Track tricks: Superelevate curves in 4 easy steps

Superelevatetrack1

A locomotive leaning into a superelevated curve is a dramatic scene on a prototype and model railroad. Follow the simple method above for making superelevated curves on your model train layout using layers of cardstock shims I think the most exciting railroad photos are of a locomotive at speed leaning into a curve. This “lean” […]

Read More…

What’s in a photograph?: C&O’s ‘Sportsman’ at Staunton, Va.

StauntonVa

A single photo from the 1950s of C&O’s ‘Sportsman’ at a small-city station at Staunton, Va., reveals plenty of small, easily overlooked details. 1 – Freight house Staunton (“Stan-ton”) in 1950 had a population of 19,927. All towns of this significance once had a freight house where less-than-carload (LCL) freight was handled. Warehousemen used a […]

Read More…

How-to Library: C&NW Suburban Service, Part 3

Cody working on his Chicago & North Western HO scale commuter car project.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Plenty of tasks still to tackle if Cody wants to keep his Chicago & North Western HO scale commuter car project moving forward. From adding rust effects to the trucks and diaphragms to painting the car interior, Cody shows you how! […]

Read More…

HO scale Belfast and Vinehaven RR

HOscaleBelfastVinehavenRRthumb

Click on the image to download a PDF of the track plan. Name: Belfast & ­Vinehaven RR and Portland & Mystic Line Layout owner: Arnie Hall Scale: HO and HOn3 (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 40 feet Prototype: Freelanced bridge line Locale: New England coast Era: mid-1940s to early 1950s Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 110 feet […]

Read More…

Howard Clark’s HO scale model railroad

HowardClarksHOscaleModelRailroadthumb

Click on the image to download a PDF of the track plan. Name: Howard Clark’s model railroad Layout owner: Howard Clark Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 10′-8″ x 20′-0″ Theme: freelanced urban railroad, inspired by Baltimore & Ohio, New York Central, and Nickel Plate Road Locale: eastern United States Era: 1950s Style: multi-level walk-in Mainline run: […]

Read More…

What’s in a photograph?: Norfolk & Western at Blue Ridge, Va.

View from the cab of a Norfolk & Western 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive on an eastbound freight in 1953 at Blue Ridge, West Virginia. The photograph is black and white with 12 numbered callouts.

1 Split-point derail device. Considered more effective than a lifting-block derail when there is extra risk of cars rolling out onto the main line from a “house track” or “back track” (terms for station trackage other than a passing siding), or from an industry track, especially when there is a descending grade toward the switch, […]

Read More…

How-to Library: Turning Spaces into Places, Part 3

Gerry Leone in front of his multi-level layout.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page   In Part 3 of this mini-series, Gerry Leone struggles to figure out the best way to build his undulating roadway. Follow along to see how he works out a solution that incorporates stacked foam insulation board, Sculptamold, and plaster cloth. […]

Read More…