Hornby Magazine - helping you plan a project...

So you want to build a model railway?

Starting a new project is always the hardest part, particularly when faced with a multitude of choices. PAUL APPLETON discusses the choices that lie ahead on the road to creating a world in minature. Illustrations: John Wiffen.

Model railways are a wonderful pastime. They can take us back to a time of fond memories or allow us to follow our imagination. For the new modeller, with a blank canvas and the simple desire to build a working model railway it can be a minefield of choice. Should you start afresh with digital control, should you build a branch line or a main line and, perhaps most importantly, where will the layout be housed?

The answers to some of these questions will be easy. You might already have an allegiance to one BR region or another, or it might be that you have rediscovered an old box Tri-ang Hornby models in the loft, sparking the flame and new ideas. A visit to a local model shop can be equally inspiring.

In the past decade model railway technology has advanced immensely. Just a few years ago we ‘made do’ with coarse scale wheels and models which represented, not badly, but not perfectly, the locomotives which we treasure and enjoy. Today, technology has advanced to the point where computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturer (CAM) are all the rage and this has led to superb detailing, smooth running and realiable chassis and an overall quality of product that could hardly have been imagined in the early 1990s.

Technology isn’t just limited to the locomotives and rolling stock we have to choose from. Digital Command Control has revolutionised model railway operation, although conventional, or analogue control, hasn’t disappeared by any means. Digital Command Control (DCC) has brought the opportunity for greater realism in terms of railway operation, but it has also added another choice to the potentially bewildering world of model railways.

There are countless stories of those who have started model railway projects that are destined never to be finished. Sometimes this is because of a lack of patience, or because the scheme they planned was simply too ambitious. It is important to get results reasonably quickly, otherwise it can be easy to be become disillusioned. The key is careful planning. Before rushing down to the local model shop or buying those first sheets of timber you need to consider a number of important factors. They may seem obvious at first, but you’ll soon see the potential of this hobby.

The first question is not where to build a layout, or what scale. It is much more fundamental than that. The big question is why do you want to build a layout, really? It is important to answer this honestly, because in turn it will influence your decisions on two other big questions. Just because you already have half a dozen ‘OO’ gauge locomotives, some lengths of track and an assortment of rolling stock, doesn’t mean that you have to build an ‘OO’ layout. Let’s face it, now’s the time to change your mind before investing more money in, possibly, what could be the wrong scale.

For the full story see HM April/May 2007 p28-33.