Name: Penn Central Hitop Branch Layout owner: Steve Campbell Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 4 x 8 feet Prototype: Penn Central (New York Central) Locale: West Virginia Era: 1968 to 1975 Style: island Mainline run: 18 feet Minimum radius: 22″ (main), 18″ (branch) Minimum turnout: Atlas Snap-Switch Maximum grade: 3.4 percent Benchwork: cookie-cutter Height: 40″ to […]
Section: How To
HO scale Red Branch & Union RR
Name: Red Branch & Union RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Midwestern granger road Locale: Illinois Era: 1975 Style: island Mainline run: 20 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: Atlas 18″ radius Snap-Switch Maximum grade: none (flat) This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link […]
HO scale Sherman Hills
Name: Sherman Hills Layout owner: Judy Milford Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 5′-10″ x 9′-0″ Theme: small-town America Locale: generic northeastern U.S. Era: 1960s Style: island Mainline run: 32 feet in two separate loops Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: flat Benchwork: L-girder Height: 40″ (lower loop), 48″ (upper) Roadbed: cork Track: Atlas […]
HO scale Virginia & Southern RR
Name: Virginia & Southern RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Main line coal hauling Locale: Appalachian mountains Era: 1950s Style: island Mainline run: 19 feet (double-tracked) Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 3 percent This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link […]
N scale Coalton & Silver Range RR
Name: Coalton & Silver Range RR Scale: N (1:160) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Rocky Mountain mining Locale: Colorado Era: 1920s Style: island Mainline run: 37 feet Minimum radius: 15″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 3 percent This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link to download […]
O scale Water Street Industrial District
Name: Water Street Industrial District Scale: O (1:48) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Urban switching Locale: Generic city Era: 1940s-1950s Style: modular Mainline run: none Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: Atlas 20th Century Rail two-rail wye Maximum grade: none (flat) This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link […]
Sn3 scale Denver & Rio Grande Western
Name: Denver & Rio Grande Western Layout owner: Pat Gerstle Scale: Sn3 (1:64 proportion, 3-foot gauge) Size: 8 x 16 feet Prototype: Denver & Rio Grande Western Era: 1940s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 24 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: L-girder Height: 50″ Roadbed: Homasote Track: about 80 […]
Project plans: Build a railroad beam bridge
Download plans for a railroad beam bridge. Learn how modeler Jim Ferenc scratchbuilt this common railroad bridge for his HO scale Colorado & Southern Northern Division model train layout in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Jim used wooden ties and plastic girders on his bridge. […]
Things I leave out when modeling N scale
These cattle on Jim Kelly’s N scale Tehachapi layout are content to loaf among the trees, and that’s a good thing, as there’s no fence to keep them off the railroad. Bet you didn’t notice. Jim Kelly photo The more I look at photos, the more I realize the images of place I’ve stored in […]
Winston-Salem Southbound Series: Painting an EMD GP9 diesel locomotive, Part 2 – Shell preparations
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody continues preparing our Athearn Genesis EMD GP9 for painting and decoration. In this video, he demonstrates how to perform a detailed cleaning of the shell, along with showing steps for removing, patching, and replacing various components to match the Winston-Salem Southbound prototype […]
Winston-Salem Southbound Series: Painting an EMD GP9 diesel locomotive, Part 1 – stripping paint
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page While work on MRVP’s Winston-Salem HO project layout continues, Cody takes on the task of painting up our model railroad’s diesel locomotive. In this mini-series, Cody will walk through the steps for disassembling, stripping, detailing, painting, decaling, and weathering an Athearn Genesis EMD […]
How to photograph a model train layout
Brooks Stover has had many articles and photos published in Model Railroader magazine. In this easy-to-follow guide Brooks will give you some tips for taking better digital photos of model trains and layout scenes. Click on the link below to download the free model railroad digital photography guide. How to photograph a model train layout […]