Train Terminology

· Couplers: The knuckle-shaped devices at the ends of locomotives and cars. The "horn-hook" style was developed several decades ago by the National Model Railroad Association to encourage mass-produced HO scale equipment. The "Rapido-style" coupler is the de facto standard for N scale. In recent years, however, more manufacturers have been offering their stock equipment with more-prototypical looking "knuckle"-style couplers, such as those first made popular by Kadee.
· Drivers: The large wheels on a steam locomotive connected by side rods.
· Flywheel: A turned, solid-metal cylinder mounted in line with a model locomotive's motor that smooths out the motor's rotating motion to the drive train.
· Rail joiner: A small metal clip that joins two sections of rail together.
· Rerailer: Section of track that guides wheels onto the rails.
· Scale: The proportion of a model in relation to its real-life counterpart.
HO ("aitch-oh") scale is the most popular model railroading scale, with a proportion of 1:87, or 1/87th of actual size.
The second-most popular scale is N (1:160).
Large scale can range from 1:32 to 1:20.3, with 1:22.5 the most popular. All large scale trains use the same track gauge.
Other common scales in North America are O (1:48), S (1:64), and Z (1:220).
· Tender: The car immediately behind a steam locomotive that carries fuel for the firebox and water for the boiler.
· Throttle: The speed control of the locomotive; in the model world, a potentiometer controlling a voltage regulator.
· Truck: The frame assembly under each end of a car or diesel locomotive that holds the wheelsets.
· Wheelset: The wheel-axle assembly that fits into the truck. Most trucks have two or three wheelsets, depending on the type of car.

Model Trains

Model Trains have been around for years and it is called as world's greatest hobby. As with any hobby, the obvious answer is because it's fun! It is also a hobby that can last a life-time. Many people in the hobby started when they were kids and it stayed with them.

Following is what I read on website of National Model Railroad Association

History
Railroads reflect the times they operated in, and vice versa. Building a model railroad leads to learning about the real things. Railroads embraced the full range of history. In the United States, railroads were major factors in, and were greatly affected by, the labor movement, race relations, the rise and fall of the Guilded Age and its robber barons, and so on. Railroads were, and are, equally important in the histories of other countries.
Basic Carpentry and Electrical Skills
If you've never sawed wood or stripped some wire, You Will! Building a model railroad requires these skills. You might think that they are "hard" -- they aren't, you just need to start down the path. You'll be surprised how easy it is to pick them up!
Economics
Railroads are economic entities. They move raw materials and manufactured goods from place to place. The patterns of these movements are all driven by economics.
Modelbuilding
This is pretty straight forward! After all, we are building a Model Railroad. There are a whole range of skills that you'll develop over time.
Artistic Techniques
Building scenery and weathering cars, among

others, all require a bit of an artistic touch. We can learn that "less is more" (for instance, sometimes just a bit of weathering on a car is all that's really needed). we can learn that we don't always need a perfect rendition of something, sometimes all we really need is to give the impression.

How To Research
As you get more interested in model railroading, you might decide to build more accurate models. To do this you will need to research "the real things". You'll want to know exactly how something was built or used. To do that you'd need to locate documents or pictures. All of this takes research.
Logical Thought and Planning
From novice model railroader to Master Model Railroader (MMR), logical thought and planning are important. Everything from figuring out the right steps for building a kit to designing a layout to developing an operating plan for your railroad all require logical thought and planning.
3D and Spatial Visualization
When you decide to take on scratch-building and kit-bashing, you'll quickly learn some of these skills. We often have to visualize how things will finally look, or how they will go together, long before they are done.
Develops Manual Skills
This is pretty self-evident. To build a model railroad requires some manual dexterity and skills. You can't be "all thumbs" to build one. And if you think you are all-thumbs, you'll quickly discover that you are not all thumbs.
Basic Engineering
Model Railroads themselves require a bit of engineering to construct. We don't want the benchwork to collapse or the electrical wiring to burst into flames! This is self-evident. But we can also learn a bit of engineering by studying the prototypes for the models we are building; Why are bridges build this way and not that? Why did the railroad go this way instead of that way? How does an engine work?
Geography
Railroads don't exist in a vacuum. They go through the landscape. There are mountains and plains, forests and rivers, towns and cities. Model railroading can develop basic undstandings of all of these geographic features. Furthermore, if you decided to research and model a specific real railroad you can learn a lot about the specific geographic regions where that railroad operated.
The Internet and The Web
You can even learn a lot about The Internet and how to make and run web sites. After all, we put together this web site! But the best part of it all is that you are not forced to learn much. You can derive as much, or as little, education from the hobby as you want. After all, sometimes we just want to have fun!
Social Aspects
Model Railroading can be a very social hobby.
It's a great way to meet new people.
There are clubs and associations (such as the NMRA) that you can join. These clubs run the whole range, from swapping stories to teaching skills to each other, to actually building and running a permanent model railroad.
There are model building contests.
It's also a great excuse to travel! You can go on rail-fanning trips, go to conventions and shows, or to visit people you've met.
Model railroading appeals to people in all walks of life. If you find a group of model railroaders, you'll find doctors and lawyers, engineers, shop keepers, business people, military folks, mechanics, carpenters, artists, atheletes, and politicians. Young and old, rich and poor. And it is fun.
It Takes Time
One of the big concerns today is that we're a culture of "instant gratification". Model Railroading is anything but instant gratification. You can get things up and running quickly, as we hope to show you in these pages.
But you can also then go back and work on things some more, spend more time. You can perfect your skills over the course of years. And as you perfect your skills, you go back and look at the things you did in the past and say "it was good then, but I know I can do better now"; what was great two years ago is barely acceptable last year, and this year it's sub-standard.
Model railroading is an activity of constant improvement and learning. From that, we often learn that the true gratification is not in attaining the goal, but the journey we take to get there.
Model Railroading Is Not Just For Men!
Some folks think that model-railroading is a "guy thing". Perhaps a long time ago it was. But this is the twenty-first century and those stereotypes are pretty much gone. Or at least they should be!
One NMRA division holds a "build a kit" clinic at its yearly show. This clinic is aimed at young children and their parents. The idea is to show them that "it's not hard". Someplace between 1/3 and 1/2 of the attendees are girls, mothers, or grandmothers. So it's obvious that you don't have to be male to be interested in model railroading!
The NMRA has a Master Model Railroader (MMR) program. It takes dedication and a lot of hard work to become an MMR. To become an MMR requires demonstrating skills across the entire spectrum of the hobby. There are 4 women MMRs (here's an interview with Mary Miller, one of the NMRA's MMR's).
Model Railroading is not just for Geeks
Finally, some people may be a bit uncomfortable about "adults playing with toy trains" or may be worried about what their friends and relatives might say. Who cares what they think? But just to set your mind at ease, there are many celebrities who are (or were) also model railrailroaders, such as
Winston Churchill
Tom Brokaw
Phil Collins
Joe DiMaggio
Walt Disney
Michael Gross, the actor
Ed Dougherty, the professional golfer
Merle Haggard
Tom Hanks
Elton John
Michael Jordan
Ricardo Patrese, the Formula-1 race car driver
Frank Sinatra
Joe Regalbutto, the actor
Bruce Springsteen
Rod Stewart
Donald Sutherland
Mel Torme
Neil Young, the rock star. He's also a part-owner of Lionel...

It's Fun!
In case you missed it, it's fun!