Why build a model railway? – Gloucester Model Railway Club

As with every hobby and activity, the answer is it’s fun!

Model railways can be a very social hobby.
It’s a great way to meet new people.
There is the Gloucester Model Railway Club (GMRC) and various associations that you can join. These organisations run the whole range, from swapping stories, to teaching skills to each other, to actually building and running a model railway.
It’s also a great excuse to go on rail trips, go to exhibitions, or to visit the home layouts of the people you’ve met.
Model railways appeal to people in all walks of life. If you find a group of modellers, you’ll find doctors and lawyers, engineers, shop keepers, business people, military, mechanics, carpenters, artists, athletes, chefs and even politicians. Young and old, rich and poor. And it’s fun.

Train set or model railway?

Most of us start with our first model railway as a child, either with a ‘ready to run’ (RTR) ‘train set’ (fig 1-1) on the carpet/track mat, or many individual purchases by parents or pocket money, leading to their combined entertainment, working jointly as a family. Some lucky people come back to railway modelling as adults to create their own perfect world ‘model railway’.

Many model what they see, what is local to them and what they know. The advantage though is anything can be modelled by anyone. The process of a ‘model railway’ is more about the research into layout design, rolling stock and operation as opposed to a ‘train set’ where mostly anything goes. There are reasons for both and remember ‘it’s all wheels on rails’.

Learning is fun!

A model railway can be very educational, many aspects are considered ‘hard’, but with guidance they can be made easy! In the modelling process at GMRC you can learn the following:

Carpentry

The majority of baseboards are made from a wooden structure, normally plywood as it is a very stable base, but there are many ways to construct them.
Learning to saw accurately and assembling baseboards is a requirement for proper operation of a model railway. Many people are afraid of this area as it can be dangerous, but with guidance it is a learnable skill.

Electrical Skills

The majority of model railways are operated with low voltages. These range from basic analogue/DC operations, DC cab control, DCC and fully computer controlled.
A basic layer of wiring is good place to start, then build up to more complexity over time with either analogue or digital controls.
A working knowledge of mains wiring is not required these days but a basic understanding helps with safety.
If you intend to exhibit your layout to the public you have to learn to build it to current electrical and fire safety standards.

Economics

Normally model railways require more money than train sets, there are tricks and tips to make an efficient model railway design.
Also railways are drivers of our economies. They move people (fig 1-2), raw materials and manufactured goods from one place to another, as such the patterns of these movements are all driven by economics.

Modelling

Everybody can model to some degree. Most of us can learn how to do everything in the modelling world with enough guidance.
Some people become highly proficient in some areas, specialising in track laying, wiring or scenery. Do what you enjoy as it is supposed to be fun, get help for the things you are not comfortable with doing.

Cheltenham South and Leckhampton GMRC – An accurate view of a station which existed – fig 1-3

Art Techniques

Building scenery, along with weathering is where the artist in you comes out.
The layout becomes reality, though remember sometimes less is more!
From an impression to a accurate rendition (fig 1-3), there are many differing techniques you can employ to make the layout yours.

Planning

From the absolute beginner to a master modeller, thought should be employed in the planning and operation of the layout before diving in.
Everything from figuring out buildings from kits to scratch built, designing the trackwork, to a logical operating plan for your model railway.
Learning to visualise how things might look and their positioning in the scene helps long before they are built.
Don’t worry you will soon learn these skills.

History

Railways reflect the era they are operated in (fig 1-4). This covers centuries of the railway all across the world.
In researching the model railway you can learn about prototypical operations, timetables and locations.
Learn about the the history of a specific railway in any of the countries across the world.

Research

As you transition from a train set to a model railway you will decide to build a more prototypical model, or replicate a specific area accurately.
There are many archives open for all modellers, some are paid for, but many can be found for free too.
The internet is abundant with information, although some of which needs to be cross referenced for validity. There are many archives of book retailers (fig 1-5) and photo sites too for more thorough research for your model.

Manual skills

Building a model railway requires manual dexterity and skills.
You can’t be ‘all thumbs’ to build a model railway
If you think you are ‘all thumbs, don’t worry you can practice and improve dexterity over time.

Engineering

As mentioned above, model railways require engineering in construction.
The baseboards have to be sturdy, collapsing after building a full railway is very disheartening.
How are buildings constructed – brick bonding types.
What type of bridge structure do you want. (fig 1-6)
How do the locomotives and rolling stock work? From RTR maintenance or building from scratch.

Geography

Railways don’t exist in a vacuum. They go through the landscape. It is better to have the trackwork on one level, but sometimes it needs some gradients and elevation.
Towns and cities, countryside and rivers, many scenes can be mixed to make a more interesting layout
For an accurate model there are many maps and track plans available to help with your perfectly designed model railway.

Last edited by: GSW 08/11/2024