The location of staging yards and positioning of your assembled paper model train buildings will be a factor in smooth operations. A staging yard could be as basic as a single track or complex enough to store and sort 50, 100 or even more cars. The right configuration and size will vary from railroad to railroad. Having effective looking railroad backdrops and model train buildings in place behind the rail yard can add to the drama and realism, making the yard and tracks look busy and exciting.

The paper model plans on this website can be downloaded, printed out, and constructed by adhering the paper plans directly to corflute (for backdrop buildings) and cardstock (used cereal boxes for 3D buildings). The PDF plans on these paper models are finely detailed with weathered textures that would be hard to replicate on the more costly plastic model kits. Once downloaded and constructed the paper model train buildings on this website are really sturdy. That’s not to say you can’t add additional pieces of card or corflute inside the model train buildings to give them “hulk-like” super strength. That is a simple process and costs virtually nothing.

The completed model train buildings feature excellent realistic textures that don’t require painting, although they can be carefully sprayed with a matt varnish if required. 2 or 3 light sprays from a distance is better than one heavy spray. The edges probably won’t need touching up, but this can easily be achieved using an artist brush, felt-tipped pen, or even an old fashioned lead pencil.

What is a railroad staging yard used for?

To prevent delays on the mainline, the staging yards will typically have multiple tracks in parallel to park rolling stock off the mainline. This is necessary to avoid obstructing the flow of mainline traffic. Staging tracks can serve a multitude of functions:

> Staging yards can be used for storing locomotives, cars, MOW equipment, and complete trains. That’s where everything gets stored when not in service.
> Staging yards can provide additional operational maneuvers. Trains have another place to go, so can disappear “off-stage” to an imaginary destination without the need to create the actual destination on the HO scale, N scale or OO scale model railroad.
> Staging yards can serve as an Interchange for connecting lines and other railroads.
> Staging yards can be used for classification allowing train consists to be sorted between (or during) an operating session.

So, when planning model railroad yard track design also plan for some spectacular and convincing model train buildings and industrial backdrop scenery. Industries are an important aspect of any real railroad, so it is logical that factories, warehouses, silos, loading docks, and other industrial structures to be a feature on the model railroad, or at least form part of the backdrop scenery against a background wall.

Model train buildings and railroad track can work hand in hand to complete the perfect miniature scene for your trains. With the trains, the scenery might look static and not really serve a purpose for being there. Without scenery, structures and model train buildings, the trains will look unnatural running on directly on top of plain benchwork. So, the create a truly convincing scene, the perfect N scale, OO gauge, or HO scale railroad layout needs trains moving and operating amongst like like scenery and structures. Working out the details to combine everything together in a full operational and totally realistic appearing setting is what makes railway modeling so much fun. The downside, is that like most sports and hobbies, the cost can add up especially with the high price of many locomotives and plastic buildings. Fortunately these days there are alternatives to those expensive plastic model kits, and the good thing is the alternatives are not only much cheaper, but they look more real when constructed and can be easily adapted to suit the needs of the individual modeler. Paper models downloaded and made from cardstock or corflute and balsa are the answer.