Train Set Gazette
Looking down busy Third Avenue in Empire City, a simple trolley and subway model railroad you can build! See page S8. 20I2
Starting at Mile Post “Zero”
Every railroad has that point that signifies the start- ing point of its property. Often this spot is has a mile post marker lettered with a “zero.” In this same way all of us enter the world of model trains and rail- roads at our own Mile Post Zero. This point is usu- ally when we either receive a train set as a gift or make a purchase of one. The chief advantage of starting with a set is that all of the major compo- nents; the locomotive, cars, track and power pack, are all in one package. Frequently additional acces- sories as well as basic instructions for getting up and running are also included.
Train sets are available in all scales from “Z” all the way up to “Large Scale” and at price points that will fit nearly every budget. In addition to the sets fea- tured in the pages of this year’s Train Set Gazette, there a literally dozens of additional set options, many of which you will find displayed at your local model railroad retailer.
To make the search easier for the perfect set Wm. K. Walthers offers the Train Set Chooser feature through their website. Point your web browser to
www.walthers.com/exec/sets to try it out. By answering a few easy questions this program will guide the user through some of the many train sets currently available.
There are times when our unique railroad interests are not specifically catered to by the current set manufacturers. To address this situation most hobby shops can “build” you a “set” to meet your wants be they for a local railroad, a certain era or type of equipment. My own personal interests in streetcars and rapid transit modeling led to me creating my own set at the local hobby shop. With the purchase of an inexpensive PCC streetcar, oval of track and power pack I was in the public transit business! Often manufactures will make available limited rum special equipment packages that catch our eye. With the addition of some track and a power supply they too make great starting points for a project.
The street car “set” was the starting point for the Empire City Transit project featured in this issue of the Train Set Gazette. This simple project layout is designed for the beginner with limited space since the foot print is four feet by six feet and features an introduction to modeling city scenes.
Our short feature, Searching for the Non-Standard takes a brief look at getting started in Narrow Gauge. This popular segment of model railroading continues to grow and with various new products it has never been easier to join in the fun.
— George Riley SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN MAGAZINE • 2011 TRAIN SET GAZETTE S5
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