Terrain for Trains produces fine hard-shell molded plastic layouts, providing a no-mess, no-hassle method for building and operating model trains layouts.
The key to the durability and long life of Terrain for Trains layouts is the material used to mold them. We do not use urethane foam or styrofoam, materials best suited for picnic coolers and packaging protectors. They are not durable enough for train layouts even when wrapped in plaster cloth. Add enough plaster or hydrocal to effectively stiffen a foam layout and you no longer have a "light weight" layout .
Terrain for Trains layouts are molded from sheets of 1/8 inch thick polystyrene, a rigid hard-shell material that is also light and extremely rugged. It provides an ideal base for the model railroader; it can be painted with several different types of paint and various accessories and scenic details are easily glued to it. All the materials necessary to completely finish any of our layouts are available from your local hobby dealer.
Details are important to the success of any model railroad, and we have plenty molded into the surface of every layout. You'll find hills and valleys, rock outcroppings, streams and ponds, roadbed for the track, roads and parking lots for cars, and lots of level building sites waiting to have structures erected on them.
Simplicity is another factor important to the success of your railroad, and this is particularly true if you are a beginner. Our layouts are designed to use Atlas SnapTrack which is available at nearly every hobby dealer in America. You simply slide the layout from its shipping carton and glue the track to the layout surface while following the printed track plan and the guide lines molded into the roadbed. Any "super glue" found at your hobby dealer will work just fine. You can be up and running in just a few hours -- many customers report as little as four hours invested in the assembly of the High Sierra, including the installation of the support pan (under the mountain).
We have received many letters of thanks from customers, both beginners and experienced model railroaders, who are finding great pleasure in their layouts. And they have accomplished this without messy plaster or heavy-duty woodworking. Once you have completed your layout, be sure to send us some photos. If you will allow us, we'll post them in our scrapbook.
Nearly Unlimited Expansion Possibilities
With the addition of the Terrain for Trains' extension modules, the Quarry and the Town of Rocky Ridge, you can now expand your High Sierra layout to fit almost any room dimension. Our suggested multiple-module track plans page illustrates only a few of the many combinations possible. The Town of Rocky Ridge is a "pass through" or end-loop module and The Quarry can be used as a 90-degree corner or an end-loop. No electrical problems (such as reverse loop conditions) will occur if our modules are used as designed.