Toy Model Trains

Beginning with Thomas the Train, small boys have long been enthralled with the sheer power and grace of these wonderful machines. For some this fascination veers close to being an addiction.  Whilst young boys cannot quite understand what makes them so awe inspiring, grown men can appreciate the power and the thrill of dictating the path of such a powerful beast.

How many times has the question been asked “why does a grown man play with a toy?”  Could it might be that we are entranced by the thought of controlling something so powerful and so awe inspiring. Or the perhaps it is the realism of the model trains, built with such care and attention to detail, that their dimensions are carefully designed to match the original.  The fact that it is 1:87 of the full size model does not reduce the thrill one iota.  The workings of a train are enigmatic; the electricity running through the lines, enabling it to glide smoothly alone the track.  Perhaps it is the excitement we felt as children as we watched the train whistling around the Christmas tree each year that drives us to want to recapture that joy through our “toy” trains.  But the word toy is no longer accurate when talking about model trains. Toy trains are not intended to replicate the originals and therefore the same attention to detail is not present as it is with the model train.  These toys have matured over the years into machines and are ready to play with the big boys.

toy model train

A good quality locomotive is generally made out of metal rather than the cheaper plastic from which the toy trains are made.  Of course, the heavier the train is, the cleaner the contact with the track, which means the train will run better. 

model train photography

Or if you prefer a more traditionaltrain, you have the option of adding a wonderful old steam engine to your collection.  There are few things more satisfying than watching these old trains chugging their way through rolling countryside and over rickety bridges, a trail of steam spiraling behind them.

model railroad photography

Very few of us get to actually drive a real train and if we did, perhaps it would become just a job rather than the dream it once was.  But, we do not have to become train drivers to fulfill our dreams.