Model Railroad Trains & Accessories

Having a hobby to enjoy in your spare time can give you hours upon hours of fun and enjoyment. There are many hobbies that are available to choose from an enjoy in the home such as gardening , painting , scrapbooking, coin collecting and card games just to name a few.  The hobby that we really enjoy and would like to share our interest with you is the creativity and enjoyment of collecting model railroad trains. As a young child, who can forget celebrating Christmas by asking your parents to take you to the local department store so that you can visit Santa’s village or the enchanted village where you would see all kinds of Christmas wonders such as elves and princesses and winter wonderlands with model railroad trains streaming through the landscapes.

Other venues that peaked my interest in model railroad trains was watching television shows such as the Adams Family when the family patriarch Gomez Adams would blow up his Model Trains with dynamite just as the model trains would cross a scale bridge. ( now that was entertainment). Watching the original movie version of King Kong as Kong was running loose in the streets of New York City approaching the elevated train tracks as the daily train commuters screamed in fear. I still can see King Kong staring into one of the commuter rail cabins as he derailed and destroyed the commuter train and tracks with a blow from his mighty fists. I can’t tell you how many times I tried to re-enact that moment with my own model trains and a model figure of Kong himself as a young boy.

Model Railroad Train History

Railroad trains have been an intricate part of our culture since the start of the industrial revolution. Model railroad trains were first made in the 1890s, but many people associate the start with the formation of Lionel in late 1900. The longest of the four train eras, the Prewar Era was brought to a stop by World War Two, as all companies suspended Model Train building for most of the war. During the Prewar Era the essential advances for model railroad trains were developed, including electric transformers to power the trains. Three rail tracks where created along with reverse units for the locomotives, electric couplers, and whistles. Early Prewar trains featured vibrant colors and a more toy like appearance.

The end of World War II  in September 1945, our government’s rules  on wartime production were taken away and model train makers went back to work.  The twenty five years that followed the war’s end are known as the Postwar Era.  The Postwar Era is the most popular among Lionel enthusiasts.  Many of today’s collectors have memories of playing with Postwar Era trains as youngsters. The Postwar Era was an era of mass production.  Many of the most popular model railroad trains—such as Lionel’s Santa Fe F-3 Diesel, the operating milk car, and steam locomotives with smoke—were first introduced to the public.

Today’s Model Railroad Trains

In today’s modern world of model railroad trains O Scale is one of the most popular model train scales in production today. Made with a scale proportion of 1:48, most O Scale trains run on 3-rail track and use AC current for power. Lionel is the most famous of the O Scale train manufactures, but other current producers include Atlas, Williams, Weaver, Bachmann, RMT, and 3^RD Rail. Other well-known O Scale train producers in the past include K-Line, Marx, Right-of-Way, and Ives. O Scale trains have been around since the early 20th century and as a result there is a seemingly endless variety of O Scale trains available today.

We hope you have enjoyed our little rant from back in the day and the history of model railroad trains. We truly enjoy the hobby of model railroading and hope you take a trip through our website where you will find a variety of articles, videos and tips on how to get started with creating and enjoying the hobby of creating a model railroading wonderland. Feel free to bookmark our site for future reference and enjoy the ride. J