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 Our family has cobbled together large
wooden train floor layouts around the house over the years. Our boys have also set up
track for neighborhood children who knock on the door, preschool classes, and a few church
and community events. It is such a delight to watch a child’s face alight when they
see a large train layout that they can actually play with.Model
train shows are great, but these running displays are rarely intended for small hands to
touch or play with. A sprawling wooden railway presents significant challenges though.
Awkward little feet totter through the layout, trip over track, and frustrate other
children. Add to that the strain that develops at critical points as different areas of a
large layout are pushed against - popping connectors and breaking track. A large layout
takes considerable thought and time to conceive and set up, and at some point the vacuum
cleaner comes out and the layout has to be put away.
Following are ideas that take wooden track to a casual hobbyist level. Great
for kids, this non-scale railway allows limitless creativity in the medium of wood, glue,
textures and paper. I would even dare to suggest it brings with it charm and a bit of
whimsy too...
Printed versions of this standard are available
online for convenience - 120 pages of pictures, dimensions, resources, links, and
commentary. An inexpensive 5x8
black and white version is sufficent for any project. Larger, full color 8x10 softcover and 8x10 hardcover versions are also
available. |
