About Model Railroading (We don't say 'toy trains' here!)

Why do people make & run model railroads?

Like any hobby, the reasons are as disparate as the participants. But the enchantment of miniature worlds spreads far beyond model railroads. It’s doing something in the real world, rather than letting a computer screen tell you what to do. Children (should be allowed to) play with many kinds of toys. Adults do so too, but often with greater realism. Some rail modellers like the challenge of building realistic-looking scenery. Others enjoy running trains on a schedule. Some find that running a small world gives a momentary escape from the realities of an geopolitically-imploding world (just don’t let it become a permanent escape). There are many many reasons for this fascinating hobby.

Everyone’s story of getting into this hobby is different. My personal journey began with an "OO gauge" (see below) model railroad that Dad set up with our help, when I was pre-teen. The track ran all around the perimiter of a large recreation room in our house; it had a station in one corner and a village in another. This relationship with trains was cemented when we travelled across this great country by train in my youth. Sadly the railroad at home was dismantled and sold when Mom passed away, Dad remarried, and the rec room was needed as a bedroom. It was decades before I got back into the hobby (though I did choose Via Rail over flying on most in-country trips as an adult).

How do I get started?

You can either go it alone, find a friend, or find a model railroad club. To go it alone you can either buy a "starter set" from a local dealer, or shop online or at a train show to pick up a controller, some track (enough to make a loop), a locomotive, and some freight or passenger cars. But first you need to pick a scale and a control mode…​

What is HO Scale, N Scale, etc?

These letters give the width of the track, and the ratio between the model and "real life", hence the size of the trains, the scenery, and everything else that is part of the model. HO originally stood for "Half O" scale. And "O" was originally a zero, as there were numeric gauges, but got changed to "O" along the line (1 Scale still exists; 3 scale is now better known as G, for Garden, large, and often used outdoors) O scale trains are quite large – 2x as wide and 2x as high as the more common HO. HO is the most common now, and is "1/87th" the size of the "prototype" or real trains. N is about half that again, 1/160th scale, and is what I use. There is also Z which, at 1/240th scale, is even harder to see :-), but lets you do more in less space; there are even railroad-in-a-suitcase rigs that are usually Z-scale. But HO and N remain the most common, and the ones with the widest selection at most retailers and online.

The terms "gauge" and "scale" are often used interchangeably. But technically scale is the ratio from real life (1/87, 1/160, etc) and gauge is the width between the rails (inside to inside). HO and OO tracks are about 5/8" across. N gauge is named after "Nine millimeters", the track gauge, which is about 3/8".

Inch-based track widths in table are subject to very minor conversion inaccuracies (rounding errors).

Who’s In Control: What is DC vs DCC?

This is about two forms of the electronics used to control your trains' speed, direction, etc.

DC stands for Direct Current – it’s what flashlights, cell phones and electric cars run on – the battery or power supply puts out a constant voltage (or in the case of DC-based model railroads, a voltage that varies as you turn the throttle to adjust the speed). DC has been used for controlling model railroads for most of a century. DC is also widely used to power subway trains, streetcars/trams, electrified rail lines, and more.

DCC is Digital Command Control, and is more recent, dating to the late 1980s/early 1990s. Originally designed by Lenz Electronics in Germany, it’s been standardized by the National Model Railroad Association (https://www.nmra.org/). Lenz is still in this business; I use a slightly more recent (but still somewhat "vintage") Lenz controller (LZV100) on my DCC track; the power pack that feeds it also has a DC throttle which controls the streetcar/tram that shuttles people from the residential section over to the passenger station.

As the name implies, DCC is based on digital computer technology, with a microcomputer inside the controller sending a digital signal over the track on top of a constant voltage. DCC has the advantage that it can control multiple locomotives independantly (even on the same track), just like your PC or laptop can control multiple devices on a single USB hub. DCC can also control the locomotive sound, track switches (which we call "turnouts" or "points"), lamps, and many other accessories – with DC you’d have to run a separate pair of wires from your control area to each accessory. On larger layouts, you can have multiple "throttles" - speed/direction controllers. If you see somebody walking around with a hand-held control (wired or wireless), or controlling locos from a smartphone, it’s a good bet they’re using DCC.

There are both modern commercial and semi-commercial DCC control stations; the former are readily available so I’ll just mention a couple of the latter. The DCC-EX Budget DCC uses inexpensive hardware based on the Arduino combined with open-source software. Another is OpenDCC; this project provides a bare printed circuit board and a list of components, plus open-source software, so it’s very budget-friendly but really aimed at the techno person who’s used to soldering discrete components onto a board.

Note that if you buy a commercial DCC station, you somewhat have two choose between to competing "worlds": the Lenz XPressNet and the Digitrax LocoNet. Both use exactly the same DCC protocol to control your layout. They differ in how the handheld throttle communicates with the control station, so you can’t mix and match, at least among commercial offerings. There are third-party throttles and other accessories, but again, they’re aimed at the techno market.

DC units are simpler to build than DCC, so both the electrical controller and DC-only locomotives are considerably less expensive. At the present time, many beginners start with DC. The better locomotives that you buy new are "DCC Ready", meaning they have a connector inside that you can plug in a "decoder" board and move a couple of wires, converting the loco from DC to DCC. It’s also possible, if you are handy with tools, to convert an older DC locomotive using a "generic" decoder (I did this once, and that was enough). It’s certainly simpler to just buy a DCC or DCC-ready locomotive. Some (by no means all) modern DCC locomotives are smart enough to figure out if they’ve been put on a DC track, and "just work" as a DC locomotive. These are generally referred to as DC/DCC locos, and may be a good choice if you want to start with DC as a trial before investing in the more expensive DCC controller.

It’s also worth mentioning that DC vs DCC is independant of scale, that is, you can have DC or DCC on HO or on N, for example. As mentioned, I use both in my (N-scale) layout. Although I’m not throttled up ("up to speed") on the larger scales, it’s my understaning that DCC is more common in the smaller scales (HO, N, Z) than it is in the larger scales.

"I found this old train set in the attic…"

While it may be dusty and musty, most of that will probably be usable. You’ll have to find out its gauge (maybe HO) and controller type (probably DC). The locomotive might need a new electric motor, though. You might consider bringing the locomotive to a train show or hauling it to a reputable dealer and see if it’s worth fixing. If not, replace it and use the old one as part of the scenery - many a rail yard has a locomotive repair shed, after all.

Where to learn more?

There are numerous model railroading magazines; see the magazine section of your local Chapters/Indigo or other major magazine stand. There are also many railroad clubs; see:

Where to buy?

Train shows are known for great bargains on used gear. There’s a list of Ontario shows at Credit Valley Railroad. Also the usual online shops, though it’s preferable to see a locomotive working before buying it. For this reason, and just to support local business, and want to buy with warranty and advice, and you’re in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), I encourage you to buy local at one of these local reputable dealers, all of whom I’ve shopped at at least once:

Ones I haven’t tried yet:

These GTA shops are no more:

Who makes this stuff?

There are dozens of companies making model rail cars and locomotives:

Canadian-owned Rapido is considered near the top in terms of model accuracy, and therefore a bit pricier than some. Some modelers use the term "rivet counter" to describe a fellow modeler who is very attentive to detail, so much so that (at least in legend) they’ll count the rivet heads on a model to see if it’s accurate. Sometimes it’s a compliment, other times it’s a pejorative. YMMV. Annoyingly, ScaleTrains has trademarked the term "rivet counter" to denote the accuracy of their models. Most locomotive makers produce both DC(DCC Ready) and DCC versions of the same mover. The above companies, and many separate endeavors, make accessories, scenery, controllers, etc. This hobby has been going strong for many decades, so many other companies have come and gone. TrueLine Trains, for example, has a badly-broken web presence and neither of their emails works. In 2020 they sold some or all of their tooling to Atlas.