AIS 708 runs around an empty Wisconsin Central boxcar for spotting at City Carton at the north end of the IAIS Hills Industrial Spur. Video by James McNab. […]
CIC Yard Runaround
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Westbound double-stack train at Caliente
Removing shell of model locomotive Watch this double-stack train as it travels around Horseshoe Curve at Caliente, Calif., on this N-scale model railroad. Video submitted by Eugen Hänseler. […]
Study places cost of restoring Vancouver Island rail line at up to $700 million
More Wednesday morning rail news: — It would take more than $700 million to restore the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway line on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to operating condition suitable for a proposed commuter rail service, and another $600 million to launch such a service, according to a government report issued Tuesday. The Vancouver […]
MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 5 – Wood choppin’ workshop
David gets back to the workbench for a couple quick-hitter projects. First, he shows how to add a realistic, rusty patina to metal roofing material. And then, David shares his technique for chopping up scale chunks of firewood to be stack in the shack. Feel free to ask questions, and he’ll look to address them […]
Remembering the Santa Fe Railway
F units dressed in Santa Fe’s incomparable Warbonnet paint scheme accelerate the Chicago–Los Angeles Chief away from its station and crew stop at Chillicothe, Ill., in early 1968. J. David Ingles History of the Santa Fe Railway The Atchison & Topeka Railroad was chartered in 1859 to join the towns of its title and continue […]
Tips for better Lionel Fastrack
Charles Angelo Irace Lionel’s FasTrack system sectional track features a built-in molded plastic roadbed. It looks good right out of the box, but there are a few things I like to do to make it look even better. I start by bluing the center rail (above left photo) with Birchwood Casey Super Blue, using the […]
How to choose a scale: A garden railroader’s guide
This three-rail track incorporates two different gauges—0 gauge and 1-gauge. Trains in 16mm-scale (1:19) and 15mm-scale (1:20.3) are equally at home on these rails. Marc Horovitz Download the PDF here. Let’s look at the various scales available and list their characteristics, with an eye to finding their advantages and disadvantages. As mentioned above, the thing […]
New model trains for the week of April 30, 2020
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP38-2 diesel locomotive. Amtrak (silver and blue with Travelmark herald), BNSF Ry. (blue-and-white scheme in three numbers, solid blue in one number), General American Locomotive Group (black-and-blue scheme), and Helm Leasing (burgundy-and-black scheme). Four numbers per scheme unless noted. Solid pilot face with screw-mounted coupler pockets on both ends, light-emitting-diode […]
Ask MR: How to line turnouts on thick benchwork
Question: I‘m building an N scale layout on a hollow core door covered with 2″ thick extruded-foam insulation board on top. I’d like to remotely control a few of the turnouts that aren’t easily reachable from the front of the layout. Any suggestions on how to operate these turnouts? The thickness of the foam plus […]
MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 4 – Putting parts together
After checking the bond of the previously glued components, David moves to the next step — building the laser-cut pieces and parts into an O scale structure for the Olympia Logging Co. display-style layout. Along the way, you’ll see that even David has to make do with the tools and materials he has available at […]
MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 3 – Some assembly required
David Popp is now working weekends to give MRVideoPlus.com subscribers an exclusive episode from his basement bunker. See how the parts and pieces of the wood kit start to come apart…all to come together again! But even in the midst of offering great tips and tricks, our expert builder must still manage a few unexpected […]
The N scale Milwaukee Road North Montana Line
When I cut a hole in the living room wall in order to expand my N scale railroad into the hallway beyond, I thought that was as large a model railroad as I would ever own. I was just happy that my wife agreed to my bizarre suggestion (see “Harlowton, Montana, in N scale,” Model […]
