How to Choose Your First Model Train

First question: how old are you?

No, I'm not being ageist, but the tracks that bring an eight year old and a retiring baby boomer's first model train introduction to our wonderful hobby are many and varied. There's also the issue of money - one of the above is more likely to have far more to dispose of freely than the other. But there is a common freight yard that we can explore here.

What gauge?

Statistically, there's about a 66 % chance that your first model train will be HO gauge. Trains built to 1/87th the size of the real thing and running on rails spaced 16.5 millimeters apart account for around..." of all model railroad purchases. If your first model train was a gift, chances are you won't be too concerned about the other sizes, gauges and scales. But if you are lucky enough to have your hand on the regulator, you might want to consider some of the other options available as well. You have a huge, usable basement? Have a look at O gauge. 8ft x 4ft is about all you could possibly spare? Check out N gauge.

I want to see it run!

Of course you do. After all, that's what distinguishes what we do from what the plane makers, and shipbuilders and military modelers do. Our stuff works! Most first model trains take their initial run around the tracks on the floor. Nothing wrong with that, but long term, stuff like pet hair, lint and carpet-grime that those little DC motors pick up from the floor can make your trains run less well. Then there's the issue of how you see your trains. I've yet to meet the model railroader who is happy with the perspective of being above the roadbed, looking down. So after you've reassured yourself that it all runs fine out of the box - or boxes - try relaying the tracks on something like a ping-pong table. It's safer, if noisier, but from a seated viewpoint, now you're seeing your train side-on or front -on and just below your normal line of sight. Much more satisfying.

Laying ties and driving spikes.

Eventually many of you probably will hand-lay your own track, but after the first flush of seeing your train actually running on the ping-pong table - or kitchen table, if you opted for N gauge - you may be thinking about something a bit more permanent and visually stimulating than the oval of track with it's impossibly toy-like tight curves that came in the pack with your first model train. Time to do some planning! And that, dear reader, is so much easier and more convenient now than in the pencil, eraser, protractor and graph-paper days. I'm assuming that you all have computers, so you'll be pleased to know that there are plenty of software packages that take the drudgery and guesswork out of planning a layout. Some you have to buy - others are free. Almost all offer some kind of try-before-you-buy option. Just use your search engine with keywords like "model railroad track-plan" and you'll see plenty of choices.

What will all of this cost?

If you want to start with an off-the-shelf set, or if you are thinking about buy a model train set as a birthday or Christmas present for someone else, $200-300 seems a fair ball-park figure. That, by the way, gets you everything you need to start hauling freight right away - locomotive, cars, track and a powerpack. Time and available cash will determine how much more gets spent from this point on. But forget about the money; your first model train will always be a pleasure and a joy that lingers.

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