If you're like me, you may also be a model railroader. In my case, I've been a model railroader for the better part of 35-40 years. Most model railroader's have great imaginations. I've received thousands of hours of enjoyment from the several model railroads I've built over the years. That active imagination of mine created vast, sprawling empires well past the confines of the current space I had to build my model railroad layout within.

What sort of model railroad would you build if you didn't have to be limited by a room? Would you build a large switching yard complex, and then lay your mainline through the suburbs to eventually leave the city behind and start meandering its way across the countryside without regard to "selective compression"?

Or, would you finally build that rail line through near impassable rugged mountains, with the railhead being many hundreds of scale feet above the canyon floor?

If you could build such lines as these, wouldn't it be neat if you didn't have to worry about fitting it into your room?

Wouldn't it be great if you could not only have sounds that accurately reflect the locomotive and rolling stock, but also the ability for you to get INSIDE that model engine and see the layout from the vantage point the engineer would see?

Just think about traversing a high trestle, and hanging your head out the window and looking down at the rugged scene below... wouldn't that be fantastic?

Wouldn't it be neat to be able to "ride" the side of a boxcar as you go about doing some switching along the way?

And, still dreaming here, as you take your train around that layout from inside the cab of that model engine... what if you have to watch for opposing trains? Watch your signals? Read your train orders? In other words, actually RAILROAD... yet without having to recruit, teach, and then coordinate the extra real people needed to run your model railroad?

My interested newcomer, what you've just read is the world of V scale railroading. ALL of the above features (and much more) await your discovery in this fascinating new and growing hobby!

A modeler in V scale can essentially take this as far as he wants! You can now build that "favorite" railroad line of yours mile for mile, track for track, even running through accurately rendered terrain thanks to the marvels of modern digital technology! You can populate that new route of yours with thousands of available freeware structures and scenery objects... or you can even build accurate replicas of specific structures yourself!

Just want to railroad and let others do the work? You're in luck! There are now commercial endeavors for V scale in that you can purchase entire, complete routes, that only require a few "point/click" moves... and you're off! All this for less than the price of one or two top of the line model railroad boxcars!

Need space for that super-layout? Why, the only space you'll need is on your hard drive! You can take any route ("layout") you want with you to any location... all you need is your computer! Ever tried to move a model railroad layout, or worse, had to dismantle one because of relocation? If so, you'll immediately understand the beauty in that aspect of V scale!

If this is the first time you've been exposed to the new and exciting world of V scale railroading, you're in for quite a ride! There's a huge world outside the confines of your current model railroad room that's waiting for you to discover and explore!

Where to start? Well, first you'll need to obtain Microsoft's Train Simulator. Quickest way to do that is to hit your local computer store that sells software and check the shelves locally. Or, simply go to Amazon.com and purchase it there.

Once you get the core simulator package installed, it's time to learn the basics. Soon though, you'll be ready to start adding all the fantastic stuff that's available, both free and commercial. That's the point at which the upcoming V Scale Creations website can be of help! Come on back after we get our website up and fully functioning and I'll point you toward many websites that will help you to extract the most enjoyment from your new V scale hobby!

V Scale Creations