What issues of the railway in miniature have been released. How to make a miniature railroad model

29.10.2023

Publishing house Eaglemoss offers new magazine series 'The Railway in Miniature'. Thanks to it, your home will have its own operating railway along with the corresponding infrastructure.

In addition to carriages, lamps, barriers, railway crossings and stations, every owner of the magazine will be able to find a lot of interesting things in it. The reader will be presented with fascinating stories related to this type of transport. The publication will tell you about brilliant designers, famous train stations around the world and the history of the railway.

With each issue you will receive another detail of the future track and accessible instructions, thanks to which you can easily build a real railway from the collected elements.

Release Schedule for “Railroad in Miniature”

No. 1 – Car, straight section of track – 08/19/2014
No. 2 – Street lamp, straight track section
No. 3 – Half the details of the house
No. 4 – Half of the house parts, electric lamp
No. 5 – Tree, track section

Frequency: weekly.

How many issues are there in the Miniature Railway collection?
120 episodes planned.

Collection “Railway in Miniature”

One of the most awaited series. Not only children, but also adults were waiting for her. At least in our family. This is a unique opportunity to spend more time with loved ones. Finally, a childhood dream began to slowly come true. Now I will have my own personal railway! It’s a pity that it’s a long wait until the “construction” is completely completed. But nothing, this is a pleasant wait.

Studying the first issue made me happy. The quality of the investment is excellent. Both the lantern and the section of the future road are made with high quality. The information presented in the first issue is really informative, but in my opinion, the magazine could have been made more meaningful. After all, there is still a long time before the series is completed and the buyer needs to be interested. If the next issues are as sparse in content, I'm afraid only the die-hards like me will buy the latest issues. Those who have dreamed of such a railway for a long time.

An artistic railway is the dream of almost every child. Just watch how children “stick” to exhibition stands and museum exhibits simulating a railroad. It is very interesting to see trains and carriages that are smaller copies of the real ones. The trains can be controlled, they stop at stations, sound signals, pass through tunnels and enter the depot. This is a very beautiful sight, but doing all this is not at all easy.

In order to assemble a road model, you need a lot of time, skills, materials and financial costs. A child cannot do this. But many adults are ready to spend time, effort and money on creating their own model railroad. This is very exciting activity, and the reward will be a layout that can be developed, improved, added rolling stock and landscape details.

The history of the appearance of layouts

The areas of modeling that fans of layouts are interested in are different:

Collecting rolling stock, rails, trailers.
Collecting full-fledged railway models.
Making miniature roads.
Making copies of real existing trains and compositions.
Creation of park models in the open air.

The first models appeared in Germany in the second half of the 19th century, and subsequently the scale in which they were produced was adopted as a basis by other manufacturers.

Layouts that copy shapes and sizes real trains, are very different from children's toy roads with trains. Almost a century has passed since modeling became an exciting activity for adults. This forced many companies to begin producing improved models of trains and rails, producing houses, switches, traffic lights and semaphores, and landscape details.

Miniature roads are available in digital and analogue versions. Managing an analog railway comes down to controlling the movement of trains. With digital control, the functions are significantly expanded. Using the remote control, you can turn on the lights in carriages and locomotives, sound signals, and move switches. This is very interesting process, but it’s no less interesting to create such layouts yourself.

How to make a layout yourself

You should start by collecting information. Many people are passionate about model building and share their experiences, give advice, and post photographs and videos on Internet pages showing the models they have assembled. You can purchase various structural elements and assemble them. First of all it's worth identify with I have space for a layout. This should be free space. A table measuring approximately two by one and a half meters may be suitable. There are ways to arrange a layout on a folding or retractable tabletop. Then you need to select the scale of the layout. There are five main scales:

HO, 16.5 mm gauge (1:87).
TT, 12 mm gauge (1:120).
N, 9 mm gauge (1:160).
Z, track 6.5 mm (1:220).
G (1:28 or 1:22.5) - garden or street scale.

Road scale is very common. It has dimensions that allow you to place the layout in the house, and consists of fairly large elements that are convenient to work and play with. It is also interesting to be able to use smoke generator, a sound decoder, for reproducing noise during the movement of trains, and security systems.

For another common TT scale, many German companies produce models and accessories, for example, Tillig, Berliner T. T. Bahnen. Such models are also produced by other European companies Piko and Roco, and Russian manufacturers TT-model and Peresvet.

The choice of scale depends on the space allocated for the road. Z - the scale is too small and the layout will be difficult to assemble and work with. The most commonly used are TT and H0. When choosing a scale, you need to take into account minimum radius crooked. For scale rails (1:87) it is 380 mm. When passing large locomotives with five axles and long cars, this minimum radius must be increased by 1.5-2 times.

Based on this, you need to calculate the required space to accommodate the rail track. At a scale (1:87) it will be three by one and a half meters. You can select a smaller scale (1:120). The minimum radius will be 275 mm and a width of one meter will be enough.

You need to start building a layout by creating a diagram. At first it can be simple, one circle with the composition. New branches, arrows, semaphores, houses and other elements will be gradually added.

Making a children's railway

Having determined the dimensions and drawn a diagram, you can begin making the layout:

You need to start by making a sub-model of the selected size. This could be a countertop or just a sheet of thick plywood. Next, you should transfer the diagram to the sub-model, drawing the rail tracks, the installation locations of switches and semaphores, the location of the houses, depots and station buildings. The complex arrangement of paths is designed in a special application on a computer.
After drawing the diagram, you need to lay the rails. They are glued or nailed. Rails can be purchased or made yourself from copper wire. In this case, they need to be given a rectangular shape by rolling on a machine. Sleepers are also made on a machine. They look like thin bars.

An electrical circuit is required for rolling stock. The power supply can be homemade or purchased with a voltage of no more than 16 V. As an electric motor for a locomotive, you can use a motor taken from a toy or purchased in a store. The trains will be powered through the rails. You need to connect the leads from the power supply to them. Electrical wiring is supposed to be done using copper wires and connectors. It must take into account all the places where there will be traffic lights, semaphores, and lanterns.
In order for the rail tracks to have a realistic look, it is necessary to add ballast. To do this, you can use aquarium soils or special model gravel.
To give the model a finished look, you need to think through and create the landscape, make mountains, tunnels, build roads, put up houses and figures of people. You can buy soil powder for grass, trees, or make a mountain and a tunnel using polyurethane foam and paint it with acrylic paint. Papier-mâché, paper, wood, plaster, cardboard and other materials can be used well.
Very interesting models of trains and carriages can be made from paper. To do this, you need to download the diagrams from the Internet and print them. They need to be folded along the fold lines and glued. This is an easy way to fill your layout with new interesting models.

DIY modeling is a fun activity and a continuous creative process. It takes a lot of imagination and skillful hands to bring your plans to life. It will be doubly interesting to make a layout together with your child. This is a good reason to instill in him manual skills and show how interesting the process of designing and making models can be. Joint creativity brings people together and enriches them.

Attention, TODAY only!

Imagine, This toy is still alive:

Passenger electric locomotive of the ChS7 series built by the Skoda plant.
In the background is a mainline electric locomotive of the VL-1 series. The author of the models is V. Nikishin.

Passenger electric locomotive of the ChS4t series built by the Skoda plant.
Mainline passenger electric locomotive ChS2. The author of the models is V. Nikishin.

And a few more thumbnails:

Railway model making is a type of hobby in which we can distinguish: collecting toy or scale railway models and their accessories (stations, railway tracks, semaphores, etc.); miniature recreation of historical stations, railway lines, etc.; creation of models of locomotives and carriages; garden and park models of large-scale railways, including those used for entertainment and recreation purposes for transporting passengers on trains controlled directly by locomotives.

Landscape with a model railway, exhibited at the Wuppertal train station (Germany). Photo from Wikipedia, by Thomas Hermes

In the Zurich Museum. Photo from Wikipedia, by Flominator ( talk)

Photo by Micha L. Rieser

The first toy railways appeared in the second half of the 19th century. They began to be produced in industrial quantities since 1891 by the German company Märklin (including their railway was supplied even to the Romanov imperial family in the Winter Palace!), which over time established most of the large-scale standards for railway models. In 1897, the American company Carlisle & Finch produced the first electric railway.

Until the 1950s, there was no particular difference between toy railroads and replica miniature models: the latter were considered the same as toys. However, by the end of the 1950s, interest in the railroad as a toy began to decline, causing a crisis throughout the industry. It was at this time that model railroading began to emerge as a serious hobby, reaching its peak by the mid-1970s. Manufacturers began to pay attention to the details of cars, locomotives, and related accessories (buildings, road paraphernalia).By the early 19th century, many of the leading model railroad companies had declined and gone bankrupt; At the same time, the industry includes many small firms specializing in certain models or accessories.

Today there are a lot of companies producing railway models.

The largest toy train "Miniatur Wunderland" in Hamburg

Miniature Wonderland is a unique place in the world where you can see several European countries in miniature in one room. The history of its creation is as follows. Twin brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun started this project in 2000. On 1,150 square meters, they simulated railway routes passing through Germany, America, Scandinavia and the Swiss Alps. On toy rails there are 700 trains, 10 thousand cars, 900 semaphores, 2800 buildings and more than 250,000 people on the streets, stadiums and parks. Moreover, the designers say, just like in the real world, there is not one similar to the other. 500,000 light bulbs in houses, street lamps and traffic lights. It took 500 thousand hours of work, 700 kilograms of artificial grass and 4 thousand kilograms of steel to create the landscapes. The toy cost the creators 10 million euros, or $16 million, but they are not going to stop there and by 2014 they plan to double the layout, adding models of the landscapes of France, Italy and Great Britain. Its area will then be 1800 square meters. The project currently serves 160 people. "Miniatur Wunderland" is created on a scale of 1:87.

Miniature railway- This is a tiny copy of the real thing, so it is distinguished by the utmost verisimilitude. The set includes a radial canvas, a train of a locomotive and cars of a classic design. Made of lightweight plastic in natural colors. Designed for children from 3 years old, there are models for toddlers. The toys are wind-up and run on batteries.

Equipment. The set includes rails from which a closed ring of the railway, a locomotive, wagons, and a set of batteries are assembled. The train parts and tracks are made of lightweight modern plastic and do not create unnecessary stress on the child.
Age. Play sets are designed for children over 3 years old. Complex models, supplemented with special effects, may be of interest to younger students. Some of the simplest options without small parts are intended for a nursery group.
Design. The miniature railway has a realistic design and gives the best idea of how modern trains look and operate. All parts are painted in traditional transport colors and are marked in the form of inscriptions and signs.
How to play. A model railroad is a multifunctional toy that allows you to use different aspects of a child’s personality. When assembling rails, he learns to design, find matches, set a goal and act to achieve it. During the game, the child controls the car and tries out various professional roles.
Price. In terms of cost, miniature railways can be classified at the very bottom of the average price category. Many parents are able to buy such a toy for their child, providing him with employment and a sea of positive emotions. To save on your purchase without losing quality, choose the appropriate model in the online store.

Hello readers! My son received a gift from his grandmother on September 1st. The gift turned out to be a collector's edition "Railway in Miniature".

Manufacturer: Eaglemoss collections.

Age: 12+

The set included: 2 magazines, several advertising brochures, a model train carriage, and a fragment of railway rails.

The first magazine is entirely dedicated to the collection.

Information from the manufacturer's website:

“Step-by-step assembly instructions in each issue of the magazine detail how to assemble and decorate all the pieces in the Miniature Railroad collection.”

The second magazine is more informative. After reading, I learned a lot about myself. Beautiful illustrations, interesting articles (about the P8 series locomotive of type 2-3-0, about the Yaroslavl railway station).

“In March 1883, Europe’s long-standing great railway dream was realized - the Orient Express, the first high-speed passenger train of the interstate European level.”

The train car looks like a real one. Inside the seat. Doors and windows do not open. The model is made of plastic, but there are metal elements.

I would like to note that a school-age child cannot assemble this railway model on his own. Help from dad (or another adult) is needed. You need to have tools (drill, screwdrivers, etc.). Some parts need to be purchased additionally. For example, the base itself, where the railway track and everything else will be attached (you need to prepare plywood or a wooden board measuring 105 x 174 cm)