Just as Thomas the Train lit up the fantasies of young children and filled the thoughts of those who were awed by those magnificent machines… toy trains offer an incredible addiction for many. Young children are dazzled by the talking trains on their televisions and don’t understand what makes trains so wonderful. However, as the children grow older, they begin to realize what it was that captured them as youth and stuck with them as adults: controlling a massive, powerful machine!
What is it that drives men to play with “toys”? It may be that they are mesmerized by the idea of taking over something so powerful, even if they are 1/87th life size. Maybe it’s the puzzle of how trains work: the electricity that flows through the lines to make everything work. Or it may be because the trains are very organized, they can only run on their own track. Or maybe it’s the memories of seeing the toy train circling the Christmas tree every year that make us want to relive the experience through our “toy” trains. Actually, the word toy is not very accurate when talking about model trains. These toys have been turned into unbelievably cool machines and are ready to be played with by the big boys!
Toy trains are usually the cheap plastic trains you find for sale during your Christmas shopping. They are of low quality and have a great price to expose children to the hobby of model trains. When boys grow up, they become men. When toy trains grow up, they are called locomotives. The locomotives are made to last a long time as they are of much higher quality compared to cheap plastic “department store” trains. The wheels of the locomotives are made to have a better contact with the train tracks to allow a good connection to the electricity and to make the train move easily.
These are things that make railway modelers smile! Also, the locomotives have much better and more powerful engines. A strong engine = better pulling power. A high-quality locomotive is also made of metal instead of plastic like cheaper toy trains. Train weight also has a significant effect on train performance. The heavier the train, the heavier it will make contact with the train track and therefore a better running train.
Also, if electricity wasn’t good enough, the wonderful manufacturers of the model train industry offer steam engines for the little boys inside the grown men. There is nothing better than enjoying trains with real steam filling your landscape.
Not many kids will grow up to take command of a real train. I’m sure real train conductors see the job they do as a job rather than a little boy’s lifelong dream. However, not all of us have to grow up to be train drivers to fulfill our dreams. We can dive into the great hobby that so many of us love: model trains!