TIP: Click the   Video tab to see this activity in action

Hello, there seems to be a problem, you have either not got java enabled, or you do not have the latest Flash player installed. Please click here to install the latest player, once complete, close that window and refresh this page.

Making model railways is to duplicate a station and siding setting from a real life situation which includes the houses and station, sidings and goods sheds as well as the trains and carriages themselves. A popular scale for track layout is HO.

Popularity
Once Model Railway/Train Making was nearly every school boys pastime, but like many hobbies it has grown into an adult following as they have matured.

Location
There are many clubs throughout the United Kingdom further searching on HIPS will help find some of these.

Age
A hobby not defined by age, as it is open to all ages, but that said it tends to be a more mature hobby these days as previously stated above.

Ability
There are no special qualifications for this hobby other than interest and a need to understand the history of railways and to duplicate them into model form. This includes Station settings and landscape.

Description
Model railroading (US) or Railway modelling (UK) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modeled at a reduced scale, or ratio. The scale models include rail vehicles (locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, etc.), tracks, signalling, scenery (roads, buildings, vehicles, model figures, lights, and natural features such as streams, hills, canyons, etc.). The earliest forms of model railways are the 'Carpet Railways' which first appeared in the 1840s.

Dedication
Dedication in the hobby can range from the possession of a train set to spending many hours and large sums of money on a large and exactingly executed model of a railroad and the scenery through which it passes, called a layout. Hobbyists, called model railroaders or railway modellers, Model railroaders may find enjoyment in collecting model trains, building a miniature landscape for the trains to pass through, or operating their own railroad, albeit in miniature.

Potential
There are national shows for set ups as well as inter club activities for the dedicated. It is a much more personal hobby than as a shared one. Not that enthusiasm is not there between fellow operators.

Closely Related Activities
Modelling of all types are closely related with this activity. So to are low voltage electricity application, relays and switching.

Further Reading
There is plenty or reading and places that give information and help on this topic.

Cost
Although parts in themselves are not that dear, at the end of the day this can be a very expensive hobby. Especially when you consider the amount of modelling required to make a formidable layout.

Level of Demand
The table below shows the maximum levels of demand that this activity requires. NOTE: These are not entry levels or levels of requirement and has nothing to do with ability.

Energy

Arms

Legs

Sight

Hearing

Speech

Learning

Please be advised that this record has not necessarily been reviewed by people with the expertise required to provide you with complete, accurate or reliable information. The information and images for this activity are supplied by the general public, Please contact us if there is a breach of copyright or you wish to improve the data.