Beautiful Model Railroad Layouts and Landscaping

Model Railroad Layouts and Landscaping

Any model railroad layout that you choose to use for your model railroad will be incomplete without landscapes and miniature land areas where the rails of the trains are located and constructed. Typically the landscape of your model railroad should represent the area of the rail line you intend to model. For example, you would not want to use flat terrain if you are modeling a railroad that operates primarily in mountainous areas. The avid model train enthusiast is very particular about the landscapes exhibited in their model train layout since the landscapes or the background commonly solicit as much or more attention than the actual rolling stock.

The landscapes of model railroad layouts are usually representative of small communities or industrial areas that are served by rail. They typically include small homes, buildings and other landmarks representative of the area that the rail serves. In addition, areas that the train passes through on the way to and from it's destination such as, country landscapes, green pastures and mountains are also depicted. This creates a realistic effect for your model train. Don't forget to include people. You would be surprised at how much more realistic your layout will be by including appropriately scale figures of people and animals. One more piece of advise, thoroughly research the particular rail road that you want to model, not only to find out which engines and rolling stock they typically use, but also to find out about the areas that they operate in.

It's not that hard to make landscapes for your model train. You have the freedom to choose what land forms, scenery's and landmarks you will include to make your model train much more fascinating and more attractive. The satisfaction you get from hearing the comments from bystanders and people, who love watching your model train operate and run around the tracks, is unsurpassed.

While model railroad layouts can sometimes be very large and expensive to build, careful selection of the expanse of your model layout, and using the appropriate scale of operating equipment, can greatly reduce your overall expenditure on landscaping or creating scenery for your model railroad layout. One great source that I found for advise is "Model Railroading For Beginners". Go to www.modelrailroadlayouts.net for more information.