USA Trains GG-1 locomotive

Marc Horovitz 1:29 scale, gauge 1, GG-1 locomotiveUSA TrainsPO Box 100Malden MA 02148Check with your local dealer for price and availabilityWeb site: www.usatrains.com All-metal model of Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 electric locomotive; die-cast body and trucks; motorized pantographs; dual motors; steam exhaust unit; detailed cab interior; operates on regular track power or on DCC using QSI […]

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USA Trains Hudson locomotive

Marc Horovitz 1:29 scale, gauge-1 NYC Hudson USA Trains PO Box 100 Malden MA 02148 Price: $2,299.95 w/o sound; $2,699.95 with Phoenix sound system installed Web site: www.usatrains.com All-metal model of New York Central’s J1e Hudson; die-cast boiler, cab, tender shell, and detail parts; smoke unit synchronized to axle rotation (four puffs per revolution); working […]

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Build a work caboose

Download these free plans for a work caboose! They accompany our “Garden railway basics” articles from the June and August 2006 issues. Follow along with author Kevin Strong to build a work caboose from styrene. […]

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Cheap tricks in timber

Scrap wood, like that pictured here, is readily available and free for the asking. Rene Schweitzer Trestles! Bridges! Cribbing! Wooden rolling stock! There are many applications of unpainted wood for an outdoor pike to challenge the beginner and veteran alike, all requiring tools, time, money, and skill. The most common choices of wood for outdoor […]

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Soldering track

Soldering tools. Top row: mini torch; 40/60 rosin-core solder; liquid flux. Bottom row: heavy-duty pliers to align rails while the solder is hot; a wire brush for cleaning rail ends; and an Atlas Super Saw to cut the rails. Jack Verducci Here, two sections of flex track have been soldered. Notice that the solder has […]

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Aristo-Craft 2-8-8-2 Mallet locomotive

Marc Horovitz 1:29 scale, gauge 1 2-8-8-2 locomotiveAristo-Craft Trains698 South 21st St.Irvington NJ 07111Price: $945 ($993 for Union Pacific)Web site: www.aristocraft.com Plastic-and-metal model of a USRA 2-8-8-2 Mallet locomotive; USRA or Vanderbilt tender, depending upon road name; smoke unit; sound ready; DCC ready; battery ready; control switches under firebox; two motors with flywheels and fans; […]

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Tuscarora project railroad trackplan

Ten years on the Tuscarora

Download this free trackplan that accompanies our Tuscarora project railroad series. In the June 2006 issue: Determining a trackplan, surveying the land, and defining objectives In the August 2006 issue: Breaking ground and building a stone retaining wall In the October 2006 issue: Building a PVC-based trackbed In the December 2006 issue: Laying track In […]

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Micro-Trains to release GP9 in Z scale

Micro-Trains Line Co. announced that it will be releasing a Z scale Electro-Motive Division GP9. The model, scheduled for release in early 2007, will feature a Maxon 8 mm coreless motor with dual flywheels, golden-white light-emitting-diode headlights, etched-metal handrails, and Magne-Matic couplers. Road names and pricing information yet to be released. […]

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Designing a garden railway for live-steam locomotives

A Roundhouse “Fowler,” fitted with a coal-fired boiler by John Shawe, at work on the author’s garden railway near Toronto. Jeff Young photo When we acquire a small-scale live steamer, it is usually to run on an established garden railway. The selection of your live-steam locomotive was probably influenced by the physical characteristics of the […]

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Fire up a small-scale live steam locomotive

The No. 24 was the last locomotive supplied to the two-foot gauge Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad in Maine. This G scale live steam model was manufactured by Roundhouse Engineering of Doncaster, England. Kenneth Matticks Gas is added through the filler valve in the center of the tank. By watching the pressure gauge and […]

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