The photo shows O, HO, and N scale locomotives next to a cultural icon whose size should be familiar to most people. There are a number of factors that will influence your scale selection; among them are your eyesight, your access to club layouts in your area, your budget, and your available space. If temporary layouts are what you have in mind you’ll probably want to start out with a train set, and buy additional track and accessories as the mood takes you. Even if you’re not building a permanent layout, you’ll need to know how to select and set up your railroad. Some people build modular layouts. There are clubs devoted to modular layouts, where each member builds their own modules. All the modules can be connected to make large layouts at shows and events. It’s helpful to look at layout plans on club and manufacturer websites but bear in mind that these plans specify the use of a specific brand of train track. If you find a layout that you like on a website, it’s easiest to choose the same brand of track that’s pictured—but with a little work you can implement any track plan using any brand of train track. In recent years more and more serious model railroaders are turning to computer-controlled trains, so many transformers and power packs are gathering dust. Digital Command Control (DCC), a new industry standard for powering and controlling model railroad trains using computer technology, is widely available in HO and N scale. Z scale manufacturers also offer some locomotives that come DCC-equipped. Digital control is available in O scale, but the biggest selling O scale manufacturers tend to have their own proprietary digital control systems instead of using DCC. Today many historic railroads have been acquired by or merged into larger railroad concerns. Survivors like the Union Pacific (UP), Burlington Northern & Santa Fe (BNSF), and the Canadian National Railways (CNR) are popular among model railroaders, but they aren’t your only choices. Lots of modelers choose to model a “fallen flag”; a railroad that has been taken over by a larger company. Many modelers choose the railroad whose trains they watched passing by as a child. Railroads have their own color schemes; locomotives and cars are always painted in the colors of their road, as illustrated by the photo. Every railroad also has a “herald”—an icon or trademark that is painted on its locomotives and sometimes on its cars too. So where exactly is your railroad? The Canadian Rockies? The plains of Texas? Downtown Chicago? What time of year is it? Is it spring, with green grass and colorful flowers? Is it fall, with trees in reds, browns, and golds? Or is a blanket of mid-winter snow covering everything? Is it 1888, 1952, or 2002? You need to decide these things before investing in any trains, landscaping materials, or structure kits. You don’t want to be running a 21st Century Shinkansen Bullet Train alongside an 1880s Consolidation steam locomotive that’s pulling Overton passenger cars on an elevated track through downtown Chicago—or maybe you do, it’s up to you. When buying locomotives and cars from different manufacturers, make sure that the couplers are compatible. Couplers are the “hooks” that connect your locomotives and cars. Couplers from different manufacturers may not be compatible, and within each scale, there are often multiple coupler styles. Dealers can change couplers on locomotives and cars for you, but it does increase the cost of the item a little. Whether you’re collecting trains, building and painting kits, or landscaping your layout, like most other hobbies model railroading will have ongoing expenses. It isn’t about the money; it’s about the pleasure it gives you.
