Ho-ho-ho! It is almost holiday time again. As you look for a tree, you might want to consider a small trainset to put under it. Battery-operated trains for children start around US $20 and electric trains begin around $40 online, so you have to order fast.
A simple set consists of a locomotive and a few cars to pull around the track. The trains come in several sizes. The most popular electric trains are HO scale. The average car is approximately five inches long and two inches tall. There are small sets, such as N scale that only needs a coffee table as the average car is three inches long and one inch tall. There are also larger sizes like O scale where the average car is 10 inches long and four inches tall. O scale needs a table or sheet or plywood eight by four feet as the normal starting layout size.
Model railroading can develop from a holiday novelty to a lifelong pursuit. Many a small track under a tree has grown to a full layout filling a garage, a basement or playroom.
Trainsets are available at hobby stores and online. There are also train shows, like big Las Vegas conventions, around the United States and in Europe. Note there are different sizes, noted as scale, in Europe and the Americas.
Trainsets come with track and a few cars. More of each can be added over time, and then suddenly buildings start popping up. Then there is grass, model people, animals, furniture, and sometimes even BBQ or campfires with flickering light to simulate fire. The layout can take a few moments to years to complete.
Some hobbyists believe the layout is never done. More things can always be added or modified. The once 8×4 table can be extended into an L-shape to accommodate more tracks.
Some modellers add water and a ship dock to the layout, while others build an airport. The hobby can grow in all kinds of different directions. One section can be devoted to old steam engines and be modelled after a museum with train rides. Others will feature freight cars with stops at different warehouses. Another option is, of course, passenger service. Some tradition diesel engines while others will feature high speed bullet trains.
Most layouts have a combination of several different trains, but almost all started with a single oval and a simple engine with a few cars.
So take a look at the space you have available and consider a holiday choo-choo. But do not be surprised if the train does not get put away when the decorations head to the closet, garage or attic.
