The table where you set up your toy train set up can make a significant difference too. I catch your drift, you like those small N scale locomotives so it doesn’t seem like such a huge deal. You could simply set these trains on whatever table, you say. But hold up. Let me try to set out my point. The kind of table you choose your N gauge trains on can actually be very important. Here are some reasons why:
A weak surface can’t handle it:
You want a surface that can withstand the usual jolts. When you flaunt your new setup to your tinier family members you don’t want the little tykes to be able to inadvertently bump over your trains with only an accidental touch. One unlucky instant and your trains could be in fragments scattered about the floor. Think about the possible cost and the labor you just trashed! No, you definitely must have a cool well designed table. You’re good with your hands, you should probably make the table yourself.
Cool Tip: Here’s a cool tip. If you happen to own an old ping-pong table you don’t use any more, then stop thinking of it as your ping pong table and start thinking of it as your new locomotive table. Ping pong tables are nice and large so they free lots of options for your set up. Imagine how complicated you could make your HO circuit layout on a table of these dimensions. Even if you have a Lionel O or one of those new S size trains, you’ll find that you can really do a lot with a table this big.
Portable tables for going places:
If you plan on taking your N gauge toy train layout around and displaying it to others, you may want to invest in a travel ready hobby table made especially for hobbying. A quick web search will list a gaggle of leads focused on model tables.
Cool tip #2: Here’s a room saver: Lower your table from the ceiling. If you’re good with your hands and in need of extra space, the best way to retain floor space is not to use it. You can use pulleys to raise and lower your train whenever you would like.
Interlocking tables:
The best bet when it comes to tables, though, is domino style tables that can be used in any configuration. These tables usually come in 2’ x 4’ pieces that can be arranged in any direction so that you can make really long pieces by fastening the narrow sides or you can make bigger surfaces by connecting the wider sides. These domino tables let your track plan to develop organically. Unlike other types of tables that demand you modify your layout to match their shapes, these tables allow you to control the limits of your circuit design. Because these tables are both light weight, adjustable and portable, they are perfect for the needs of model train hobbyists. So light, its no problem to take your whole layout from room to room. If you want to take this over to your brother’s house to show his kids your track, it is light enough to be carried. They are so easy to reconfigure that you might actually have difficulty keeping to one circuit design.
A well designed toy train setup is only as good as the foundation it is set on.
Here is more information on N Scale Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.
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