Trains and model railroads hold a particular fascination for young and old alike.  Whether you played with model trains as a youth or your family holiday decorations include a scenic train circling the Christmas tree, there is no doubt that model railroading can be more than just a fun pastime.

Even though there are numerous books, magazines and websites dedicated to model-railroading, getting started with model trains can seem daunting.

Getting started – Decide what you like

Perhaps the best way to begin in the model railroad hobby is to start with an idea of what you like about trains.  Your vision of the hobby will change over time but for now consider what it is about trains that fascinates you.  Perhaps you like the idea of the train mechanics with switching tracks, linking trains in different combinations and having multiple trains running at the same time.  For others, the train is part of a bigger project where entire villages or historic scenes are recreated, complete with detailed tunnels, landscaping, buildings and people.  Other train enthusiasts enjoy cars that are replicas of historic trains.  If you consider trains from the perspective of your enjoyment, many later decisions will be easier to make.  Besides, picking the right train set from the beginning will help ensure that your new set doesn’t gather dust in a corner.

Visit a train show and research online

A great way to explore your growing interest in model railroading is to visit a model railroad show.  There are hundreds of shows around the US each year and it is likely that you can find a show in your area sometime in the next year.  At a show, you will see the masters at work running complex setups and showing off their best scenery and track layouts.  Visiting a show is fun and informative.  Many of the people who display at a show have been working with model railroads for years, and all were beginners once-upon-a-time.  The typical model railroad enthusiast at a train show is happy to share information with you.

To learn more about model railroad shows or railroading clubs in your area, a good place to begin is the National Model Railroad Association website.  The NMRA site provides a wealth of information including links to Regional US clubs and organizations, articles for beginners, and plenty of other resources for the railroad enthusiast.

Another site that often has listings of train shows is RailServe.com.  While RailServe provides information on railroads, traveling by rail and model-railroading, it has a nice page of events that includes a model railroad convention listing, list of railroad museums, online discussion groups and much more.

Another great resource (both online and in print) is Model Railroader Magazine.  At this site, you will find articles for beginners as well as for advanced engineers and a wealth of photos to inspire you.

Picking a beginners set

Whether you visit a show or explore online resources, try to remember not to overreach as a beginner.  Taking on a track layout or scenery project that is too advanced may be frustrating and derail your model-railroading hobby before it picks up steam.

A typical train “set” comes with a locomotive, three to five cars, enough track to make an oval and all the parts necessary to power the train.  Advanced kits may also include more sophisticated track pieces or even scenery.

At the center of your new train set purchase will be a decision about “scale”.  In short, model-railroading scales refer to the size of your model train compared to the original full sized item. The most popular model railroad scales are listed here from smallest to largest:

Z – 1/220 (where 1” of your model equals 220” of the real train)

N – 1/148 to 1/160

HO – 1/87

O – 1/48 (US), 1/43.5 (UK), 1/45 (Europe)

G-Gauge scale ranges approximately from 1/19 to 1/29, according to the size and gauge of the prototype.  G scale is often called Garden Scale as the size of the trains are ideal for scenic railroads installations in the yard or garden.

Typically beginners choose a train set in the O or HO scale.  While HO is the most popular scale for model railroading, O (which is twice the size of HO) is ideal for younger children as the parts are easier for small fingers to work with.

If you have seen a Christmas tree train or if you remember your Lionel^® set from your childhood, you are likely thinking of an O scale setup.  O scale kits come in a wide range of themes including holiday trains, Thomas the Tank Engine™ and more.

For older youth already committed to model trains, an HO setup might be interesting.  At ½ the size of O, an HO scale setup can fit a lot more sophistication into the same square footage as an O setup.

Other scales are commonly adopted by more experienced railroaders are Z and G.  As the smallest scale, Z appeals to those wishing for highly detailed layouts as well as those individuals that have limited space.  At the opposite end of the spectrum G scale needs a lot of room.  G scale trains are ideal for outdoor installations which are a specialty all their own.

Where to go from here

At eHobbies.com a wide range of railroad kits are available as well as parts and accessories for all the scales.  We carry trains by the leading manufacturers including Lionel^®, Bachmann^® and Atlas^®.  Also check out our specialty themed and beginner’s kits.

A final thought – You don’t have to go pro

If you are just beginning with model railroading or want to give a train set to a beginner, remember the main goal is to have fun!  Don’t try to get the most elaborate setup as your first kit.  Pick a popular scale that appeals to you.  Set it up, use it and think about how you would like to grow your layout.  Add individual cars or track pieces over time and create a wish list for growing your set.  After all, reading about and dreaming about trains can be a lot of fun!

If you are a parent of a young engineer, don’t forget that new cars or track pieces make great presents and can be a wonderful way to connect with your youth.

And for the youngest engineers, the wonderful wooden train sets by Brio^® are ideal. Assembly is easy for young children and they can provide endless hours of fun with no electronics.

Model railroading is a fantastic hobby and can be enjoyed by the whole family, among friends, or by an individual.

If you have specific questions about a railroad scales or kits, drop us a note.  Our model train specialist would love to answer your questions.

Knowing the difference makes all the difference

As a Cubmaster I’ve been involved in quite a number of official check-in’s of Pinewood Derby^® cars.  Occasionally someone will check in a car that is a mixture of parts from Pinewood Derby^® and PineCar^® Racers.  Since we, like most groups, follow a set of agreed upon rules, these cars are often non-compliant and need last minute modifications to qualify for the race.  Knowing a bit about the two leading brands of pinewood racers may help you avoid this potentially troublesome episode.

Derby Racer – Brand Terminology

It is hard to discuss derby cars without banging into some brand name confusion, so that is a great place to begin making distinctions.

Pinewood Derby^® is a registered trademark of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and while the name “pinewood derby” can be used to describe a particular event or a group of products, it is also applied to a specific configuration of pine racers with wheels and axles that are easily identifiable.

PineCar^® Racers are also a registered trademark; in this case by Woodland Scenics and are their own distinct brand with very real differences in their options.

When talking about both brands it is difficult to find a term that isn’t tied into one trademark or another, but “pinewood racers” and/or “derby racers” seem to be the most typical terms used.

Pinewood Derby^®

The pinewood derby was created by a Cubmaster named Don Murphy in 1952 as an alternative for his Cub Scout son to Soapbox Derby (the cars that youth sit in and race down hills).  Don submitted his design to the BSA in a publication titled “Pinewood Derby”.  Don’s design was subsequently published in Boy’s Life magazine in 1954 and the rest is pretty much history.

The basics of a Pinewood Derby^® kit include a block of wood, nails for axles and wheels.  The car’s design, weight and decoration are up to the maker.  The axles of a Pinewood Derby^® car are perhaps the most distinct thing that a newcomer notices.  Pinewood Derby^® uses special nails for the axles, NOT solid rods or wooden dowels.  Setting the nails square and true are one of the principal challenges to making a fast car which we will discuss in a future article.

PineCar^® Racers

The PineCar^® Racer has many similarities to a Pinewood Derby^® in that the core is a wooden block with axles and wheels.  The notable distinction with PineCar^® Racers is the solid rod axle and spoked wheels.  It should be noted that PineCar^® Racer sells alternate wheels and axle kits to make their blocks fully compliant with BSA race rules.

PineCar^® offers design kits that have plans and stickers for particular models of cars.  These fully packaged bundles are attractive to many people as they take the design mystery out of your build.

If you are using a PineCar^® Racer kit for your Pinewood Derby^® event, check with your race sponsors to see if the PineCar^® Racer wheels are allowed.  If you need BSA compliant wheels and axles, make sure you get the additional wheel/axle kit form your retailer.

Getting the Right Kit

Pinewood Derby^® kits are available from multiple sources and one great place is through eHobbies.com.  The Pinewood Derby^® kits available at eHobbies.com are manufactured by Revell^®, a world leader in modeling; and are officially licensed.  These kits, while not having the box packaging of their BSA cousins, are compliant in every way to the official BSA rules and are of the highest quality.

PineCar^® Racer kits are also available at eHobbies.com along with a wide selection of decorative decals, wheel and axle accessories and fully planned car model kits.

Tracks, Rules and other Key Elements

The most important thing when purchasing a car kit (or buying a spare or replacement kit) is having familiarity with your organization’s rules and practices.  I know many different groups who hold races including Cub Scout packs, Y-Tribes, Boy’s and Girls Clubs; even a middle school who offers Pinewood Derby^® as an elective.  Start your racer project by checking with your race officials.  Most groups have an “Official Set of Rules” that they follow.  These rules, if properly written, will detail weight limits, wheel and axle specifics, height and length limits.  They may also have important information about what you cannot add to your vehicle.  Common rule violators include loose weighted materials (BB’s etc.) and liquid lubricants.

Final Thoughts

If you are a youth making a car for your club, pack or school, or if you are a parent helping your son or daughter with their first car, I strongly encourage you to spend a brief bit of time researching what is and is not allowed for your local race.  I’ve seen dads switching out axles at weigh-in or trying to put compliant wheels on at the last minute, and it rarely works out well.  A little time now will help you when it counts.

Finally, it seems nothing is more consistently the source of heartbreak with young racers than getting the wrong kit at the last minute.  Our pack provides each boy with one Pinewood Derby^® kit however it is common for parents to buy spare kits or replace a kit entirely if there is an error in cutting.  From my experience, dropping into a local retail hobby shop for a new kit is both convenient and a real risk if you don’t know what to buy.  While these stores are often great for an emergency decal or can of primer, picking up a new car kit can be a real problem. I’ve spoken with many fathers who went to their local hobby store to get a derby kit, not knowing the brand differences and coming to check-in with a non-compliant car.  Typically the issues are with wheels or axles.  If you think you may want a spare car kit for “emergencies” I recommend you order one or two in advance to ensure you have the right components for your car.  This can avoid a real headache and save you lots of last minute stress.  Remember, a Derby is supposed to be FUN.  Refitting axles at the check-in can cast a shadow over a fun project.

And then there is Pine-Pro…..

Following the posting of this article, Charles of Pine-Pro pointed out that Pine-Pro makes a full line of pine car products which also meet BSA standards.  Pine-Pro brands their wheels with the Pine-Pro name but they are in every other respect, the same as the BSA wheels.  eHobbies also sells Pine-Pro products and they are worth considering.  As suggested earlier, always check your local race rules to determine if a given brand, wheel or axel is allowed by our race committee.   Thanks Charles for your addition.

New lesson plans make rocketry accessible.

Estes, a world leader in the model rocketry industry has released taken the next step in enriching classrooms by launching a new series of lesson plans designed to make the many aspects of rocketry accessible to students of all ages.

The lesson plans cover 5 academic areas:

• Language Arts
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Technology

Lesson plans are available for the following grade levels and are available in 1, 2 or 3 day lesson plan formats.  Grade ranges are:

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12

You can download the lesson plans at the eHobbies blog library.

Not just for teachers!

If you are a model rocket enthusiast, want to learn how to build a rocket or just wondered about flight height, engine power or the history of model rocketry, visit the library; you are sure to fine some interesting material.

At eHobbies we make learning fun.  Now, to help educators integrate our great product line into their classroom, we have launched a new area on our blog dedicated to teachers.

Our vision is to provide the best industry resources to teachers so they can enhance their classroom and enrich the educational process.  With products ranging from model rockets to interactive science kits, eHobbies is a great resource for educational products and now it will also be a hub for resources and community input.

Already we have launched a document library with lesson plans by Estes, a world leader in model rocketry.  In addition we have taken questions from our current clients and loaded a Frequently Asked Questions section just for teachers.

Visit the regularly and comment on posts to enrich the site and generate a conversation.

We look forward to your input.

At eHobbies, we are excited about our new blog and the possibilities if offers to hobbyist as well as teachers.  We are busy developing content for a wide range of products to help you enjoy your hobby.  Please be patient with us during this startup period.  Already several new articles are in the works and as our site grows your comments will add another dimension to the information.

We look forward to sharing our thoughts with your and hearing yours. Stay tuned!

In with the new… out with the old. Such is the case with radio control battery development. It seems like RC battery technology has gone through a lengthy dormant period, but those days are long gone. No more plugging in the homemade light bulb discharger to the NiCD’s, no more assembling sub-c cells with baking soda, or even charging NiMH batteries for that matter. You can say adios to the traditional rechargeable battery as we once knew it; and hello to the way of the future, lithium battery packs. In a thumbnail, lithium battery packs weigh half as much as their predecessors and deliver increased power levels through a higher discharge rate. Lithium battery packs are now available for all applications: Cars, Trucks, Airplanes, Helicopters, Boats & Robots! When coupled with a brushless motor and lithium compatible ESC, these lithium battery packs have made earth-shattering movements for the direction of RC technology. Of course all of these perks come with an expense, the fragile nature and required maintenance of these lithium battery packs.There are two main types of Lithium packs, Lithium-Ion and Lithium-Polymer batteries. Although both are relatively new, they have significant performance capabilities over the traditional sub-c packs. Lithium–Ion packs include Li-ion, LiFe & A123 cells. Although Lithium-Ion cells represent great strides in battery technology, yet they do not offer all of the performance gains of Lithium-Polymer (Lipo) battery packs. Lipo battery cells are very thin and long, resembling a rectangular shape. The Lipo battery cells are extremely lightweight, and stack very well; making them an ideal fit for small and light-weight applications. However, that is not all Lipo battery packs are useful for. With any application where increasing power and shaving weight is a pressing issue, a Lipo pack is the only way to go. With a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts per cell, it’s easy to see that you can get a higher-voltage battery with just a few small Lipo cells. Typically, Lipo batteries are stacked in 2-cell (2S), and 3-cell (3S) configurations. As with all types of batteries; the higher the individual cell count, the higher the voltage. In addition to the voltage variation, Lipo batteries all have a designated discharge rate from 5C-40C; which has increased significantly since lithium-polymer batteries were introduced.Unlike traditional NiMH and NiCD batteries, Lithium-polymer cells require a significant amount of precautions when charging. The most important and critical element is to never charge the Lipo with a non-Lipo battery charger. Many mistakes are forgiving, however charging a Lipo battery on a non-Lipo charger may result in an explosion, fire, and loss of personal property. Charging a Lipo battery must be handled with a Lipo charger that was designed specifically to handle the different charging characteristics of Lipo There are several Lipo battery chargers from Dynamite, Team Losi, Team Orion, Thunder Power, Triton, Venom as well as other manufacturers that will adequately charge a Lipo pack. eHobbies stocks all of the best Lipo chargers available, including those for the budget-minded enthusiasts. We recommend always following the manufacturers recommendations when in regards to the charge procedure, however you will never want to charge a Lipo battery above a 1C maximum rate. Other charging requirements for Lipo batteries include the location of the charge. Due to the chemical attributes of these cells; you will never want to charge a Lipo pack inside the vehicle/aircraft, near dangerous or explosive gases, or where proper ventilation is not available. To increase the ability to charge Lipo batteries safely, there are a few different methods to safely charge Lipo batteries. The first method involves a Pyrex dish and submerging the battery in sand during the charge process, which is not the most convenient. We recommend charging with a Lipo safety sack, which protects the battery internally if any issues were to occur during the charging process. If a fire were ever to occur, the Lipo charge sack is a fireproof bag designed to contain and stop a fire. eHobbies stocks a variety of Lipo charge bags in different sizes, depending on the size of the Lipo. We find that even the small Lipo charge bags fit most all standard size batteries that are not enclosed in a hard case.By taking a few precautionary measures, Lipo batteries are neither difficult to charge or maintain. The benefits of Lithium-polymer batteries far out-weigh the above concerns; it’s easy to see that global battery development has had a significant impact on everything from Hybrid car batteries to RC technology. If you have not made the switch yet, get with the times – you will be content that you did!

Featuring the best toy and hobby selection including all your favorite plastic model car kits, model rocketry, nitro gas RC car, RC trucks, model trains and more! eHobbies has amazing customer service and fast shipping.Come check us out today!  http://www.ehobbies.com/