Children's railways - all about them. All about children's railways

The railway for children is one of the most interesting and popular educational games. The children's railway will bring joy and pleasure from the game not only to kids, but also to adults. This is an exciting family constructor, in the collection and in the game with which there is something to do for mom and dad.

How useful is this educational toy?

A toy railroad is a great gift for a child. Your child will be very interested in laying railroad tracks, installing arrows and intersections, railroad crossings, stations, train stations, cargo terminals, bridges, trees and other infrastructure and sending trains on a journey through an apartment or a country house.

The railroad is a versatile and durable toy that suits both boys and girls. When choosing a toy railroad, you need to take into account many parameters, such as the age of the child, and the temperament of the baby, and the cost of the railroad, and the materials of manufacture, the brand, the control method, the possibilities for expansion so that the toy is interesting for as long as possible.

Typically, a standard children's railway set consists of a rail track, sometimes including arrows that can change the route of the train, and a train with trailers of various shapes and purposes. Collecting such a toy is not difficult. Also, railway sets sometimes include additional accessories: stations, tunnels, trees, barriers and other buildings. A remote control may also be included.

Child's age

One of the first questions to ask yourself before buying a railroad is who will play: the kids or the parents? And you need to answer it honestly. And if you understand that yes, dad will play - you can safely buy radio-controlled trains, collectible models of cars and multi-level interchanges: dad will cope with them. Quite a lot of adults are interested in modeling and railways are a great hobby. But if you are sure that you are purchasing a railway for a child, then pay attention to what age the selected set is designed for.

Psychologists say that a child under 4 years old needs simple models, without great detail and radio control. The child first dismantles what the parents built, then begins to roll the locomotives on the rails (they like to roll the locomotives on their own), then they begin to transport goods and little men, and only then they begin to build the road. Almost all children's railways for kids will cope well with a similar task.

For kids 2-5 years old, you need to pick up simple model made of plastic or wood with large parts, without complex components and mechanisms. The railroad for babies should not contain small parts (which the baby can swallow) or protruding sharp elements (which the child can get hurt on). For kids, the excessive plausibility of a steam locomotive and wagons is not required. No smoke or remote control required. On the contrary, we need simple and understandable forms, colorful colors. At the first stage, a steam locomotive with two or three wagons and one rail ring or figure eight will be quite enough. For young children, railways are suitable: Brio, IKEA, WOODY, Chuggington Wooden Railway, Chuggington StackTrack (Die-Cast), Thomas & Friends.

For children aged 5-12, it will be more interesting to model a railway with different switches, control panels, switch points, crossings, interchanges, stations, railway stations, trees, towers, sounds, light signaling, etc. Thanks to the switches and different mechanisms, the child will develop thinking and logic. It is better for children of this age to buy a train with batteries or accumulators. The more options you have to change the settings of the game, the longer your child will be interested in the railway. An excellent choice would be a railroad constructor from LEGO. In addition to it, hundreds of other sets are sold, from which you can build an entire city. If parents understand that they will not play trains, but their smart child, then when choosing a model, it is also worth considering the opinion of the future owner. Suitable railways:, Tomica, Arrow.

For kids over 12, teens and adults, choose the most realistic railroad you can find. Detailed believable model railways with a metal canvas on a digital or analog control with a lot of additional parts and elements will do. More interesting will be a toy in which there are such functions as light, sound, sometimes steam. Very popular models of modern and old railways, which are a reduced copy of the originals, in fact, these are real masterpieces. Such toys repeat every detail of the reproduced object. In addition to the railroad sets, expansion kits are sold to furnish an entire city: houses, landscapes, stations, trees, drawbridges, airports, railway signs, animal figures, etc. Good model railways are produced by PIKO, Fleischmann, Roco, Märklin, TRIX, Mehano, etc.

The cost and quality of the railway

The price of a toy railway depends on the quality of workmanship, detailing and detailing, brand popularity, scale, the material of which the road and rolling stock are made, the availability of electronics and remote control, as well as the size of the set and the number of items in the box.

For example, in good large collection sets famous brands there is a digital remote control, rails are made of metal, diesel locomotives and wagons are worked out in detail and are miniature copies of their real prototypes. It is clear that such railways are more expensive than plastic and wooden analogues without detailing and radio control.

On the other hand, we do not recommend buying the cheapest Chinese low-grade toys. Not only will their poor quality disappoint you and your child, but there is also the possibility that such a low-quality cheap railway will not last more than a few days. And you won’t have to console an upset child because of a breakdown and spend money on a re-purchase if you bought a solid toy from the very beginning (comparing price and quality) from a trusted manufacturer. Good railways always have high-quality packaging, with colorful pictures and good printing.

Production material

Children's railways are made from various materials: plastic, metal, wood. Wooden ones are used for kids 2-5 years old. Plastic railroads are versatile and commercially available for ages 2-12. Metal railroads look the most realistic, and they cost more. Such sets are usually produced for older children from 9 years old. It is important to pay attention not only to the material of manufacture, but also to the quality of the materials used and assembly.

Control method

Wooden and plastic railroads for toddlers 1-3 years old do not contain electronics and are designed for hand rolling. For toddlers 2-6 years old, battery-powered sets usually use simple controls. For example, the plastic one is easily controlled by one button located on the roof of the steam locomotive (this is the most successful and simple control for a battery-powered train). And the Chuggington or Thomas railway, depending on the set, uses both button control on the locomotive and control using switches and levers on the track, and Chuggington locomotives with remote control are also sold.

Railway sets for children over 6 years of age usually have a remote control. For example, a battery-operated plastic one for children aged 6-12 is controlled using an infrared 4-channel remote control. Moreover, up to 8 toy trains can be controlled from this remote control, lighting is also controlled from the remote control. For model railways for older children, teenagers, and adults, digital and analog remote control is commonly used. With the analog control method, metal rails are used to transmit the signal.

Expandability

All good children's railroads have additional expansion kits. To begin with, a starter kit is usually bought, and then additional rails, stations, barriers, arrows, additional rolling stock, vehicles, tunnels, bridges, and accessories are purchased. When choosing a starter kit, it is important to clarify the expansion options. Many options for developing track facilities or surrounding infrastructure are available for Lego Duplo, Lego City, Brio, IKEA, WOODY, Chuggington Wooden Railway, Chuggington StackTrack (Die-Cast), Thomas & Friends, PowerTrains, Tomica, PIKO, Fleischmann, Roco, Mehano .

Scale

There are several standard sizes defined for detailed railroad models with a metal track. The most common of them (in ascending order): Z (1:220 - track width 6.5 mm), N (1:160 - track width 9 mm), TT (1:120 - track width 12 mm), H0 (1 :87 - track width 16.5 mm), S (1:64 - track width 22.5 mm), O (1:45 - track width 32 mm), G (1:24 - track width 45 mm). The "Z", "N" and "TT" standard are popular among adult rail model fans. The "G" standard has become widespread for building under open sky(garden railroads).

Theme and era

This criterion may be important if you are purchasing a toy for older children, teenagers, or adults. Among the sets of railways, which can be found in stores, there are various historical eras, countries and themes. For example, for fans of domestic railways, sets with modern Russian Railways rolling stock or USSR trains are sold. Also on sale you can find, for example, steam locomotives depicting the era of the Wild West or European railways during the First World War. If desired, you can purchase railway sets of different themes and purposes: freight, repair, fire, postal, military, oil, passenger trains, high-speed trains, electric trains, metro trains, monorail trains, etc.

Manufacturers of wooden railways for children 2-5 years old

Brio (Sweden)
IKEA (Sweden)
Woody(Czech Republic)
PlanToys (Thailand)
Biltema (Finland)
Bino (Germany)
Eichhorn (Germany)
ELC (UK)
ROYS (China)

Manufacturers of plastic railways for children aged 2-12

Lego (Denmark)
Tomy (USA)
Fisher Price
Little Tikes
Jakks Pacific
Joy Toy

Manufacturersrolling stock models for children from 10 years old

PIKO Spielwaren GmbH (Germany)
Roco Modelleisenbahn GmbH (Austria)
Gebr. Fleischmann GmbH (Germany)
Gebr. Marklin & Cie. GmbH (Germany)
Tillig Modellbahnen GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Brawa Artur Braun Modellspielwarenfabrik GmbH (Germany)
TRIX Modelleisenbahn GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Liliput (Germany)
Bachmann Industries (USA)
Hornby Railways (England)
Lima S.p.A (Lima Models) (Italy)
Rivarossi (Italy)
Arnlod (Germany)
Elektrotren (Spain)
Mehano (Slovenia)
Jago-Modellbau (Germany)
Kuehn (Germany)
L.S. Models (Belgium)
Graham Farish (England)
Kato (Sekisui Kinzoku Co., Ltd.) (Japan)
LGB (Lehmann-Gross-Bahn) (Brazil)
Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc. (USA)
ACME (Italy)
wm. K. Walthers, Inc. (USA)
Ibertren Modelismo, S.L. (Spain)
Dapol (England)
Athearn (USA)
M.T.H. Electric Trains (USA)
BEMO Modelleisenbahnen (Germany)
Os Kar. International (Italy)
Broadway Limited Imports, LL (USA)
Rocuhan (Toytec Corporation) (Japan)

Manufacturers of premium models for children from 10 years old

Lemaco (Lematec Prestige Models SA) (Switzerland)
M1 Modellbau (Germany)
Bavaria (Germany)
Micro-Metakit GmbH (Germany)
Flugurex (Switzerland)
Weinert-Modellbau (Germany)

Manufacturers of model accessories for children from 10 years old

Faller-GERB. FALLER GmbH (Germany)
Auhagen (Germany)
Peco (England)
Noch GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Woodland Scenics (USA)
Busch GmbH & Co (Germany)
Vollmer GmbH & Co KG (Germany)
Viessmann Modellspielwaren GmbH (Germany)
Heki Kittler GmbH (Germany)
Heljan (Denmark)
Kibri (Germany)
Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH (Germany)
ESU electronic solutions ulm GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Preiser (Germany)
Zimo (Austria)
Kadee Quality Products Co (USA)
Uhlenbrock (Germany)
Lenz Elektronik GmbH (Germany)

Manufacturers of domestic models for children from 10 years old

TT-Model (Russia-Germany)
Eurotrain (Russia)
Onega (Latvia)
Model Hobby-Orenburg (Russia)
Bergs (Latvia)
Russian Costum Train (RCT)
Modelldepo (Russia)
Peresvet (Russia)
Norkin-model (Russia)
miniaturmodelle
Phoenix (Latvia)
Model (Latvia)
ModellHouse (Russia)

Do you still have doubts?

Do not doubt the benefits of such a purchase. Having received a model of the railway as a gift, your child will be provided with a calm and interesting activity. Playing the railroad is a very exciting activity for children. This game performs an important cognitive and developmental function. Laying railway tracks and launching trains along the routes, your child develops figurative and spatial thinking, logic, coordination of movements and fine motor skills hands The whole family can play the railway, where everyone will have their own roles: the head of the railway, the train driver, the passenger, the railway worker, the cashier, etc. By inventing various game scenarios, children develop their imagination, have fun and spend time usefully.

In the end, which railroad to choose?

Our dear readers and customers, whatever you decide, in any case, the choice is yours. For ourselves, after looking at all the options and weighing all the pros and cons, we made this choice in favor of the LEGO railways. For our two children (one and three years old) we bought sets

For some time I have been analyzing all the children's railways for the age of about 2-10 years. I just collected a huge amount of information on almost all children's railways, which are only possible to buy at this time in Russia or on the Internet. I have collected all the material in a single article-review, which I present to your attention. Read, choose exactly what suits your child. I hope this material will be useful to many parents!
If you have any questions about the roads - do not hesitate to ask them! And be sure to write reviews about your roads - it will be interesting to read :))

Children's railways - all about them.

Children's Railways has been one of the most requested children's games for many years now. There are a fairly large number of railway models on the market, and it is often difficult for parents to choose the right one. We hope this review will help you navigate this diversity and choose exactly the path that the best way suitable for a child.

When choosing a route, you should pay attention to the following points:
- the quality of the roads - whether the rails are easily joined to each other, is it possible to build complex schemes, do the trains fall, the quality of the rails themselves, trains, additional buildings;
- the possibility of "growth" of the road - having bought one set of any company once, after some time you will definitely want to expand the capabilities of the canvas itself, make it more interesting and as close as possible to real life, it is possible - to acquire new trains.
- safety of using the road - the absence of small elements for kids, the strength of fastenings of small parts on trains, etc.

It is also worth noting that parents often try to choose the road with self-propelled trains, but this is not very important for the children themselves, especially at a young age. From about 2 to 4 years old, children want to ride trains THEM, they are not satisfied that the train rides on its own, this is due to the psychology of children at this age. They like to carry the trains themselves, to move them with their own hands, so sometimes children even fight because they cannot drive the train themselves - there are roads where the train cannot move with the engine turned off. Therefore, the presence of self-propelled trains on the road is an important condition, but not mandatory for young children. But when the child has already grown up, it becomes interesting for him to observe the movement of the train, somehow control this movement with the help of the remote control, here the presence of self-propelled trains is important. But this should not exclude the possibility of moving the train yourself, because children still play longer if their game is not limited by any technical “bells and whistles”.

The author of this review had the opportunity to "play" live in all of the following railways, thereby truly evaluating their quality and professional suitability.

- Lego (Denmark)
- Wooden railways
- Do City (Fenbo, Hong Kong)
- TOMY (Japan)
- Chugginton (USA)
- Blue Arrow, Continental Express, Fairy Tale Journey, etc. (China)
- Krokha (Bauer, Russia)
- Tolo Toys (Hong Kong), Wader (Germany), Little Tikes (USA), Simba (Germany), etc.
- Railways of the plant "Ogonyok" (Russia)

Lego (Denmark)

Lego has two types of roads -LegoDuploandLegocity.

Road lego duplo- for babies from 2 years old. The rails are large, the track is wide, the joining of the rails is very simple and strong, even a 2-year-old kid can do it. The roads of this company are of very high quality, the running train does not get stuck anywhere. At the same time, it is possible to simply roll the train by hand. Trains can be completely dismantled to the base-platform and assemble something of your own on this platform with wheels. In addition to the road itself, the sets include a belt loader, a crane, a gas station, and little men. The pieces fit in with all other Lego Duplo bricks, so it's easy to fantasize about roadside city life. The manufacturer positions it as a toy for children up to about 6 years old. After 6 years in Lego there is already another railroad - City. The rails on the City road do not join the Duplo rails. This is a completely different road, with its own buildings, trains, etc. City already has a lot of small details that are unacceptable for kids. Of course, on the City road there are much more opportunities to build some of your own buildings, but this is all from the age of 6, you need to pay attention to the age limit. But everything is relative, children at the age of 4 can also play the City road, but they are unlikely to be able to join the rails themselves.

Lego city, Brick, Sluban, BanBao(here we also include the roads of Lego analogues, their rails or trains are joined to the Lego rails). In this segment of roads, you need to know the features of these analog companies. Due to the high cost of Lego, it is possible to make a road out of Brick rails. They fit perfectly with Lego, except that the color is different - Brick has brown, and Lego has gray. But, nevertheless, for a variety of roadways, rails can be safely bought from both Lego and Brick. The rails are fastened to each other tightly and tightly, a 4-year-old child cannot join them or will join them with difficulty, therefore the manufacturer writes the recommended age - 6 years. But that doesn't stop a 4-year-old kid from just rolling trains on rails, playing around with different situations.

Self-propelled trains Brick No, there are only different special cars. The Lego City train is controlled by a special remote control and has 7 speeds. The value of Lego trains is that any train can be disassembled to the very foundation, all buildings are also disassembled and assembled at the request of the child, there are places for little men in the trains.

Constructor Slubanthe rails don't fit the Lego City rails, but the trains themselves can be rolled - the Lego City gauge fits them. This designer has interesting trains, with good detail. But their rails have a very unfortunate type of docking, which is the cause of frequent breakdowns of the docking site itself. However, the trains and additional buildings are worth a look.

Constructor BanBao also fits with Lego City according to some sources, but it is poorly studied by the author, if someone has information about it, please share it in the comments to the article, we will be glad to receive useful information!

Summarizing, we can say - of course, original roads Lego Duplo and City are quality, well made and have high playability, but they have one, but nevertheless a significant drawback - especially for Duplo roads - in Russia, VERY few additional elements are sold to basic sets. There are no bridges, separate rails or forks in Duplo roads in Russia at all - you will have to look for everything on the foreign expanses of the Internet. Well, another minus that still has to be mentioned is their expensive price, a good set with trains, arrows and other buildings will cost more than 10 thousand rubles.

wooden railroads

This type of roads was approved by the psychological and pedagogical examination of the Moscow City Psychological and Pedagogical University in 2010. One of the most diverse and multi-plot roads. The most valuable and important thing about them is that it is produced not by one manufacturer, but by many - and they all fit together. We list the main manufacturers of wooden railways:

Brio (Sweden)

Ikea (Sweden)

Woody (Czech Republic)

PlanToys (Thailand)

Biltema (Finland)

Bino (Germany)

Eichhorn (Germany)

ELC (Early Learning Center - Center early development, Great Britain)

Learning curve (a division of Tomy in America)

The recommended age to play these roads is from 2 to 10 years old. Even at the age of one and a half, a child can already assemble a small road himself, which is not unimportant - in most other roads, parents do it for him, and the child can only roll trains or watch their movement. This is a very big plus, the child himself imagines what he wants to see his way today.

All wooden elements of these roads are absolutely safe for the child (there are no sharp chips, splinters, notches). Brio roads are of the highest quality, but their price is correspondingly higher. According to history, the Swedish company Brio was the first to produce such roads, all other manufacturers - either under their license or their subsidiaries. Therefore, the range often overlaps, but each manufacturer can find something special to diversify the roadway.

The road has a remarkable quality - it can "grow" with the child. If a small set of rails and a couple of trains with trailers are enough for a two-year-old, then later you can buy bridges, cranes, and special purpose trains. In addition, the game can be diversified with additional buildings for a role-playing game - it can be a station with a real mini-elevator, a depot, a subway station, just a passenger platform, or even an airport - and all this will dock with the rails for trains. When the child is not so clumsy, you can already buy special racks with which the child will make multi-storey roads - there is no limit to perfection. Although, according to the observations of the author of the review, cubes of suitable height can act as racks. But still, for the construction of a solid and high structure, it is better to purchase special racks, the building will be more stable.

The trains are attached to each other by magnets, and some Brio trains have a special magnet attached to the train itself - it is not dead attached to the platform, but on a hinge, this ensures better grip of the cars on turns and their non-disconnection. You can "magnetize" as many cars as you like to one large tractor car. There are both self-propelled locomotives and ordinary wagons: crane cars, passenger cars, freight cars. It should be noted that wooden wagons are durable, but in many of them there is no accurate detailing of small elements, often - a drawing is simply applied to a rectangle. It all depends on what age you want to buy such a road. For kids, this will be a plus, because for them, excessive detailing is rather a minus, and for older children, you can buy more interesting trains.

Learning curve (Tomy in America) produces special trains for wooden roads from the animated series "Thomas and His Friends" - they are all well made, some with lights, with sounds. For unknown reasons, they are not sold in Russia, there are only cheap low-quality Chinese counterparts, but they are not of particular interest for review.

Brio has an interesting locomotive controlled from the remote control - with sound and light, there is a locomotive with a special removable battery - you can buy two batteries: on one the train rides, the other on recharging. All cranes are equipped with magnets - they can be used to lift or lower loads into wagons; magnets are also inserted in the loads.

Due to the excellent workmanship and wooden components, the road can definitely be inherited, providing joy to more than one generation of children in the family.

Some features of the roads from different manufacturers: only their own engines pass under the Ikea bridge, Brio engines lack about 1 cm in height, Ikea rails are not the best in quality, and due to the fact that they have a plastic pin slightly shorter than the standard Brio socket, they do not always fit well with Brio and Woody rails. Woody has a well-presented assortment of additional buildings, the rails themselves and forks, but the assortment of rolling stock is poor - for its diversity, you can safely buy Brio trains.

Do City ( fenbo , Hong Kong)

Not a bad railway, bright, reliable, rail docking is tough, tight. A 2-year-old child cannot dock. By the age of 3-4, the child himself will be able to build a canvas from rails. There are no additional buildings on the road, everything you need can be bought immediately in one set. On the packing box, various assembly schemes are given (there are 9 in a large set). Trains do not differ in variety, you can’t put something in them and transport it, the train can go by itself, trains are docked with slotted rings. It is possible to lay rails on the second floor - on special stands. In general, this is a road to a solid 4 out of 5 possible. It is a pity that bridges and some other buildings are not being built to it, such as a station, a depot, cranes, and that there is no way to transport goods in wagons. The sets include fences, figurines of people, animals, lanterns. To expand its capabilities, you can only buy more such sets, which will make the roadbed itself larger.

Price range 800-2500 rubles.

An interesting and quite important note: the track width of the roads fenbo and wooden roads coincide, which allows you to ride on these roads trains from wooden sets (such as Ikea ), besides this, the engines from Tomy's "Thomas and his friends" sets are also perfectly suited for this track, the coupling of the cars is also the same - with slotted rings.

TOMY (Japan)

From Takara TOMY (Japan) there are two types of railways - this is the road "Thomas and his friends" and the road "Tomica". These are two completely different roads, without a special adapter it is impossible to connect their rails. Not all kits come with adapters. Roads "Thomas and his friends" in the new version of the TrackMaster series have a double rail fastening, the color of the rail is gray-brown; roads" Tomica » HyperCity series - one mount, blue rail color. "Thomas and Friends" is for younger children, and "Tomica" - for older children, from about 4 or 5 years old. Although, of course - the division by age is relative. If parents try to diversify the road "Thomas and his friends", then it will also please the child, who is both 5 and 7 years old, for a long time.

So, let's dwell on each of the roads in detail.

"Thomas and His Friends"

These railroads are made exclusively based on the famous animated series "Thomas and Friends", i.e. all locomotives and all trains are made with faces and names from this children's series. The action of the cartoon itself takes place on the island of Sodor, it has many roads and trains that run along these roads for some tasks, their needs. Accordingly, the road itself repeats the plot of the cartoon.

The workmanship of the parts is good, the rails fit exactly together, the trains don't get stuck or fall over, and it's very easy to put them on the rails.

The rails rise slightly above the floor, they are made as if on a mound of stones. The speed of the trains is good, even two or three wagons are pulled remarkably behind them, the connections between the wagons are very strong - a ring with a slot - it is very difficult for children under 4 years old to uncouple or couple the wagons themselves. When the power is turned off, the motor is disconnected from the wheel axle, which allows the child to ride the trains himself. Now they even began to produce trains with smoke from the chimney. The roads are designed for approximately the age of 3 years old, it will still be difficult for the child to connect the rails, but by the age of 4 he will certainly master it.

In addition to rails and trains, there are also many additional buildings on this road - auto-crossings, stations, bridges, etc. Everything is made of high-quality (not thin) plastic.

Of the minuses - everything additional in Russia is not very common, mostly ready-made sets with a specific theme are sold - for example, winter fairy tale, loading coal, from a depot, with an airplane, etc. All particularly interested persons need to turn to the overseas Internet - Europe, America, and best of all - to Japan, because. the company itself is Japanese and there is the largest possible range of these roads. Separately, almost nothing is sold, only rails with forks and trains. Well, and there is such a moment that if your child is not particularly keen on the animated series "Thomas and His Friends" and the island of Sodor, then, most likely, this road will not be of particular interest to him - here you need to look already at the child. Although, of course, the author of the review, for his long experience of communicating with children, has not met boys who would not like this cartoon)))

Price range 600 - 3000 rubles.

Tomica

The manufacturer claims age - from 4 years. The rails fit well and firmly, but even the kids are unlikely to be able to join them themselves. Although, of course, such a turn of events does not upset many children - they are enthusiastically waiting for their parents to collect everything and they will finally let their train on the road. The train looks realistic, runs fast enough. You can buy various buildings, a road, which is one of the components of the railway. You can even buy special cars for the road, although, of course, you can use the usual ones that any child has.

The road and buildings to it can be found in many stores in the city and online stores. In general, the whole road is designed for the construction of not only one road, but for the construction of the city of Tomy HyperCity - with stations, roads, tunnels, houses, etc.

Previously, this type of rail was also used by the company for roads with Thomas, now a special adapter is needed to connect the gray-brown rails of Thomas and the blue Tomiki, as mentioned above - adapters are not available in all sets.

Of the minuses - nothing can be put and transported into the trains - they only serve as a “wound up toy”.

Price range 700 - 5000 rubles.

Chugginton (USA)

This road is based on the recently very popular animated series Chugginton Engines. Trains have a very specific look, characteristic only for this cartoon.

The execution of the rail itself is not realistic - there are no sleepers and rails here - the road looks more like an ordinary highway than a railbed. Nevertheless, this is a full-fledged railway. The quality of the rails is good, fastened together firmly. There are few additional railway buildings, there are no urban ones at all.

The locomotives themselves are bright, colorful, made very high quality, but there is no way to transport people or goods.

In general, the road is not bad, but if, of course, the child is “sick” with this cartoon. Otherwise, it’s still better to buy some kind of neutral road so that it doesn’t turn out that the child’s interest in the cartoon has cooled down, and the road will have to be completely changed to another.

Price range 400 - 3000 rubles.

Blue Arrow, Continental Express, Fairy Tale Journey, etc. (China)

Here we will touch a little recently on the very common sets of railways of various Chinese companies, so to speak - not branded. The names of the roads may be different - "Journey to a fairy tale", "Blue Arrow", etc. Appearance such roads have a huge transparent box, a train with wagons and a set of rails for building a circle or figure eight.

These roads have one thing in common - the very poor quality of the rails and specifically the docking mechanism. If they are constantly connected and disconnected, the lock mechanism can quickly break down. These roads are good to collect once and admire them. It is generally not advisable for children under 3 years old to play them, because the excessive detailing of trains makes itself felt - the details constantly fall off. The rail itself is narrow, the wheels of the trains are also narrow and small, so it is difficult for a child to dock the train and the rails, which can be frustrating for small railway workers. On bends, trains can either derail or disengage - in different sets in different ways, but the general trend is just that.

For these roads, it is definitely worth discussing the age limit - at least from 4 years old, not earlier.

Price range 500 - 1500 rubles.

Krokha Railway ( bauer , Russia)

Under this brand, railways are produced under the license of the German company Bauer. As usual, Russian products are inferior in quality to German originals - either the license is not the same, or the Germans did not open the most main secret a quality road, or ours have already done something. As a result, the idea is good, but its execution is lame. Very often, some parts, stickers, figurines, etc. are missing in the sets. It is not clear what this is connected with, but before buying, carefully check the contents in the package.

The butt mechanism of the rail is reliable and complex, but, in principle, it is realistic for a 3-4-year-old to master. The track is wide and comfortable, the locomotives are very easy to install. There are reviews from parents that during long-term operation, the assembled railway track seems to warp, while the ride quality of the locomotives does not change - they also ride well on rails. The only thin place near the road is the undocking of the rails, the child can break the latches and here you need to be careful. You can disassemble it yourself by an adult or teach a child to follow the instructions for disassembling the road exactly.

In trailers you can carry passengers or any cargo. It is possible to build various additional buildings from cubes. The bricks in the road sets are paired with regular brick sets that are sold under the same brand. From them you can build houses, bridges and other related structures around the road. The plastic of the cubes and the trains is not very thick, but strong enough.

In addition to railways, this company also has roads, rails from railways and roads are joined together.

In general, the brand of roads is not bad, it has great variability for role-playing games, which is especially important for children under 5-6 years old, you can easily buy it in stores or buy some other sets to diversify the game.

Price range 300 - 1000 rubles.

Review continued below ▼

Hobbies are different: someone quietly and calmly collects stamps or candy wrappers, fitting their entire collection into a thick album in the top drawer, someone plays golf on Saturdays, and someone chooses an entire art direction as a hobby and devotes it all ones life.

This is exactly what can be said about lovers and fans of a railway or railway miniature, because to create a craft of this kind, one desire is not enough - it will take a lot of time, effort, careful collection of information, sometimes resources, and financial investments, and, of course, the ability to as a result, you have a real miniature railway of your own.

A miniature railway is a subject of interest not only for children, but also for adults, and adults even more and more often. Almost every child had a children's toy in the form of a railway station with rails, steam locomotives and wagons, and if it cost more, then the kit included various railway signs, a semaphore, figures of drivers and other interesting details.

It’s interesting to play this, but I always wanted more, for example, that the railway network would be more developed and contain many branches and turns of the rails, so that train models were inertial or moved by themselves, and you could control them using the remote control, so that there were many additional elements: tunnels, bridges, roads with vehicles, trees, people, etc.

To make such a toy, or rather, not a toy, but a real mock-up of a railway with your own hands, you need to work hard, and not all children have such an opportunity, so you will probably need the help of your parents. It’s good if they share your passion for railway miniatures and help in creating crafts. For an adult lover of railway modeling, of course, it is easier in this regard.

As for the directions in which there is a miniature railway hobby, they are separated by several:

• some simply collect only toy rails, trains and all their accessories;
• others also collect, but already scale models;
• still others are engaged in the manufacture of railways in miniature, recreating entire historical stations and railway stations, laying a real railway network from different directions of the tracks, engaged in the actual reconstruction of certain objects;
• someone tries to make miniature copies of real or existing locomotives and trains in the smallest detail;
• and one more interesting view railway modeling - a park or garden railway, for the creation of which a very large scale is used, therefore such a model of the railway can even be used as an attraction and transport people in it.

A bit of history

A miniature railway is not a tribute to fashion and not a new phenomenon, because the history of railway miniatures and modeling goes back more than one hundred and fifty years. For the first time, the model of the railway appeared, like a toy, in the nineteenth century (in its second half). Germany, represented by the manufacturer Märklin, took over the provision of the necessary industrial volumes. Their miniature railways were of such high quality and good that even the royal family ordered such a model for the Winter Palace.

Based on the scale of the railroad shown in the German-made miniature, scale standards for railroad modeling were later adopted. By the end of the nineteenth century, America also joined the cause, for the first time in the world, launching an electric model of the railway on the market (manufacturer - Carlisle & Finch).

Almost until the middle of the last century, both an ordinary toy in the form of railway rails with a train, and an ideally exact copy or a miniature railway were perceived in the same way, however, after the toy ceased to cause such a stir, and modeling began to take shape as a serious hobby, gradually finding more and more more fans.

Therefore, the manufacturers tried to please their new admirers - adults who were eager to assemble a full-fledged miniature model of the railway. To do this, they began to produce more advanced models, where the rails could be folded into a full-fledged railway track in miniature, where locomotives and wagons had many parts and elements, which also included various buildings, road paraphernalia and signs, a semaphore, etc.

Nowadays, there are practically no world-class giant firms left that would be engaged in such production, however, there are many small successfully functioning companies specializing in the production of certain models of trains or additional accessories, without which a miniature railway is impossible.

Scales, components and other nuances

To make a model of a railway, you must understand many nuances, for example, on what scale a miniature railway is usually made, what types of sets and configurations of crafts can be obtained, whether a diagram is needed and where to get it, what to do with accessories, necessary details and various accessories, etc.

Scale and size standards for railway modeling are very different. The most common are the sizes bearing symbol TT and NO.

The TT standard size - from the English Table-top trains - means that the model of the railway is carried out on a scale of one to one hundred and twenty (1:120) with a gauge of twelve millimeters. Such a miniature railway is also called a twelve-millimeter railway. All mobile models of trains are also made in it - this is done by supplying electricity along the rails, although it is possible to connect an electric locomotive through a contact network.

A large number of models and various accessories for assembling railway miniatures of this size are produced by:

• German companies Berliner TT Bahnen, Tillig;
• European manufacturers Roco and Piko have a small selection;
• Jago pleases fans with rare models of vintage locomotives;
• Russian firms "Peresvet" and "TT-model";
• American PossumValleyModels, GoldCoast (some models of wagons and locomotives).

Another common size is NO. The name comes from the English abbreviation HalfZero or half zero. The model of the railway in this case is produced in a scale ratio of one to eighty-seven (1:87). There is also a size 0, in which the scale is taken twice as much, that is, 1 to 45. And here it turns out half of zero, but the Latin letter O is used instead of it in the designation.

A miniature railway in this scale is considered the most popular and widespread in the world due to the fact that it can be made without the use of complex devices, moreover, these models of railways are large enough for detailing, but at the same time quite convenient and compact to place the layout in the house or apartment.

A miniature railway of this standard size is also mobile: energy is supplied from a contact network or along rails (in the case of electric motors in locomotive models). Plus - you have the opportunity to use additional interesting elements when creating crafts:

• a smoke generator device that will run on oil and create a smoke effect over diesel locomotives or steam locomotives;
• installation of a sound decoder in the rolling stock - you can play any sound files that imitate noises and sounds of train traffic, etc.;
• signaling devices, which stands for signaling, centralization and blocking.

Various other sizes also exist. For example, the large-scale G standard, which has been developed and produced since 1968 and is still being developed by the German company LGB. This is the clearest example of an outdoor garden railroad. In general, the larger the scale at which a miniature railway is built is chosen, the more detailed the prototype should be repeated, the smallest details and elements should be taken into account.

Do it yourself or buy?

Today you can find many thematic forums, special publications dedicated to railway modeling. You can purchase various elements separately and put them together later, mounting your own railroad layout.

However, first of all, you will need to decide on the available free space. Can you allocate half or even an entire room for the layout? If not, then you will first have to deal with the construction of a mock-up or equipment of a special place. To do this, you can use at least a separate table or make a retractable / folding tabletop, which will be used only for your project and nothing else, which means that you do not have to fold and remove the layout every time.

There are also options for modular layouts, which consist of individual blocks, cantilever structures (you can attach mock-ups to the walls like shelves) and lift-ups (easily stows away under the ceiling).

It is also better to take the appropriate scale for an apartment, for example, with a size of 1:87 you will not do much, because you will need a space of one by three meters at a minimum. It is better to stop at 1:120 or 1:160 scales, since designing a layout in an even smaller Z size (1:240) will require a lot of skill, effort and financial investment.

To create your own miniature railway, you will need to come up with and think over its future appearance to the smallest detail. Perhaps you should start with the simplest scheme, for example, make only one rail ring and a locomotive with several cars. Over time, you will add additional tracks, trains, semaphore and signs, station and buildings, figures of people, etc. to the project.

Experienced craftsmen already know how to create whole detailed landscapes - mountains and plains, bridges and tunnels, forests and fields, miniature streets, numerous forks in the paths, depots and other interesting things.

Even for the simplest project, it is better to make a diagram. Just try to draw what exactly you want to create. If your plans are to create a railway of a certain historical era, then you will need to thoroughly study all available information on this topic, find archival photographs, copy them, etc.

Also detailed diagram will be needed for the manufacture of models of steam locomotives and wagons. You can use the drawing diagram of a particular machine by looking for its photo. Just divide the real dimensions of a particular train by the scale you need and you will have a ready-made construction plan.

Step by step work plan

1. Provide space for the project and make a sub-layout (a simple configuration can even be placed on a plywood sheet).
2. Transfer the scheme of the future railway miniature to the mock-up (draw how the rails will pass, mark the forks and turns, roads where you will place buildings or structures). For a complex rail arrangement, the scheme can be designed on a computer in a special program.
3. Laying rails. Rail material can be bought at a specialized store or you can make them yourself. Since current flows along the rails in moving roads, craftsmen make them from thick copper wire, rolling it to a rectangular section on a manual machine. Sleepers are made from thin bars, which are also cut on the machine. The tracks are attached in two ways: they are either glued or nailed to the base with small studs, you can then solder the rails to the same studs or also glue the rails to the sleepers.
4. For a mobile model, it is necessary to additionally develop an electrical circuit, and then mount it on a breadboard model. Homemade blocks are usually taken as a power source, you can also take a factory one. Do not forget about safety rules - the output voltage cannot be high, use a power supply unit up to sixteen volts, and if the model is small, then six to nine volts will be enough. The electric motor for the train can be purchased at the radio store or removed from any toy. Conduct electricity to the engine from two rails. To distribute electricity throughout the base, stock up on connectors and copper wires. Think over all the details before wiring - where the semaphores and traffic lights, barriers will be located, whether the lights will be on, etc.
5. Backfill and lay the ballast, selecting it in size among aquarium soils or any household bulk materials.
6. Think over and make a relief and a landscape. To make your layout look like a real one, be sure to design a beautiful landscape. You can use professional materials such as trowel-mass, forest litter, meadow powder, different layers of the earth, crushed stone, sand, gravel and other interesting accessories from well-known manufacturers. If you choose more budget options, then to imitate the mountains, it is quite possible to get by with construction foam, which can then be easily painted in any desired color. Hills, fields, vegetation and other decor can also be recreated from plywood, gypsum plaster, fiberglass, papier-mâché, wood and other finishing materials. To paint the details, use acrylic paints.
7. If there is no time and desire to bother so much, then many elements can be taken to the layout and ready-made, for example, from toy sets, in which there are figures of trees, and dummies of grass or bushes, animals, cars, signs, people.
8. The situation is the same with buildings - either use ready-made options, or build your own from cardboard, wood, plywood, papier-mâché. Use photographs of real stations and other buildings as references.
9. Add the necessary components: draw roads, paint the grass, arrange the figures of people and put the trains on the rails.

Passion for railway modeling can start with a gift set with a railway and trains. Such a hobby, although it requires considerable effort and expense, undoubtedly helps to develop, think, create and not stand still.

Toy railroads are inherently associated with childhood. Many of us at a young age once had a plastic or iron prefabricated model railroad. And those who could boast of a foreign-made model were considered lucky.

In modern times, the hobby of toy railroads has grown into a major modeling industry. Moreover, this business is already more focused on an adult audience than on children.

Trees, houses, roads, cars, relief surroundings were added to the main attributes - a track and a locomotive with wagons. And a table with a full-fledged model of the railway, with many details and trifles, is already a real art.

Abroad, such products cost from 2 thousand dollars, but in this article I will tell you how to make a full-fledged model of a toy railway with your own hands.

Table

You will need space for the layout. Ideally, this should be a separate table, but you can get by with a small table, or just a fenced-off area on any suitable surface. It all depends on your desire and scope. I recommend starting with a small area, like part of a table, and then, if inspired, make a large layout. It is better to start small than to immediately take on a large amount of work and throw it halfway.

starter kit

The thing without which it will not be possible to make a model of the railway is the railway itself. Or rather, a set of rails, a train and a power system for it. Here, alas, there are no alternatives - it's all you need to buy. It's good that there are plenty to choose from in the market today.

sketch

To know what you are moving towards, you need to have a goal in front of your eyes. Make a rough sketch on paper - where everything should be, and what the general look of your layout will be. Surf the Internet, look at the numerous models of railways and take note of what you like - bridges, crossings, houses, stations. You can make a model of a station in the Wild West, or you can make a station in the center of a modern city. But be sure to decide before you get to work. And make markings on the table so as not to suddenly discover that the track goes beyond the boundaries of the table, or that the barrier will cling to a passing train.

The mountains

The presence of a mountain, with a tunnel through which the train will pass, will be the decoration of the layout. To create a small mountain, you will need mounting foam, plywood, a knife, alabaster and sandpaper.

First, think over and, if possible, draw a sketch of the future mountain. Then knock down a small box of plywood or other suitable material above the rails. Make sure that the size of the box will allow your train to pass freely through the tunnel. Then start applying foam around the box, with pauses of one and a half to two hours, to allow the layers to dry and not sag under their weight. After you apply the foam of the desired volume, leave it to dry for a day, no less.

In a day, pick up a knife (more convenient - a clerical one), and start picking the mountain - cut off the extra pieces, giving it the shape you intended. Cut out hollows, crevices, try to make it as natural as possible.

Then you will need alabaster. Dilute it with water, and cover the entire mountain with a thin layer up to 3 mm. It dries quickly, so dilute it in small portions. Then again wait a few hours until everything hardens - it is better not to use a hair dryer.

Now you need to paint over the mountain in gray. To do this, buy a can of primer in any auto shop, the color of a gray stone, and you can paint your mountain. Just test the paint on something else first to make sure it's the right color for you.

Next, use sandpaper and rub the mountain in places to remove layers of primer in some places. This will give the mountain a more naturalistic look, so that it is not a uniform color, but a shade from light to dark gray. You can repeat painting and sanding several times until you get something that suits you. You can also paint individual pieces of the mountain white or black for more believability.

Finally, take green paint and tint the pieces of the mountain also in the color of greenery - this way it will be even more naturalistic. Only the paint should be a believable, "mossy" color.

Your mountain (or slide) is ready. Congratulations, you've already done a lot of work. Next in line are the rest of the relief details.

Here everything depends on your imagination, the size of the free space and the suitable details that you have. Fill in the unoccupied tabletop with, for example, fake turf that is sold in stores. Toy houses, figures of people, transport, railway crossing, train station, bridge, trees - these are all the details that will decorate your layout. Many of them can be found in Lego bricks, or just individually in toy stores. Train modeling firms also sell great kits, but be prepared to spend a lot of money if that's the case.

You can make a layout on a large table, with lots of details, terrain, electric movement and a real miniature town. But you can also make a small model - a battery train, with a small piece of landscape and a few decorative elements.

Whatever option you choose, the model you made will be an adornment of any home and will be of interest to any company - both children and adults.