Dave Tori’s American Flyer layout features three distinct sections as well as stunning backdrops that help bring his S gauge world to life. […]
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Two more ways to wye
Louisville & Nashville freight 864 from Norton, Va., to Corbin, Ky., meets Southern First 88, a coal turn from Andover to Yuma, Va., on the wye at Appalachia on May 23, 1969. Although wyes are commonplace on prototype railroads, they can be challenging to model. Ron Flanary A “wye” describes an area where three turnouts […]
Duck, duck, belle?
Two Kansas City Southern “Southern Belles” cross the Kankakee River at Momence, Ill., on a southbound Union Pacific container train on July 16, 2011. The route between Chicago and Woodland Junction, Ill., is jointly operated by CSX and UP. Photo by Brian M. Schmidt […]
An aggravating situation, with a 1940s solution
Santa Fe 2-8-2 3243 climbs west toward Summit, Calif., in 1952. Chard Walker In the early 1940s, when steam locomotives were supreme, I worked on the Santa Fe around Los Angeles. At Redondo Junction, today the north end of the “Alameda Corridor” to the L.A. and Long Beach harbor facilities, Santa Fe’s Harbor Branch left […]
Chuck Willey’s temporary O scale layout
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Grand Central photo gallery
Trains magazine celebrates Grand Central Terminal’s 100th anniversary in our February 2013 issue with a comprehensive look at America’s most famous railroad station, from its planning and construction a century ago, and the thwarted attempts to place a skyscraper above it in the 1960s, to the incredible restoration work completed in recent decades that has […]
Build an outdoor turntable
The February 2013 issue features an article on building an indoor turntable by Nathan Turner. Download an article on building a turntable for outdoor use, originally published in the April 2008 issue. […]
Ma & Pa standard-gauge bobber in 1:29 scale
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 […]
A catalog of useful plants for railroad gardens
What appear to be small apple trees in bloom are really Mexican false heather, a.k.a. elfin herb (Cuphea hyssopifolia, Zones 8-11). These are easy to grow in full to partial sun and average soil and watering. They flower almost continually with white, pink, red, or purple blossoms, outdoors year round in the south or over-wintered […]
Aristo-Craft wireless throttle and sound system
Kevin Strong Wireless throttle and sound system Aristo-Craft Trains698 S. 21st St.Irvington NJ 07111Price: $175Website: www.aristocraft.com Wireless throttle/sound system combination with generic diesel sound for Aristo-Craft’s Revolution control system Pros: Self-contained wireless receiver/throttle/sound all on one board; sound component can be turned off and receiver used with third-party sound systemsCons: Sockets for speaker and other […]
Bachmann C-19 Consolidation
Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 1:20.3-scale 2-8-0 Bachmann Industries1400 E. Erie AvenuePhiladelphia PA 19124Price: $1,575Website: www.bachmanntrains.com Plastic and die-cast-metal model of a Denver & Rio Grande Western C-19 2-8-0; Pittman motor, blind drivers on middle axles; circuit board in tender; built in speaker; built in cooling fan; all-metal gear drive. Dimensions: Length, 31”; width (over window […]
Bachmann Li’l Big Haulers starter set
Marc Horovitz Complete gauge-1 train set Bachmann Trains1400 East Erie AvenuePhiladelphia PA 19124Price: $279Website: www.bachmanntrains.com Li’l Big Haulers “Fast Freight” train set (#90196); includes steam-outline locomotive, boxcar, gondola car, caboose, circle of track, power supply, speed controller, and instructions in three languages; four-wheel rolling stock; hook-and-loop couplers; instruction booklet; exploded drawing of engine Pros: Attractively […]
