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Recent Updates

7/8/17: Stan Patterson shows off some nice looking trains and some excellent scenery pieces on his Facebook page.

2/13/16: John Cliff has written several interesting blog posts covering topics that include making sloped wood track, using binding screws as axles, and 3D printing components to supplement wood track layouts.  Check out his site here.

2/13/16: The Tinkering Techie has some interesting ideas for track connections and train couplers that I've never seen before.  Link

11/16/15: It's been almost a year since I've made any new trains.  I've finally gotten around to posting a few new pictures in the gallery of trains made back in 2014--three new engines and a car (an automobile with Sir Topham Hat).  Scroll to the bottom of the gallery to see the new images.  

What Is This Site For?

Back in 2005 when I started making trains I was disappointed by the apparent absence of an online train building community.  I assumed there were more people out in the world other than me and Todd Hoogerland with interest in this eccentric and obscure hobby. Since then I've seen a few websites and blog posts pop up here and there.  While this website isn't an interactive community per se, my hope is that it can be a resource for train builders.

Feel free to ask questions and share your own ideas. Also, don't hesitate to email me at woodtrains@gmail.com. I'd love to grow this site over time to make it a resource for anyone who builds their own wooden toy trains.

My Story

In 2005 my two oldest sons became old enough to start playing with toy trains.  I was shocked by the cost of Thomas branded toys. I'm a fairly handy person and I searched the internet to see if building my own toy trains was feasible. I figured somebody must have gone down this "track" before. I discovered a website created by Todd Hoogerland.  His was the only site I could find that provided "how to" guidance and a gallery of work.  Even though his excellent site has not been updated for many years it inspired me to build my own wooden trains.  I've made many trains now and photos of some are in the gallery.

When I first started building trains, my motivation was to save money. It didn't take long for me to realize the investment in time and tools far outweighs the savings.  Building is not a reasonable alternative to buying commercial if you're trying to build a fleet of trains on the cheap.  But it's fun!  Building my own trains has become a small hobby.  There's something satisfying about building a toy and seeing a child play with it.