You must now decide just what kind of a railway modeller you want to be. I help you with this in the first section below. Assuming that you are going to enter the hobby under one of the creative headings, and I sincerely hope that you are, you then have to sit and think of the practicalities of creating a model railway. You must now ask yourself, how much space will I need? Do I have enough spare time to devote to it once I get going? How much is all this going to cost? There are no definitive answers to these questions but what follows should go some way to answering them for you.
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If, by looking through the pages on this web site you have already made up your mind which way to go then that's great, if not, here are several possibilities for you to consider.
The model railway fraternity usually falls into one or more of several groups. The first group that comes to mind are the collectors. They have no interest in modelling themselves. They buy all the latest railway products, sometimes to display them, sometimes in the hope that they may gain in value and that they may make a profit or even just because they like the models for their own sake. I have no problem with this attitude but it is a far cry from the reality of modelling railways.
Next we have the dreamer whose imagination has been fired by vistas of gleaming railway tacks and long trains rushing through magnificent countryside. These people will have avidly studied others layouts, in the model railway press and on the internet. So much so that they may well become an expert in one or more aspects of the hobby. But, and it's a big but, they don't actually do anything. The interest is purely intellectual. There is nothing wrong with this approach except that I think they are missing out on so much.
Next we have the armchair modeller, quite common in the model railway world. This person may well have taken this position through force of circumstances, domestic, finance, health etc, not choice. He may well turn his attention to designing working layouts in different scales with a specific prototype in mind. There again he may design for the smaller space or the mighty empire. Having designed a layout he may then turn his attention to what stock would be running on it, a working timetable perhaps. To finish off he may conjure up a particular setting for his brain child, the scenery, buildings needed, the list is endless. Like the dreamer the armchair modeller has only one limitation with his hobby and that is his imagination.
Yet another group are the would be modellers. These people, through the adverse circumstances already mentioned, are not in a position to begin on construction of a layout but they have hopes for the future. To prepare themselves for that day they may turn their attention to finding a design that they like so that they know in advance what they would need to start such a project. It is possible that they will then turn their attention to making up some kits that they know will be needed when the big day arrives. Perhaps practice various skills, painting figures, plaster work, making trees or small line side equipment, fences, walls etc. These people are well inside the hobby and many join their local club to hone their new skills by helping others or learning from the more experienced members of their particular club. This can be a very enjoyable phase of the hobby and one I have been through myself.
Finally there is the railway modeller. This person has been bitten by the bug and bitten hard. The model railway has become a part of their life and sometimes it is not an easy relationship. It makes demands on their time and pocket which are not always easily satisfied, especially now that the big manufacturers are producing such fine models. There is a saying among the fraternity that a model railway is never finished and I think in most modeller's experience this is quite true. As one progresses so techniques and skills improve by leaps and bounds, great you might think, and so it is but the downside of this improvement is that dissatisfaction of previous work creeps in, and, modeller's being what they are, you just have to do something about it. Another saying we have, and one that I heartily agree with, is that 'if it looks right then it is right'.
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Looking at permanent layouts first I'm pretty sure that given the enthusiasm to start modelling then space will be found in even the smallest of houses. Maybe a spare bedroom has a bare wall you could use, or more. A garden shed can be weather-proofed quite easily and cheaply. Do you have a loft area that can be boarded out and made suitable? Perhaps the garage is full of junk and a good throw out there would provide all the room you need. Have you an older house with a cellar that could be used? Possibly a conservatory that has become a waste of space, somewhere for the spiders to live and as a storeroom for the garden tools. There are many places to be looking at and with a bit of domestic cooperation much can be achieved.
If a permanent layout isn't possible, no matter what, then turn your thoughts to a portable layout. This type of layout is usually built in sections that can easily be connected together to make the whole. The layout can then be put together for a few hours of operation in an area that wouldn't tolerate a permanent fixture. At the end of the session the layout is easily taken apart and stored away. Another big advantage of the sectional layout is that each section can be worked on in turn, maybe even on the dining room table, dare I say. There are portable model railways out there where the creator is building in sections and has decided that each section will be finished in all respects before starting on the next section. Although this shows admirable restraint on the part of the builder it wouldn't be my way of doing things. I am a firm believer in getting something running reliably across the whole layout first then if a problem arises elsewhere, or you just fancy a change, you can watch the trains pass by.
If your space is very small, or you feel that finances are too restricted at the moment, then consider a micro layout. These models require the same skills and imagination as their bigger brothers and are usually built in 2 or 3 square feet of space. There is a great link to these layouts on the 'Other Model Railways' page. There you will find all the help you need to build and run your very own micro layout. Having said all that I really don't think micro layouts are for the beginner. In my opinion they are fine as a sideline to your normal modelling, even a bit gimmicky, some would say, but not what we are about. I know I am going to get some e-mails about this but that's what I think. However you must judge for yourself as this is going to be your model railway and I am only here to help.
So now we are down to maybe a couple of square feet, not much space there you might think but you would be wrong because this kind of space, or less, is exactly what is needed for a diorama.
What on earth is a diorama you might ask, and how does it fit in to my railway?
One dictionary definition is "A picture (or series of pictures) representing a continuous scene". What this means to us is that in a space say 12" by 12" we can make a 'picture' of anything we want which is related to railways. This picture could be, for example, a farmhouse and barn with pig sty, mud, dogs, chickens, people, the barn could be in a run down condition with planks of wood broken and missing. An industrial building perhaps, with bits of scrap lying around, wooden pallets, crates, bits of machinery here and there, workmen doing their thing. For the lineside how about a small goods shed or cattle dock, again with all the relevant bits and pieces to be found in such a scene. These are only three examples of an endless list and although taking up so little space they will need most of the modellers tools, materials, skills and techniques to make a good job of them. A further great advantage, perhaps the best from our point of view, is that they can be made as part of a complete layout which you have designed and hope to commence building at some future date. I will point you to examples on the internet and you will see exactly what I mean.
There we have it then, as far as space goes. If you have the interest, then one way or the other, there really is no need for you not to start out on what will hopefully be a lifetimes hobby.
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Model railways don't just happen, one day just a bare board and the next there are powerful engines pulling long rakes of coaches through glorious countryside. It's a good thing too, because if that was the case then the hobby would be all the poorer for it.
Your railway is going to be a long term project, no matter how you look at it. I can't give you times and dates, nor can anyone else. The planning and choice of layout shouldn't be a rushed affair to start with as if the wrong choice is made here then before the last piece of track is stuck down you will be considering taking it all up again, because you can see that it just isn't going to live up to your expectations or do what you want it to do.
Even while you are making progress you are going to be subjected to outside influences via the model press, maybe the internet, friends, family, so that fresh ideas and viewpoints are continually being presented to you.
Perhaps, as your skills and ideas improve, you will look back and be dissatisfied with what has gone before, so, heart breaking as it may be, you may decide that a fresh start is unavoidable. This happens to a great many modellers and is one of the reasons that we say that a model railway is never finished.
How much time you think you are going to have to devote to the railway should be a major part of your design philosophy. It's a given fact that the larger the layout, the more time it's going to take to complete even the first stages, such as building the baseboards. If time is unavoidably short but you still want a large layout, then think about making it modular. Each module in itself will take far less time and still give a great deal of satisfaction and can be completed before beginning the next one. At least you will be able to see that things are happening in a relatively short period of time. For example you could model a branch line to a coal mine or quarry.
There will be other demands on your time which will be more pressing than a hobby, that's for sure. I'm not trying to put anyone off here but presenting things as realistically as I can and from personal experience. On the positive side I spend a lot of time, when occupied with other jobs that don't require brainwork, shopping for example, thinking of what the next stage is on the model, or a better way of doing a particular job. I have saved myself many hundreds of hours modelling time, and a great deal of frustration, by doing this. Frustration by the way is probably public enemy number one to all modellers, and will have to be dealt with most firmly as and when it raises it's ugly head. Hence the importance of always having something else to turn your hand or mind to on the railway.
Like I said earlier, nothing is going to happen quickly but there will be a steady progression towards your ultimate goal, with many happy hours of modelling and quiet satisfaction in front of you, so enjoy every moment of the experience.
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The bad news is that today nothing is cheap and building a model railway is no exception. The good news is that whatever the cost eventually turns out to be it will be spread over a long time. Bit like the never never really. It has to be said that cheap or expensive usually relates to our disposable income and how much of it we have to spend on our interests.
We can divide the costs into three major areas. The first being the timber, screws, tools etc for building the baseboard plus wiring and trackwork and the basic groundwork. The baseboard could be something as simple as a plank of wood or an old door of course.
Next come buildings, signals, bridges and dozens of smaller items, none of which cost much taken individually but when multiplied up the total can be quite surprising. Many of these items can be made at little or no cost if you try your hand at scratchbuilding.
Lastly of course we have the locomotives and rolling stock, not all of which has to be brand new in their nice shiny boxes.
Many modellers operating on a tight budget make a pause on the main project and spend many hours, which may well spread into weeks, depending on how much modelling time they have, constructing a kit or designing something they may wish to add later on. Kits, for example, when assembled don't take up a lot of space and can be put away until the time comes for them to be incorporated in the main layout.
There are also many pleasant hours to be spent deciding on how you are going to operate your railway. Will it be to a timetable, using time itself as a factor as prototype practice, or a series of laid down movements which have to be made in a set sequence to enable the free flow of passenger and/or goods traffic.
There are more money saving ideas under materials, many of which I use myself.
So you can see there is no reason for things to come to a standstill because of a temporary financial restraint as there will always be something to fill your time constructively and enjoyably.
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