Start model trains
Build a little world where real trains run. Start with an oval of track on a board, then add hills, trees and a siding one weekend at a time. Here's the video that hooks everyone, and everything you need for your first layout.
Space neededA table or a 4 x 6 ft board
First projectA running oval in a weekend
Skill levelBeginner-friendly
Good forAny age, kids with a grown-up
The video that hooks everyone
Four years of building a dream model railroad, in a timelapse
A bare basement wall on day one becomes, four years later, a sweeping layout of green hills, rock faces, a tunnel, a town and trains on many tracks. Press play and see why it hooks people.
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Tool list
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't. Most of it comes in one train set box.
Starter kit
01Train set (HO or N scale)A locomotive, a few cars, an oval of track and a power pack, all in one box.
02Track with built-in roadbedSnaps together and stays together. Most good sets include it.
03A flat boardPlywood or foam board, sized to fit your oval, on a table or sawhorses.
04Extra straight trackTwo or four pieces stretch the oval and make room for scenery.
05Track cleaning padA rubber block that rubs dirt off the rails.
06Hobby knifeTrims scenery, foam and plastic kits.
07Rigid foam insulation boardLight, cheap hills you can carve.
08Ground cover and a few treesA bag of grass texture and some ready-made trees.
09White glue and a spray bottleHolds down scenery. Thin it with water.
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Building too big too soonA huge layout stalls before a train ever runs. Get a small oval running first, then grow it.
- 2Skipping the test runRun a loco slowly over every piece of track before you glue anything down. Find bad joints while they're easy to fix.
- 3Dirty trackMost stalls and stutters are dirt on the rails or the wheels. Clean them before you blame the loco.
