A Train De-railed in My Basement.

I purchased a subscription to this magazine as a Christmas present for my husband. He loves to collect model trains and has always wanted to set up, his own model railroad layout. I thought this magazine would give him some good ideas on how to go about setting it up. Well, it gave him plenty of ideas, and now I have lost most of my basement to the Pennsylvania Railroad.


The magazine covers most of the popular scales that model trains are produced in, but seems to have more articles and information on HO scale trains, and N scale. Each month the magazine has special feature articles. Anything from the history of a real railroad, all the way down to detailed diagrams in wiring and track designs for your model railroad. The magazine also contains beautiful color photos of real trains and model layouts. With some of the detail on these model layouts it’s hard to tell without reading which photos are of the real trains and which are of the models.


Model railroading can become a costly hobby, so we especially appreciate the articles that show you how to create your own scenery using things from around your home. They have offered lots of ideas on how to build bridges, trees, buildings and mountains for our layout. I’m very impressed with their simple and easy to follow instructions for these projects. One of my favorite articles was on making life like ponds and streams. They take you step by step through the process, give you a materials list of things you will need, helpful hints, and many useful photos and drawings for the trickier steps.


Other Articles show how to repair damage that your trains may have suffered, either from an accident or just normal wear and tear. They also show you how to repaint your trains, or modify them to look more realistic…showing you techniques in weathering and aging, and how to add just the right amount of rust or dirt marks to give your trains that life like quality.


Among all these useful articles you will also find information on model railroading clubs that meet all around the country. They give you show dates for train and hobby shows, and also have a list of Toy and Hobby stores that carry model trains. A lot of these places also have web sites listed so my husband spends time online checking out items they have for sale, and placing orders.


If you would like to check out a copy of Railroad Model Craftsman your local hobby shop would be the best place to look. A single issue runs around $3.95. A one year subscription to the magazine is around $29.95. Once you subscribe they do send you a yearly renewal notice, and sometimes offer a discount for renewing early.


I would recommend this magazine for either an older teen interested in model trains, or someone like my husband an adult who still loves to play with toys. I’m guilty of it also. My husband recruited me into his model train world, and now I enjoy painting and building scenery for his N scale layout of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Our daughter helps out too, so we have turned my husband’s hobby into a fun and creative hobby for the whole family.