The art of building a table-top model railway layout in the 21st century will be covered in this section of the website.
We will only be covering the original (now commonly referred to as analogue) method of powering the models using 12v DC, although some digital items such as DCC Concepts range of point motors will be mentioned as these can operate on DC as well as DCC layouts.
The best advice I can give for anyone who is new to the world of model railways and their construction, is to STOP and take a big breath before ploughing headlong into this new project. Like most hobbies or leisure pursuits these days, railway modelling does not come cheap, even if you decide to model in the readily available 4mm scale, 00-gauge that is most frequently stocked by high street model shops.
Whatever your age, if you are serious about building a model railway layout, whether portable or permanent, you first need to ascertain the maximum amount of space available. This could be a spare room at home, part of a utility area or even a garage. Unless you have had an easy accessible professionally converted attic, you can probably discount that straight away for a number of reasons including the temperature fluctuations that would be encountered. Ceiling height could also be an issue, especially if you are 6ft or over!
When you have identified the space for your new model railway layout, PAUSE and do some research to see if there is a local model railway club that you could visit and maybe join. Your local library might keep a list of local societies and clubs, but another place to check is the Chiltern Model Railway Association website, as many model railway organisations are Associate Members of the CMRA ~ and it covers the whole UK not just the Chilterns area of Buckinghamshire.
When you find a club near you, make contact and have a chat on the phone before going to their club rooms on one of their regular meeting nights. That way, you will have someone already there who knows what you are planning, and will be able to give you a warm welcome and introduce you to the other members.