5 Reasons You Want to Make Your Own Model Railroads

The biggest reason why most people invest their time, money, and effort in the construction of railroad models is because it's FUN!

But for some people, "fun" is not enough to make one expend such precious resources.

If you're one such person, then I'm sure you have your reservations about going out of your way to make a railroad model.

The good news, however, is that there's more to railroad model designing than just the fun part.

Those additional benefits are what we seek to explore in this article.

A chance to bring the family together

How many times have you had the opportunity of bringing everyone in your family together to work on one singular task?

Like most families, I'm sure you'd say "never ever or not too many times."

Luckily for you, railroad model building is a great family-oriented hobby, seeing as it demands an input from each member of the family.

For instance, while dad may be working on the assemblage of printed miniature figures, mom may be busy gluing things together, and the kids will be tasked with the assignment of making sure everything the entire diorama stays intact.

A chance to learn about the history of a place

Model railroads also offer you the chance to learn about the tradition and history of the location of the railroad you're trying to model.

For instance, by building a model railroad depicting the London Train in the 1960s, you can learn a lot about the history of the place at the time, as well as the history of the railroad itself, such as the times they existed, type of buildings around them, etc.

This sort of research equips you with knowledge you never had and information you never knew existed.

A chance to hone new skills

It doesn't matter what your profession or specialties are, by building model railroads, you'll be compelled to hone new skills in carpentry, engineering, electrical, geography, economics, and researching.

For instance, while trying to add realism to your railroad diorama, you may need to saw wood, glue items together, strip wires, solder, and do so much more.

By and large, you'll hone skills you never had and find yourself doing things you never thought you could do.

Celebrities are doing it

When most people find adults assembling scale model buildings, cutting out plans, and trying to fit train toys on the track, they marvel and wonder why adults would be doing something as lame as that.

But let no one discourage you or tell you model railroading is such a lame thing to do.

If it's any consolation, you should know that there are lots of celebrities who take pleasure in constructing model railroads.

Below is a couple of them:

• Tom Hanks
• Tom Brokaw
• Phil Collins
• Michael Jordan
• Merle Haggard
• Joe DiMaggio
• Walt Disney
• Frank Sinatra
• Joe Regalbutto, the actor
• Bruce Springsteen
• Ricardo Patrese, the Formula-1 race car driver
• Donald Sutherland
• Mel Torme
• Neil Young, the rock star. He's also a part-owner of Lionel
• Rod Stewart
• Elton John
• Winston Churchill
• Ed Dougherty, the professional golfer
• Michael Gross, the actor

A chance to socialize

You will meet new people when you become a model railroader.

There are clubs and associations (such as the NMRA) that accept model railroaders from every corner of the country. These clubs run the whole range, from swapping stories to teaching skills to each other, to actually building and running a permanent model railroad.

If you're the contest type, there are lots of model railroad competitions you can enter to socialize and win prizes.

Perhaps traveling is your thing. Your model railroading experience can be your ticket to go on rail-fanning trips, go to conventions and shows, or visit places you've never been to.

Finally, model railroaders come from all facets of life. Meaning that for any group of model railroaders you come about, you'll likely find nurses, students, entrepreneurs, realtors, engineers, military geeks, bankers, lawyers, artists, carpenters, artists, and athletes.

This can be a very great opportunity to socialize, make friends, and network with people.