A simple transition-era locomotive terminal

Linn H. Westcott Want to add a basic locomotive servicing area but don’t have room for the turntable, roundhouse, and other shop and warehouse buildings typical of a large facility? As this 1953 photo of a Missouri Pacific RR fueling facility in Little Rock, Ark., shows, a no-frills fueling area can easily be modeled in […]

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Demystifying railroad accounting, page three

Go to page 1 Go to page 2 The second component of car hire is the mileage payment. Each car has an assigned mileage rate, which is multiplied by the number of miles it runs over other carriers to determine payments. Railroad-owned cars (whose reporting marks are railroad initials) are subject to both per diem […]

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Workshop safety for large-scale railroaders

A messy work area is not only unsightly, it is unsafe. A shop floor needs to be kept clear of dust and debris. Losing your footing can result in a sprained ankle, not to mention hitting your head on your workbench. Sweeping up at the end of your work session is all that is needed […]

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Build the Milwaukee Road Beer Line part 5

David Popp next to a layout

Follow Model Railroader Managing Editor David Popp as he shows you some of the configurations of our Beer Line project layout. He also show you some of the operations on the HO scale railroad, including how we use a car-card-and-waybill operating system. […]

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The Operators video special: Mail and express train car models

Andy Sperandeo next to layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page You’ll find tips for adding mail and express switching operations to your layout in the July 2010 installment of “The Operators” column in Model Railroader. In this video, Executive Editor Andy Sperandeo shows you some of the mail and express train car models […]

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Banish derailments on your model railroad

Align every rail joint Every rail joint must be carefully aligned, properly fitted, and level. Sight along the rail to check the alignment through the rail joiner. After the track is spiked down, use a fine file to smooth the top and inside corner of the rail joint until you can slide a fingernail across […]

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