Adriane stays at stake #1 while I move around the yard. Here, the string has been tied to the second set of stakes. I call out dimensions while Adriane notes them on the site plan. A small passenger train is ready to depart the station on the newly completed Colorado & Pacific Marc Horovitz Marc […]
Marc Horovitz Adriane curves the rail in a bench-mounted rail bender. Marc Horovitz I confess to being something of a track fanatic. I love track. To me, the railway is the track. Track can make or break a line. No matter how beautiful or well thought out the rest of the railroad is, poor trackwork […]
This wooden column supports the control center. Leads have been neatly attached to it. Marc Horovitz Small trains give the illusion of traveling long distances in a garden railway. Marc Horovitz With our trackwork complete, we could now turn our thoughts toward wiring the Colorado & Pacific. Since ours was a small railroad, wiring would […]
Choosing the right tools will make garden railroading a much easier experience. Marc Horovitz There is no single right way to build a garden railroad. There are, however, lots of wrong ways. The first step in heading down the wrong path starts with the tools you choose to do the work. In garden railroading, as […]
In this overview of the entire FCM de STL, you can see how much action and detail is contained in a small space. Knobs on the fascia boards control turnouts, while on/off switches control power to sidings. Bill Zuback The open-air market in the town of Santa Lucia bustles with life. Bill Zuback An FCM […]
A lumberjack rolls wet timber to the ramp at the R&P Lumber Company sawmill. The “water” is made of clear resin. Marc Horovitz A bird’s-eye view of the little town of Aurora, nestled high in the Colorado Mountains. Marc Horovitz Engine No. 1 crosses the high bridge at Indian Leap, with a load of empties, […]
This RhB Ge 6/6 II locomotive is one of a batch that was built by the author and a group of other modelers. It takes its power from the overhead wires. Martin v. Meyenburg The functioning overhead catenary system provides power for all locomotives that run on the line. The entire system was scratchbuilt. Martin […]
Broadway Limited’s HO AC6000CW diesel Here’s a powerful model of General Electric’s massive six-axle AC6000CW heavy-duty road diesel. The ready-to-run locomotive from Broadway Limited Imports is offered for the first time in plastic. It features an injection-molded plastic body shell with many freestanding details. The model also has a lot of heft (27 ounces) thanks […]
Alco HO RS-27 This first-rate Alco RS-27 road switcher delivers realistic sound effects and smooth operation. It’s a second generation Alco from Life-Like’s Proto 2000 line that comes ready-to-run in a DC-only version or with a factory-installed dual-mode decoder and QSI Quantum Sound system that operates on digital command control (DCC) or DC layouts. A […]
Athearn HO 65-foot mill gondola An excellent model of a 65-foot mill gondola with movable drop ends is now available from Athearn. It comes ready-to-run with metal wheels and insulated magnetic knuckle couplers. Mill gondolas are designed to haul finished steel products such as angles, I-beams, or other structural shapes. All of the bracing is […]
At the turn of the century even the smallest trains left little room for indoor model railroading Back before the “dawn of time,” say around 1860, the model train hobby was in its infancy, as was the full-size railroad industry. In fact, for decades, the development of model railways closely paralleled that of full-size railways. […]
Marc Horovitz Marc Horovitz Marc Horovitz There are several ways of connecting a lead wire to the rail. Perhaps the most positive is soldering it. The wire can also be connected mechanically. Screw-on connectors are not too reliable outdoors. However, a wire can be screwed to a clamp-on rail joiner. Split Jaw Rail Clamps offers […]
