N scale BC Rail Fort St. Johns Subdivision

NscaleBCRailStJohnsSub

Name: Fort St. John Subdivision Layout owner: Christian Javier Scale: N (1:160) Size: 12′-0″ x 21′-6″ Prototype: British Columbia Ry. Locale: Eastern British Columbia Era: 1977 Style: multiple-deck around-the-walls Mainline run: 90 feet (excluding helix) Minimum radius: 16″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 2.2 percent (in helix) This track plan originally appeared in the […]

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O scale Pennsylvania RR Nassau Division

OscalePennsylvaniaRRNassauDivision

Name: Pennsylvania RR Nassau Division Layout owner: John Sethian Scale: O (1:48) Size: 21 x 31 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR electrified lines Locale: New Jersey and Pennsylvania Era: 1955 to 1957 Style: walk-in with duckunder Mainline run: 110 feet Minimum radius: 57″ (visible), 44″ (hidden) Minimum turnout: no. 71⁄2 Maximum grade: 1.8 percent Benchwork: open-grid […]

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Z scale Cale, Bear Mountain & Harrisonville

ZscaleCaleBearMountainHarrisonville

Name: Cale, Bear Mountain & Harrisonville Layout owner: Vern Sargent Scale: Z (1:220) Size: 2′-0″ x 3′-2″ Prototype: Milwaukee Road and Monon Locale: southern Indiana Era: 1945 to 1955 Mainline run: 15 feet Minimum radius: 811⁄16″ Minimum turnout: no. 41⁄2 Maximum grade: 4 percent Benchwork: extruded-foam insulation board Height: varies Roadbed: cork on 1⁄4″ plywood […]

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Plans for an octagonal blacksmith shop

HOscaleblacksmithplans

Click on the image to download the plans. Model railroader Raymond Howard scratchbuilt an HO scale model of a blacksmith shop in Alloway, N.Y. The prototype was built in 1832 with cobblestone walls in an octagonal configuration. You can read about how Raymond cast plaster walls for his model in the October 2017 issue of […]

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HO scale Baltimore Harbor District

Baltimore harbor District

Wagners Point (Updated from the December 2015 issue) Carroll Street on the Baltimore Harbor District (Update from the October 2017 issue) Name: Baltimore Harbor District Layout designer: Paul Dolkos Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 29 feet (in two rooms) Prototypes: Baltimore & Ohio, Canton RR, Pennsylvania RR, and Western Maryland Locale: Baltimore Period: 1955 […]

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Creative ideas for your garden railroad

creative_idea1

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

add_stairs1

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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Video 101: Postproduction

a model train running on a garden railroad

“The trainyard is your media; the train is your story. Assemble the tracks you need. Then create the trains to run on them.” My Apple Store instructor was searching for an analogy for our class about movie making, not describing Southern Pacific operations. The resemblance worked for me. Postproduction Transforming our rough clips and music […]

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Video 101: Postproduction

a model train running on a garden railroad

“The trainyard is your media; the train is your story. Assemble the tracks you need. Then create the trains to run on them.” My Apple Store instructor was searching for an analogy for our class about movie making, not describing Southern Pacific operations. The resemblance worked for me. Postproduction Transforming our rough clips and music […]

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How-to Library: Weathering diesel locomotive details

Cody Grivno adds weathering effects to a model train.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page   As a follow-up to Cody Grivno’s initial video on adding realistic weathering effects to an out-of-the-box HO scale model, he now shows you how to apply additional effects to specific components of a hardworking diesel locomotive. Of course, the techniques Cody demonstrates […]

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