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1. From the edge of the railway, red kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos ‘Dwarf Delight’, Zones 9-11) wave furry red fingers at trains from multi-branched stems all summer. Frank and Ruby Andrews planted these Aussie imports lower than the track to frame their Maple Rock Railway as trains pass. The plants’ frost-sensitive basal leaves may require mulching […]
Helper operations were carefully coordinated using locomotive whistle signals as specified in the railroad’s operating rules: (an “o” denotes a short sound, while a dash – indicates a longer whistle blast). The lead engineer handled the train’s air brake while each helper engineer had an independent brake for just his engine. Two long blasts on […]
Modified radio control servo motors operate the remote control turnouts on Jim Lomison’s HO layout. Turnout motors always seemed a bit pricey to me until I learned about servos from a friend who’s a radio control (RC) enthusiast. He uses servos in his aircraft, and they sell for less than $10 each. The “servo” name […]
Name: Boston & Maine Layout designer: Bob Gurley Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 22 x 50 feet Prototype: loosely based on Boston & Maine, Maine Central, and Grand Trunk Ry. Locale: New Hampshire and Maine Era: fall 1954 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 128 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Maximum grade: less than 1 percent Originally appeared in […]
Name: Elm Valley RR Layout designer: Floyd Simms Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 15′-9″ x 16′-6″ Theme: logging and quarrying Locale: Pacific Northwest Era: 1950s to ‘60s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 75 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3-1⁄4 percent in helix Originally appeared in the June 2014 Model Railroader. Click on […]
Construction on MRVP’s On30 display-style logging layout gets off to a fast start! MRVP’s David Popp introduces the sketched plans for the trackwork and diorama frame, before addressing the construction steps used to make the lower frame and leg assemblies. Also be sure to download the PDF of the Olympia benchwork specifications so you can […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader contributing editor Pelle Søeborg installed MagnaLock air brake lines (hoses) from North American Railcar Corp. on his HO scale freight cars. In this video you can see how the air hoses work during switching moves on Pelle’s Union Pacific Daneville Sub model train […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page As part of the shadow box construction on MRVP’s On30 Olympia Logging Co. layout, David Popp shows how to add a curved styrene backdrop. In this video, David demonstrates how he cuts and installs support components, makes cutouts in the styrene sheet, and […]
I think every model railroad should have a valance. What is a valance, you may ask? A valance is a view block suspended from the ceiling that follows the edge of the benchwork and frames the layout for viewing. If you think of a model railroad as a stage, then a valance serves the purpose […]
Building a small diorama for some of my N scale models allowed me to combine my two favorite hobbies: model railroading and photography. The idea for this project was formulated while I was building a number of N scale wood kits from Hunterline. In fact, I was having so much fun that I kept building […]
As the prototype photo depicts (below), even urban roads like this CSX route through Miami aren’t immune to weeds sprouting up along the rails. To model these scruffy patches on his HO scale layout, Thomas Klimoski used Heki Wild Grass Fiber. When adding scenery to a model railroad, many layout builders tend to overlook the […]
Head-end traffic helped cover some of the costs of America’s passenger trains for many years. Contracts with the United States Postal Service covered the transportation of mail, while the Railway Express Agency (REA) provided a nation- wide package delivery service. Small-to-medium-sized railroads forwarded most of the mail in Railway Post Office (RPO) cars and packages […]
