt nearly 2000 years ago, first proved
that steam could be used to make objects turn. To entertain people,
he made a revolving metal ball that held water and was fixed over
a fire. When the water inside boiled and turned to steam, it escaped
through the jets and the ball spun around. It wasn't until the beginning
of the 18th century, however, that steam power began to be used
with heavy machinery.
For
the Mouse-bound
http://hometown.aol.com/ienglish/index.htm
www.greatesthobby.com
www.trains.com
www.modelrailroader.com
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