A Day With The Des Moines “Tramp”

Oblique rear view of a black model diesel locomotive on a bridge.

Follow Iowa Interstate Train NTSW-29, affectionately known as the Des Moines “Tramp”, as it delivers a carload to Beisser Lumber on the IAIS Grimes Line. Read about this modern-era model railroad and get a track plan in Model Railroad Planning 2014. Video shot by James McNab […]

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A Day With The Des Moines “Tramp”

Oblique rear view of a black model diesel locomotive on a bridge.

Follow Iowa Interstate Train NTSW-29, affectionately known as the Des Moines “Tramp”, as it delivers a carload to Beisser Lumber on the IAIS Grimes Line. Read about this modern-era model railroad and get a track plan in Model Railroad Planning 2014. Video shot by James McNab […]

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Flying high

  Union Pacific SD70M No. 4312 leads a train across Redding Trestle in Redding, Calif., in June 2008. Some of the local wildlife seems to be following the train’s lead. Photo by John Roskoski […]

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Build a faux stone bridge out of Styrofoam

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Rod Eaton In the August 2013 issue, contributor Eric Schade demonstrates how to make “stone” structures from leftover composite decking material. Download this companion article, originally published in the October 2011 issue, about how to make “stone” bridges easily out of Styrofoam. Click here to download a PDF of the article. […]

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Build a baggage cart in 1:29 scale

Build a baggage cart in 1:29

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Please make sure […]

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How to landscape around your buildings

model building on garden railway

What do your buildings have to say for themselves? Each structure evokes a feeling for its purpose, the folks who might live or work there, and a bit about the history that transpired on the premises, as shown in photo 1. How the structure was built and maintained is “written on the walls.” All of […]

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Accucraft Whitcomb diesel electric locomotive

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Marc Horovitz 1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, 45-ton diesel Accucraft Trains33268 Central Ave.Union City CA 94587Price: $995Website: http://accucraft.com 1:20.3 scale, gauge-1 model of 45-ton Whitcomb side-rod, diesel-electric locomotive; track powered; all metal construction; 0-24V DC operation; LED directional lighting; working knuckle couplers; two motors; all wheels powered. Dimensions: Length over end beams, 15″; width, 5 3/8″; […]

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Rochelle, Ill.

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Rochelle, Ill., is known as the Hub City for good reason. Main lines of both BNSF Railway and Union Pacific cross on the west side of town. Because of this, and the heavy rail traffic they bring, the city of Rochelle started the Rochelle Railroad Park in 1998. As many as 120 trains a day […]

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The Nepenthes, Gestalt, & Delirium Railway

The Nepenthes, Gestalt, & Delirium Railway

Railway at a glance Name: Nepenthes, Gestalt, & Delirium Railway Size of railroad: 40′ x 25′ Scale: Individual trains to various scales Gauges: 45mm & 63.5mm Era: Today Theme: The garden, trains, and the gestalt that results Age: 9 years Motive power: On-board battery, diesel outline; live steam; a little clockwork Length of mainline: 96′ […]

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