Postwar Lionel no. 182 crane motor

Q: I rewound the motor for my Lionel no. 182 crane, and the motor works fine, but I am unable to make it reverse. I called Lionel but they didn’t have a diagram for the no. 182. Instead, the service representative sent a diagram for a no. 165 crane. The big difference in the cranes […]

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Boston & Maine

Track plan at a glance Name: Boston & Maine Scale: O (1:48) Size: 17 x 28 feet Period: early 1950s or mid-1960s Style: single-level walkaround Mainline run: 120 feet Minimum radius: 48″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Originally appeared in the 2006 issue of Great Model Railroads. See a PDF version of this track plan by […]

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California Scenic RR

Track plan at a glance Name: California Scenic RR Scale: O (1:48) Size: 17 x 24 feet Prototype: Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Period: 1940s to 1960s Minimum radius: 68″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Originally appeared in the 1998 issue of Great Model Railroads. See a PDF version of this track […]

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Winged Foot & Western

Track plan at a glance Name: Winged Foot & Western Scale: On3 (1:48) Size: 10 x 28 feet Theme: free-lance logging and mining railroad Period: turn-of-the-century Style: point-to-loop Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 4 percent Originally appeared in the 2000 issue of Great Model Railroads. Click here to download a PDF of this track […]

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Oregon Short Line

Track plan at a glance Name: Oregon Short Line Scale: O (1:48) Size: 38′-6″ x 51′-0″ Prototype: Union Pacific RR Era: June 1950 Style: around the walls Mainline run: 190 feet Minimum radius: 76″ Minimum turnout: main line, no. 8; yards, no. 6 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Model […]

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MTH O gauge Coors Silver Bullet

WHEN I SAW a Coors Silver Bullet commercial in 2004, I said, “Cool.” When I saw MTH’s announcement that it was making an O gauge model of the Coors Silver Bullet, I said, “Cool, but they’ll never really make that.” When I opened the shipping carton, I said, “Cool, look at all that crazy chrome!” […]

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MTH O gauge Leland-Detroit monorail

THIS “RETROVILLE” MONORAIL from MTH is a hoot. It had me recalling an old TV show where a character from the past ends up in the 21st century. He exclaims, “Where are the flying cars? We were promised flying cars!” Well, we were also promised jet backpacks, robot maids, and, of course, monorails. Seven years […]

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Algoma River RR

Track plan at a glance Name: Algoma River RR Scale: On3 (1:48 proportion, three-foot narrow gauge) Size: 19½ x 22½ feet plus extension into workshop Prototype: free-lance Period: late 1920s, early 1930s Style: walk-in, walkaround Mainline run: 108 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (30″ on branch) Minimum turnout: approximately no. 4, handlaid to fit Maximum grade: […]

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Broak & Kantifordit Tie & Timber Co.

Track plan at a glance Name: Broak & Kantifordit Tie & Timber Co. Scale: On3 (1:48, three-foot gauge) Size: 11 x 11 feet Period: 1920s and ’30s Style: around the walls Mainline run: 55 feet Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 7 percent Originally appeared in the 2002 issue of Great Model […]

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C.W. North Logging Co.

Track plan at a glance Name: C.W. North Logging RR Scale: On3 (1:48, 3-foot narrow gauge) Size: 2 x 16 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania logging railroads Period: 1930s Style: sectional Mainline run: 16 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Originally appeared in the 2004 issue of Great Model Railroads. Also appeared in 102 Realistic […]

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Penn Central’s Mon Division

Track plan at a glance Name: Penn Central’s Mon Division Scale: O (1:48) Size: 20 x 23 feet Prototype: Penn Central Period: summer 1970 Style: loop with operating pits Mainline run: 75 feet Minimum radius: 56″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the 2004 issue of Great Model Railroads. Click on […]

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Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines

Track plan at a glanceName: Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore LinesScale: O (1:48)Size: 12 x 30 feetPrototype: PRSL Camden-Atlantic City main linePeriod: September 21, 1955Style: walk-in with spiral aisleMinimum radius: 54″ (main line)Minimum turnout: no. 6Originally appeared in the January 1999 issue of Model Railroader.Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan […]

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