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New to Model Railroading?

A friendly introduction to model railroading and the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, with plain explanations of the terms you will hear.

You do not need to know a coupler from a caboose to enjoy a model railroad. This page is a friendly start for anyone new to the hobby, or just curious about what we build.

What is model railroading?

Model railroading is the hobby of building and running miniature railroads. Modelers recreate a real railroad, called the prototype, or invent their own, then bring it to life with hand-built scenery, structures, and working trains.

Our group models a real one: the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, the little line that carried gold ore, lumber, freight, and passengers between Colfax, Chicago Park, Grass Valley, and Nevada City until 1942.

Scale and gauge, in plain terms

Two words come up a lot:

  • Scale is how much smaller the model is than the real thing. Ours is O scale, or 1:48. One foot on the model stands in for 48 real feet.
  • Gauge is the distance between the two rails. The N.C.N.G. was a narrow gauge line, with rails just 3 feet apart instead of the standard 4 feet 8.5 inches.

Put them together and you get On3: an O-scale model of a 3-foot narrow gauge railroad. If a term ever trips you up, the glossary explains the rest.

Why narrow gauge?

Narrow gauge track was cheaper to build and could bend around the tight curves of the Sierra foothills. That made it a good fit for the mines and mills of Nevada County. The trade-off was smaller trains, which is part of what gives narrow gauge its charm.

What you will see at our layout

When you visit, you will find trains running through miniature versions of the towns the real railroad served, with detailed scenery, bridges, and buildings. Our trains run on DCC (Digital Command Control), which lets the crew drive several locomotives at once, each with its own lights and sound. On-board cameras even let you ride along from a train’s point of view.

The display is built and maintained entirely by volunteers, and it has been growing since 1986.

Curious about starting your own?

Model railroading welcomes every age and budget. A few friendly tips:

  • Pick a scale that fits your space. Many newcomers start in HO (1:87) or N (1:160), which pack a lot of railroad into a small area. We model in the larger O scale.
  • Start small. A simple loop of track and one locomotive is plenty to learn on.
  • Visit a hobby shop. Local shops are glad to help beginners. See our links page for places to start.
  • Find your people. The National Model Railroad Association and local clubs are full of folks happy to share what they know.
  • Come see us. Stop by during an event, or join a work session and watch how it all comes together.

Keep exploring