Kentucky diesel paint schemes

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Louisville & Nashville adopted Alcos by the 1950s on lines in eastern Kentucky. The railroad first painted RS3s, FA2s, and FB2s in black, cream, and orange, but later opted for simpler schemes. R.D. Sharpless, Louisville & Nashville Historical Society collection Q My family moved from Texas to southeastern Kentucky in the mid-1950s, and I remember […]

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A Special Wish garden railway project

A Special Wish garden railway project

Special note: All photos courtesy of Aileen Elizabeth Photography For many, garden railways are a unique hobby, but for Jack, a garden railway was a “special wish.” A Special Wish Foundation, North Central Ohio Chapter (“Special Wish”), is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children under the age of twenty-one who […]

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Creative ideas for your garden railroad

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Photo 1 This plunging waterfall is on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad in northern Ohio. It is “pondless,” with an underground pump reservoir beneath the mill. Don Parker Photo 2 The waterwheel from the mill in photo 1 is built around a section of 4″ plastic drain pipe. Don Parker Photo 3 This telltale […]

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Take steps to make stairs for your garden railway

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Photo 1 On the gravel division of the author’s Aggie (a 7/8″ railway at 1:13.7 scale), work piles up, but it’s time to take a break on the front steps. Lake Phillips welded steel stairs and wrap-around decking for the ceramic mine office, modeled after one in Wales by Chris Greenwald (C&N Designs—candndesigns@msn.com). The raised […]

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Accucraft live-steam 4-4-2

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Marc Horovitz 1:32 scale, gauge 1, live-steam 4-4-2 Accucraft 33268 Central Ave Union City CA 94587 Price: $3,700 Website: www.accucraft.com 1:32 scale, gauge-1 model of a Pennsylvania E-6 Atlantic; locomotive-type boiler with five flues; superheater; 60 psi blowoff pressure; alcohol fired; hand pump in tender; axle pump on rear driven axle; bypass system; water glass; […]

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Brandbright hopper-wagon kit

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Marc Horovitz 1:19 scale, gauge 0 or 1, hopper-wagon kit Brandbright Ltd. Unit 3, Holland Business Park Holland Way Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 7TA United Kingdom Price £27.50 ea; £97.50/four (less wheels and couplers) Website: www.brandbright.co.uk Laser-cut wooden kit (#GS19) for a British narrow gauge, four-wheel hopper car (wagon); white-metal and other hardware supplied; instruction […]

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Proxxon hot-wire cutter

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Marc Horovitz Hot-wire cutter Proxxon 2555 Tate Blvd. SE Hickory NC 28601 Price: $109.80 Website: www.proxxon.com Hot-wire foam cutter (Thermocut 115/E); 115V; adjustable wire tension; adjustable wire angle; built-in protractor; built-in angle gauge with fence; adjustable wire temperature; on/off switch; user’s manual. Dimensions: Base depth, 15 3/4″; overall depth, 20 1/2″; base width, 11 3/4″; […]

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USA Trains passenger cars

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Marc Horovitz 1:29 scale, gauge-1 passenger cars USA Trains PO Box 100 Malden MA 02148 Prices: All cars are $479.95 ea. except the Vista Dome and observation, which are $499.95 ea. Website: www.usatrains.com Mostly metal passenger cars; extruded aluminum body; five different body styles; sprung, diecast-metal trucks with metal wheels; LED interior lighting; opening doors […]

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Video: Kato N scale SDP40F with ESU LokSound

Kato N scale SDP40F with ESU LokSound

This latest version of the N scale Electro-Motive Division SDP40F from Kato USA includes a factory installed ESU LokSound decoder. Check out this demo of the locomotive and the decoder’s realistic Full Throttle diesel sound package in this exclusive video on the Model Railroader staff’s N scale Salt Lake Route model train layout. […]

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