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I have indulged my 9 year old self and gotten into model railroading–but I’m doing it with a wargaming twist. Everything in my model railroad is leaning somewhat on wargaming: I have my trains running around a hill on which a D&D miniature frog monster is fighting Flames of War tanks, and I have Redcoats from the American War of Independence fighting a giant centipede. It’s a diorama about wargaming as much as it’s a working railroad.

But there were things I didn’t know about model railroading when I dove into it, and I turned to my favorite learning medium, YouTube. And, wouldn’t you know it, there’s a community of model railroaders that is every bit as present as the community of miniature wargamers. The community is different, of course. There is absolutely zero drama (that I have witnessed) and some of my favorite model railroaders are 75 year old men who are working in their basements. It’s different.

But there is also SO MUCH crossover between the hobbies that it’s a wonder to me that they haven’t intersected much before.

Model Railroading Teaches A Ton About Terrain

Terrain is the biggest thing. Just as Geek Gaming Scenics and Real Terrain Hobbies will pull out the foam, the hot wire cutters, and the Sculptamold, so too do the model railroaders. But–and I say this with a little hesitation, but I’m pretty solid in my thinking–model railroaders tend to be better at terrain than wargamers.

Now, of course, there’s a difference between the two, and that difference is that model railroad boards are not intended to be touched or used for play. They can be more detailed and delicate because they don’t have to stand up to the wear and tear of being moved around game boards and tabletops, then tossed back on shelves. But seriously: these guys are good.

And just as we have Sonic Sledgehammer and Goobertown Hobbies and eBay Miniature Rescues to teach wargamers how to paint, so too are there a wealth of tutorials teaching everything you could possibly want to know.

For example, here are three videos about how to make realistic trees for your model railroad. One from DIY and Digital Railroad, one from Ron’s Trains N Things, and one from IMRR: Steve Brown. Each one uses a different technique and watching all of them not only makes it easier for me to build my own model railroad, but I have so many ideas for wargame terrain. My scenery for Bolt Action and A Song of Ice and Fire will look so much better with these trees. I’ll have to take extra steps to make them durable, but that’s doable. The point is not that these train videos are 1:1 ports of hobby advice, but that the two communities could learn a lot from each other.

For example, one of the things that I see missing from the model railroading community (not entirely lacking, but missing in large part) is weathering. There is a lot of gorgeous weathering of mountains and trestles, but a lot of model buildings look like they’ve come fresh from the kit. And the rolling stock (that’s a term I only learned since I’ve been back in the hobby–it means train cars) is almost always very clean–though there may be a decal of some graffiti on the odd one.

I’d like to create a model railroad that combines the best parts of both of these communities. This BY NO MEANS is to say that I am going to create the best model railroad or the best miniature wargame table. But it means that I’m going to take the gorgeous terrain from model railroading and the weathering and painting from minature wargaming, and try to make them mesh.

Model Railroading Teaches Patience

I have now learned though very sad experience that the first rule of model railroading is patience. This is a skill that I had not acquired through miniature wargaming, where very little patience is required, other than simply taking your time to paint your minis well.

But here’s the thing: I tried to ballast my track. (Ballast is the gravel that is on and beside railroad track.) And I followed what all the tutorials told me: use the ready-made ballast spreader, tap down the track, brush away loose ballast, spray with isopropyl alcohol, and then apply a heaping amount of watered-down PVA glue. I did ALL of that, just like the tutorials told me. But I’m a wargamer, and I’m used to acrylic paint and doing something and then immediately doing the next thing. So I wanted to see if my train would roll over the ballasted track–and the result was glue and grit got all wound up in the locomotive’s wheels and essentially ruined it. (I’m working to get it cleaned.)

I made a video about my realization and it was pointed out to me that model railroading is 100% about patience. My wife, when I told her this, laughed and said that I really needed to learn that lesson. I’m not patient. Not with my models, and not with my train layout.

But, see? This is the kind of stuff that miniature wargaming can teach the wargaming community. I have no doubt at all in my mind that when Luke from Geek Gaming Scenics or Mel from The Terrain Tutor make terrain they have plenty of patience. But it doesn’t come through in the rapid fire videos.

Model Railroading Teaches That It’s All About the Details

Today I watched a video where a man spent a very long time painstakingly building an N-scale utility truck. This is a very small scale, and this truck, with an elevating bucket lift, had a lot of tiny parts. But this model railroader wanted to make it because, in his vast layout, this tiny little utility truck, next to a tiny little phone pole, would tell a story.

I love this about model railroading. And it’s something I’m trying to incorporate into mine. A model railroad is nothing but a huge collection of dioramas, each one telling a story.

There aren’t enough miniatures that tell a story. Sure, there are Golden Demon diorama entries that are all about story, but I want to see individual models that are based and painted in such a way that something about them tells a story. Maybe it’s scars. Maybe it’s tally marks on the gun. Maybe it’s something important on the base. There needs to be more attention paid to the detail of storytelling in miniature wargames.

Neither Hobby Is Better

I will continue to create content about wargaming because that’s 100% the purpose of this site. But I’ve published four straight model railroad videos on my YouTube channel, and I’m loving it. I am delighted by the crossover that exists in these two hobbies, and I would love to see a model railroader wandering through the display cases of Golden Demon entries, and I would love to see miniature wargamers go to a model railroad exhibition.

We can learn a lot from each other.