The world has been on fire for over a year now. Like many others, I have spent a lot of time at home, had many trips canceled, and endured a lot of disruption to everyday life and plans. In that time to soothe my anxiety, I have learned many new things such as baking the best banana bread in the world and a Rasputin karaoke performance that should win me some kind of medal. However, my latest fixation is not banana bread or Monster Hunter Rise – its model trains.
Model Trains = Fishtanks but cooler
Having a model train set and a miniature railroad is so soothing – kind of like why people have fish tanks but cooler! My love for regular-sized trains is a big reason why I visited Japan all those years ago, heck I fell in love with the first train I set foot on after landing. With all this time on my hands, I fell down a Youtube rabbit hole watching dozens of hours of videos about models, building dioramas, and eventual model trains and railroads. I have been hooked since and started thinking… why can’t I have my own fish tank model train set?
hooked up the diorama to the model train line and it works! pic.twitter.com/ipbJYrM7ks
β Kirk ποΈ (@Jamaipanese) May 14, 2021
I bought the wrong thing
I had my eyes on my first model train set, an N scale (or N gauge) set by Kato. I knew I didn’t want something too big and complicated, but I didn’t want a plain boring oval. I found a small enough figure 8 design that I really just planned to poke around with on my bedroom floor when I am bored and store it away when not in use. However, like the typical noob, I failed to follow instructions and bought the wrong pieces for my railroad. My mistake turned out to be an inadvertent stroke of genius as I managed to scrounge together a different layout that looked more like a race track but it wasn’t a boring oval. The best part? It could fit on the bookcase where my TV is or on my seldom-used kotatsu! The worst part? The model of my favorite train – the Narita Express, wasn’t compatible with such a small layout so back to the drawing board.
Model train plans and three configurations
I went on bought the right things this time and with all the extra pieces of track I had not 1, not 2, but three configurations. The first one is the racecar-looking setup I won’t be able to use until I get a compatible train. The second one is that figure eight I had my eye on that I can build out when in the mood on my bedroom floor. The third layout and the one I will be using the most is an oval but with an interesting slope using the mini diorama kit I built a while back. This configuration is perfect for my rarely used kotatsu table and in the future could fit on a coffee table as well and my Narita express runs with no problem!
Excited to experiment in the future with model trains
I want to learn how to build better dioramas, what if I combine my love of Gundam/Gunpla and build a sick train layout? I am so excited to explore my new addiction, stay tuned, there is more to come as long as my wallet cooperates. Got any N scale model train tips? Tweet me @Jamaipanese or leave them in a comment below.
