Golly, we’ve really spent a great deal of time meditating on the locomotives and the gauges of our little model train setup haven’t we? Your setup for your little train empire looks great and I love how you have more than one type of surroundings for your locomotive to cross. What have you overlooked? We haven’t thought about the little roads and paths that go into our little village and that go over our track at intervals. Right now they have no detail and don’t really look like real roads at all. You know what; here are some fixes we could do to make them more realistic and interesting:
Build model railroad roads like we would build them in real life:
build roads like in the actual world. Set down a foundation for the road. Overlay it with a dome of molding plaster. Leave drains at the edges. A cool tip: Here’s a real cool effect that I saw recently. This model railroad setup was going for a country feel so when it made a road that crossed down into the model farmhouse it made it a dirt road. To get this effect the hobbyist used real dirt. It really worked great!
Railroad roads can be weathered too:
What really takes a model train design to another level is the creator’s eye for detail. Like the streets we walk in real life, model train roads should be equally beaten up.Ahh, now that actually looks like a street.
A time conserving tip: Buy your model railroad top rather than making it from scratch:
There are tons of companies that make really cool model railroad roads and streets. A fast google search on “toy railroad roads and streets” will bring back several good leads. Walthers Cornerstone is an outstanding little company for HO gauge. Their road surfaces have a nice wide clear look to them that really makes for good eye line and viewpoints. They have at least a couple of fashions of city streets worth checking out. They are really, really cool. Walthers also makes several real hot structures. Check out their line of steel structures that they bundle under the title of “Ashland Iron and Steel”. Walther’s HO products are certainly worth checking out.
Don’t forget to add interesting borders to your model railroad roads:
Don’t forget to add sidewalks, gates and pedestrians to your model train railroad roads. These little details, although they don’t seem like the central thing to a lot of enthusiasts, will really add to the viewer’s overall pleasure while looking at your model landscape! These little artistic touches can really make your model train display stand out. Calling all paint loving family members: now’s the time to lend a hand and an eye.
Cool Tip: Here’s an item that I think is especially neat if you’re willing to shell out the extra clams. Cool little working lamps that really light up add a lot to a design. Set up your railroad in the relative dark and light it with tiny size lamps. Soooo cooool!
Lots of other little non-locomotive related aspects of the model train world could also use more weathering. Natural scenery also can really bring out a landscape. A mountainous surface, for example, is far more interesting than a flat one. Trees and streams and cliffs all really add to the uncanny feeling that you are looking at a shrunken world. Period specific buildings and figurines can really add to this interest as well.
Here is more information on Model Railway Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.