Building Model Railway Trains and Scenery

Apart from operating the trains, I think maybe the best part of having a model railway is building the scenery for your trains to run through. A soon as you start to get frustrated with setting up your model railway and then putting it away again when you need the space, it’s probably time for you to build something a bit more permanent.

The bench or table that you’re going to use for your model railroad must be the foundation of everything else. These days, model railway enthusiasts are fortunate enough to have the option of buying ready made benches or benchwork kits.

If you buy a benchwork kit you’ll find it’s already drilled and cut to size, and comes with suitable support. Although it’s tempting to use a piece of plywood placed across a couple of sawhorses, you might go off this idea the first time it wobbles or collapses. Plus, if you use a ready made kit, you’ll be able to easily disassemble it to move it.

Of course you also have the option of building your benchwork from scratch yourself, and although this is more difficult, it does give you room for creating your ideal model railway layout. You’ll need to start with a clear plan of what track you want, and what scenery. That will tell you how large your benchwork will need to be. Also, don’t forget to make provision for expanding your model train world later.

Check that you have the room in your house for your intended layout. You might have to adjust it to fit in with the shape of the room. Plan on having the bench at about a 28 inch height, and if possible make it with adjustable legs although be sure to make the legs sturdy enough to support the weight of the full set up. In fact making sure the benchwork is strong enough is probably the most important part of building it.

The baseboard should be of suitable strength too, at least 3/8 of an inch thick but preferably 1/2 an inch thick plywood. You can always cut the base into sections if you want to be able to take it apart and move it later on.

An important aspect of a model railway train layout is perspective, so plan your benchwork to take the scenery into account. What you should be trying to do is make the whole scene appear larger than it really is. There are some tricks you can use to help accomplish this, such as using smaller bits of scenery in the background. Also think about consistency in the landscape. Make sure your layout has the right accessories that match the environment.

There’s a huge range of items you can add to your layout, including tunnels, bridges, crossings, roads, fields, ponds, lakes and rivers. And don’t forget hills and mountains. You can also include different sorts of buildings such as houses, cottages, stations. You can get specially made buildings with lights inside which look fantastic.

Finally, it’s all the small details that will really make your landscape come alive. Think about fences, trees and bushes, people and animals. A little bit of water as part of your scenery will work wonders too so try adding streams, ponds, or even waterfalls. Study pictures of real landscapes to try and make yours as realistic as possible. Every bit of work you do will improve the appearance of your model railway, so don’t be afraid to pull out all the stops.