In recent years there has been nothing short of an explosion in interest in model trains and railways. Some have said that this is due to baby-boomers who fondly remember their own model trainsets, now buying model train sets for their own children.

That is certainly true for me. I am a baby boomer myself and I recall spending many happy hours with my brother and father building complex model rail networks. I recall that our most extensive and elaborate system took over the whole of our dining room which became known as ‘the railway room’. We managed to remain in the railway room up until Christmas of that year when we had family guests coming for Christmas dinner and my mother insisted that the railway was dismantled and the dining room returned to its original use. I can recall my fathers disappointment at having to dismantly the track that we had spent many hours constructing and modifying.

In fact, reflecting on those days, I think it was doing things with my father that was more important to me than the model railway. My father never really showed any interest in my school work or playing football or and sports for that matter. But when it came to model trains and railways he would suddenly become animated and enthusiastic. The only way to get my father to put his newspaper down and leave his armchair was to suggest we turn on the model railway system.

Model trains can provide a fun and rewarding hobby for anybody, at any age. Model trains should not be confused with toy trains. Good quality model trains are scale models of the real thing that can provide a valuable learning aid, helping young and old to understand the development of rail transport.

It was way back in the 1850s that a German dolls-house accessory manufacture called Marklin introduced the first, boxed train-set. This was intended to broaden their market by appealing to boys. They also produced accessories for their train set including trackside buildings. The company are still in business today.

It was the American company Carlisle Finch who are reputed to have introduced electric trains in 1897, but the Lionel Corporation are responsible for developing electric model trains. Their first electric train was called the Electric Express and was never intended for public sale. Their original model was intended to be used as a storefront display.

Jump forward to today and you will find many fathers, like myself, who have fond memories of many hours shared with their fathers building and playing with model train sets. These days we go out and buy model train sets for our children but they are really a way for us to revisit the happy times we had as children.