Creating scale environments for toy and model trains is something that many collectors dedicate a lot of time to. Layouts may be purely make-believe settings, or they can be designed as scaled-down versions of real-world locations.
Some of the biggest brand names in toy trains and model railroading sell their own lines of layout accessories, and these items are also collectible in themselves.
One of the biggest reasons people create train layouts is that it’s not exactly possible for most of us to own and operate real-life trains! However, trains have long captured our imaginations.
Building small-scale worlds centered around toy trains and model railways presents a fun challenge for many different types of people—from those who enjoy the engineering aspects to those who love the artistry that goes into crafting scenery.
You will often hear toy and model train enthusiasts talk about rolling stock. The term “rolling stock” refers to all railway vehicles, both powered (such as locomotives) and unpowered (such as boxcars). Railfans will note that the term applies across the board when talking about trains—from full-size down to scale models and toys—anything that operates on a track.
In the world of layout building, rolling stock is just one aspect of creating an entire small-scale environment. Set pieces, electronics, scale buildings, and more are often just as important to layout builders as the trains themselves!
Visitors to the National Toy Train Museum will experience one of the world’s most extensive toy train collections. This includes a variety of meticulously maintained model train layouts, which we refresh every winter. Can’t visit us in person in Strasburg, PA? You can explore our layouts from the past and present right here on our website!
Take a journey through the past with important stops along the track of toy and model train layout history!
A model (garden) railway described by magazines of the day as “a real toy as well as a masterpiece of mechanical science” was built for Napoléon, Prince Imperial, the 3-year-old son of emperor Napoleon III, in the private park of the Château de Saint-Cloud in France. A contemporary photo of this railway is also thought to be the first-ever of a model train and constructed layout.
German toymaker Märklin began selling its first wind-up train with carriages and a standardized track. This innovation is often credited as the earliest train layout, as it was not long before Märklin started offering buildings, rolling stock, and other accessories to help make toy trains more life-like.
The marvel of electricity comes to the train set when Carlisle and Finch develop electric-powered trains running on a metal track. This innovation opens the door to creating all types of layouts with circuitry, though electricity in private homes is still relatively rare. Enthusiasts begin setting up layouts in public spaces.
American toy train manufacturer Lionel made its first electric train for use in store display windows.
What is now often cited as the world’s oldest world’s working model railway, a model designed to train signalmen on the real-life Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, was built. It remained in use for training purposes until 1995 and is now in the National Railway Museum in York, England.
Most children and households in America owned some type of toy train set, often setting these up around Christmas trees during the year-end holiday season. During this time, the modern emphasis on realism in model railroading started to catch on, creating a more significant difference between toy trains marketed to kids and teens and the model railroading hobby geared more toward adults.
The founding action of the Train Collectors Association (TCA) occurred in Yardley, PA. Learn more.
Most model train layouts become digitally controlled—including by smartphones. For example, the command system offered by the majority of model train manufacturers in 2020 was a variant of Digital Command Control (DCC).
Looking for examples of vintage train layouts to further your research? Visit our Vintage Train Layouts page and search our database!
Do you know all the differences between model trains and toy trains? Here at the Train Collectors Association, we support and celebrate both toy train collectors and model railroaders from all walks of life, and you can explore more right here on our website.
Toy trains (including model trains) come in different sizes, reflecting different rail gauges—the distance between the main rails on the track—and scales. We have information for you about some of the most popular toy and model train gauges.
TCA has adopted standards to help guide toy and model train collectors and encourage common terminology usage when describing things like item categories and conditions. Visit our Grading Standards section of the website for more information.
If you are not yet a member of the Train Collectors Association, you’re missing out. TCA Members receive a long list of tangible benefits that put them on the toy train collectors’ inside track! These include free admission to the National Toy Train Museum in Strasburg, PA, as well as access to special collections of material in the National Toy Train Library, among other great perks and benefits our TCA members enjoy.
Ready to get involved and join our excellent organization with thousands of other model and toy train enthusiasts around the world?
TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!
The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.
The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.
The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.
You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:
Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.
There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!
This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.
* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.
In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.
How to do it:
Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):
This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!
The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!
An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!
* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.