Someone who is becoming interested in model trains as a serious hobby may wonder about the difference between toy model trains and model trains. If there is a difference, then what is it?
For those outside the hobby, there really is no difference. Both terms refer to small trains - replicas of the real thing - that are powered by electricity and represent a pleasant leisure-time activity for their owners - children or grownups.
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But for those who are involved in the hobby, there is a huge difference.
Toy model trains are marketed to children. These electric train sets tend to be plain and uncomplicated. The emphasis is on playability instead of precision. They are usually what you find while Christmas shopping. With their low prices, they are a great way to introduce kids to the hobby.
Model trains, by contrast, are for adult enthusiasts who value authenticity, fine workmanship, and attention to detail. Quite often the term "prototyping" is used in discussions about model railroading. Enthusiasts are interested in expanding their models into large, often complex, layouts - complete with accessories made to scale. For some, they are a true art form.
Toy model trains began to appear on the scene in Europe and North America in the 19th century. They were push-toys made of wood or cast iron. They could be wind-up clockwork trains or they could be powered by small steam engines.
Beginning early in the 20th century, the famous American company Lionel did much to popularize electric trains as favored toys for children. Lionel's marketing plan was based on encouraging children to play with their trains instead of merely watching them go round and round the track. The company did this by creating and marketing accessories that were active, e.g., signal lights, coal loaders, logging cars, and more.
Recently, in the mid-1980s, a British TV series named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends appeared. The series, which was based on a series of children's books from the 1940s, was about an anthropomorphized train and his adventures. The series was successful in piquing the interest of many children in owning their own toy trains.
Model locomotives are made to last for many years. Their wheels are made to maximize contact with the track in order to get a better connection to the electricity. Model locomotives have strong engines, and that means real pulling power. A quality locomotive is made out of metal. The weight of the train has a major effect on how well it works. The heavier the train, the better it will make contact with the track and therefore the better it runs.
The industry also offers working steam engines for the little boys inside the grown men. (The same goes for the many women enthusiasts who started in the hobby as little girls.) To the true model railroader, there's nothing better than seeing these trains with realistic steam filling the miniature landscape of a complex layout.
Many of today's enthusiasts can tell you exactly when they first entered the hobby. For them it was one Christmas morning long ago when that first Lionel or American Flyer train set appeared under the tree.
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