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Trains and railroading

Hello and Welcome to My Railroading

Railroading is not only an industry within the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It is a very impressive and exciting hobby. At last count, there are over 200,000 subscribers to the leading rail hobby magazines. There are over 200 railroad and trolley museums scattered about the USA and Canada. There are many local railfan organizations, many of who conduct railroad fan trips. Many other railfan organizations perform restoration projects where literally, the dead are brought back to life.

And this is only the beginning. There are over 50,000 model railroad layouts in existence, many of which belong to clubs that meet regularly to run trains, to build additions to the layouts, and to construct scale models representing steam, diesel, and electric locomotives. Model railroading has grown to such an extent that now there are digital control systems that supply sound and controls to all trains in operation.

The hobby of railroading can be as inexpensive or as costly as you would like it to be. The simplest and cheapest kind of railroading is just finding a spot of railroad which looks scenic, finding a good location where to watch the trains, and then see them zoom or else crawl by. The most costly way to enjoy the sport is to invest about $50,000 in a model railroad consisting of scale locomotives, cars, scenery, buildings, and electrical equipment.

There are all sorts of cost and enjoyment levels in this sport. How much time and money you wish to invest is up to you. This blog will cover the basics of the hobby and will get you started. It will point you to other websites, article submissions, and ideas which will keep you very much occupied as you pursue this hobby. Lets take a look at some of these basics.

The cheapest way to enjoy railroading is to find a good stretch of track where the trains run frequently and just watch them go by. Bring a camera if you want to record the action. Please remember to observe the basics of safety and do not venture onto the tracks under any circumstances. Do not bring children along unless you are watching trains from a bridge that is fenced. Above all, never venture onto railroad right of way unless you have gotten prior permission from railroad authorities to be there.

Railroading becomes more expensive when you couple up the hobby of photography with railroading. Some breathtaking railroad still photos and videos have been taken with camera equipment that is in high three figures. You can


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Trains and railroading

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Trains and railroading

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