National Railroad Museum Article

Model Railroad Structures

One of the most unique and enjoyable facets of model railroading is when you reach the exciting stage of having to assemble the various structures and buildings in the layout. This is where your creativity comes in and you can actually create something of your own. You can choose a complex railroad layout theme that may require some skill to assemble or a simple one that is far easier. The easiest model railroad structures are the ones that are based on pure fancy. You do not have to model the structure on any historical structure so it is left up to your imagination as to how the end product will look like. These designs and layouts are highly whimsical and include all kinds of details that do not represent any existing model in the real world. For example it could be a fantasy layout with a snow-filled or frozen landscape or maybe even a railway or train that passes through the Old American West.

Model railroad hobbyists who are serious and have had much experience in the concepts of miniature model railroads, particularly regarding gauge and scale size, may start wanting to embark upon an adventure that is a bit more adventurous. They may want to select something that is really elaborate such as recreating the ancient Industrial Chicago- with historically detailed model railroad structures. It could feature models of the Chicago Union Railroad and Galena or even the Home Insurance Building. For something even more extraordinary there is the Iron Horse Empire of James J. Hill.

These types of ambitious projects require a higher level of accuracy when making model railroad structures, and could prove to be too overwhelming for a amateur, novice hobbyist. Some of these complex models may just not be available at all and would have to be made privately. There are certain architectural styles that tended to dominate certain eras. In Chicago, during the early years of the 19th century, more than one architectural style was dominant. Some of the major architectural styles included the ‘Chicago School’, Tudor Revival and Dutch Colonial, which yielded the most influence on the railroad designs during its heydays.

In order to achieve any kind of obvious theme, even if it was non-historical, there would have to be some kind of authenticity and accuracy in the model railroad structures. Some of the more popular layouts, which are also easier to assemble, are models with railroad tracks passing through wild, barren landscapes such as an undeviating prairie or a meandering snow-filled mountainous track. There are appropriate model railroad structures for each scenario and you could purchase many concepts and designs pertaining to each different one.

Model railroad structures additionally include items that are extras and are not part of either the train units or the terrain. Which meant that other than the commonly found train station platform, station banks, station houses, saloons and the customs houses, sometimes, utility structures such as the Standing Tower would form an integral piece in the model railroad structure set. For mountainous layouts, electrical and telegraph posts were likely to form some of the appropriate parts of the model railroad structure.