Hobbies And Interests
Helpful Reading
The model railroad hobby is served by several popular monthly magazines, including "Model Railroader," "Railroad Model Craftsman," "Garden Railways" and "Model Railroading." Layout planning is the topic of at least one article in most issues. Of all the magazines, "Model Railroader" devotes the largest amount of space each month to first-time layout builders.
January Issue of Model Railroader
Each year's January issue of "Model Railroader" magazine is an extra-thick issue designed to cater to those who have just received a train set for Christmas. The January issue has information for people new to the hobby, with entry-level articles on layout design, scenery, electrical wiring and many related topics. Hobby stores often carry back issues of the magazine, so copies of the January issue may be available for several months afterward.
Books
Many books devoted to layouts and track plans are available. One of the most respected and popular authors in the field is John Armstrong. His "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" (Kalmbach Books), in its second edition published in 1976, is a celebrated guide to designing layouts that imitate what the real railroads do. Armstrong also wrote popular layout planning books for use with Atlas track products. It is essential to seek out a layout book specific to one's desired gauge or scale. Hobby shops usually stock some of these books, and you can order any other titles needed.
Clubs
Model railroad clubs exist in many areas, and they are often happy to show their layouts to members of the public. Clubs also hold scheduled open houses, many of which are listed online at the "Trains Magazine" website under the "Events" link. It is important not to be overwhelmed by some of the large and ambitious club layouts, but rather to ask questions of club members, who are always happy to share their techniques and skills.
The NMRA
The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) exists to maintain the standards for model railroading in all scales and to help modelers in finding the information they need. Local chapters of the NMRA offer how-to layout-building workshops with very helpful hands-on demonstrations. These, again, can be found in the Events section of the "Trains Magazine" website.
Videos
In recent years, many model railroad how-to videos have been made available, principally by Kalmbach Publishing. The videos offer excellent up-close views of the techniques of laying track, making scenery and wiring layouts.
Online Forums
Several Internet sites offer interactive forums about model railroading. The variety of topics under discussion is nearly endless, and one can submit a layout planning question and receive answers from many participants. A link to one forum is listed below in the "Resource" section of this article.