How to Build a Model Railroad

Instructions

• 1

  First of all, you have to conduct some thorough research to find out the necessary information about real and model trains and railroads. You can easily find the information in magazines, internet and books.
• 2

  Then, look for the space that is required to build the model railroad. Usually, a standard sheet of plywood is used to build the railroad. However, you can combine more than one sheet to build your model. Besides, you can also use a micro layout instead of plywood sheet.
• 3

  It is very important for you to decide the scale for your railroad. There are many different scales which are available in the market including Z, N, HO, OO or G. Z is the smallest scale while G is the largest scale. The most commonly used scale is HO. However, it is better to use N on which you can run Continental as well as British stock.
• 4

  Choose the level of your railroad and plan for making the scenery around it. You can use different mountains, tunnels, station stops, switch yards, road cuts and towns in your scenery.
• 5

  Start building the railroad and the buildings in its surroundings. Don’t use any excessive material and use everything according to your space. Otherwise, your railroad will become over crowded. The support frame of the railroad is very important, therefore you must buy good quality material for it.
• 6

  Before cutting the plywood with a saw, you must draw your railroad on foam. It will give you a good estimate about the measurements and will assist you making the curves on the plywood. Don’t make any sharp turns on your track as it may cause crashes.
• 7

  Use your Dremel tool to cut out the various shapes that you will be using. You can paint various details on the different buildings and other areas for your model railroad.
• 8

  Once you have completed the layout you can carefully connect the track and all the necessary ac/dc voltage connections.