Thin Branch Series: Powering turnout frogs

David installing turnouts.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page You can improve the operation on most any railroad by installing turnouts with powered frogs. David shows you how we set up the Thin Branch project railroad with turnout frogs powered through switch motor contacts. […]

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Cass before it was Cass

  With Cass Shay No. 4 lettered for the scrapper that was dismantling the railroad, a governor’s special visits the wye located at Camp One on Bald Knob on April 23, 1961. Check out more Cass and West Virginia coverage in the August 2013 issue of Trains magazine. Photo by John P. Killoran […]

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HO scale Lehigh & Keystone Valley

MRRA0913_Lehigh_A

Name: Lehigh & Keystone Valley Layout designer: Lehigh & Keystone Valley model railroading club Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 45 x 60 feet Theme: Eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey Locale: Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley Era: 1950-1970 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 960 feet Minimum radius: 28″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent in helix […]

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S scale Central California RR

MRRB0613_Central

Name: Central California RR Layout designers: Robert Jackson and Brian Jackson Scale: S (1:64) Size: 27 x 39 feet Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (diesel) and Southern Pacific (steam and diesel) Locale: Fresno to Sacramento, Calif. Era: 1955-1959 Style: walkaround Height: 55″ to 58″ Benchwork: L-girder Roadbed: Homabed Track: code 100 flextrack and handlaid […]

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Thin Branch Series: Making puffball trees

Neil Besougloff holding materials for puffball trees.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Need a lot of tree-covered hills on your layout? In this video, MR’s editor Neil Besougloff shows you how to make common puffball trees. This technique models just the treetops, and it’s a great way to fill background hills with trees quickly. […]

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Thin Branch Series: Making puffball trees

Neil Besougloff holding materials for puffball trees.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Need a lot of tree-covered hills on your layout? In this video, MR’s editor Neil Besougloff shows you how to make common puffball trees. This technique models just the treetops, and it’s a great way to fill background hills with trees quickly. […]

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Thin Branch Series Ballasting a 1950s main line track

Cody ballasting alongside a track.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody Grivno, our one-man ballasting crew, shares his tips and techniques for ballasting a well-groomed 1950s mainline track. Cody takes you through the process start to finish on our HO scale Thin Branch project, but his techniques work just as well in other […]

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Thin Branch Series Ballasting a 1950s main line track

Cody ballasting alongside a track.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody Grivno, our one-man ballasting crew, shares his tips and techniques for ballasting a well-groomed 1950s mainline track. Cody takes you through the process start to finish on our HO scale Thin Branch project, but his techniques work just as well in other […]

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The HO scale Kettle Valley RR

KettleValleyRR

Name: Kettle Valley RR Layout designer: Jim Bonnett Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 11 x 22 feet Prototype: Canadian Pacific Locale: Canadian Rockies Era: late 1940s to early ’50s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 85 feet Minimum radius: 28” Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main); no. 4 (yards and industries) Maximum grade: 3 percent Originally appeared in the […]

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The HO scale City of North Weston

CityofNorthWeston

Name: The City of North Weston Layout designer: Larry Nast Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 8′ x 18′-2″ Prototype: Chicago & North Western Locale: upper Midwest Era: 1955 Style: island Mainline run: 80 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (yard) Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the August 2013 Model […]

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The HO scale Virginian Thin Branch

VirginianThinBranch

Name: The Thin Branch Layout designer: David Popp Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 30″ x 72″ Prototype: Virginian Ry. Locale: West Virginia Era: spring 1955 Style: portable Mainline run: 7 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: Atlas 22″ radius Snap-Switch Maximum grade: 3 percent (switchback) Originally appeared in the August 2013 Model Railroader. Click on the […]

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The N scale Aroostook Valley RR

Name: Aroostook Valley RR Layout designer: Geoffrey T. Smith Scale: N (1:160) Size: 7′-0″ x 16′-6″ Prototype: Aroostook Valley RR Location: Northern Maine Era: 1950s Style: Point-to-point (shelf) Mainline run: 23′-6″ Minimum radius: 14″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the August 2013 Model Railroader. Click on the link to download […]

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