Ask MRVP: Episode 29

Kent Johnson writing a to-do list on a chalkboard.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page No David? No problem…at least this month! Why? Because you’ve still got the entire MR/MRVP staff ready and willing to help address your hobby questions! This time Jenny, Ben, Cody, Eric, Hal, and even Contributing Editor Gerry Leone pitch in to cover topics […]

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Ask MRVP: Episode 29

Kent Johnson writing a to-do list on a chalkboard.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page No David? No problem…at least this month! Why? Because you’ve still got the entire MR/MRVP staff ready and willing to help address your hobby questions! This time Jenny, Ben, Cody, Eric, Hal, and even Contributing Editor Gerry Leone pitch in to cover topics […]

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Ask MRVP: Episode 28

David Popp walking by a hallway entrance with his hands in the air and making a silly face.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Ask MRVP host David Popp tackles YOUR hobby questions with some assistance from Cody Grivno, Dana Kawala, and even Off The Rails host Gerry Leone! Topics cover benchwork, track, wiring, scenery, modeling, painting and weathering, and plenty more! […]

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Ask MRVP: Episode 28

David Popp walking by a hallway entrance with his hands in the air and making a silly face.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Ask MRVP host David Popp tackles YOUR hobby questions with some assistance from Cody Grivno, Dana Kawala, and even Off The Rails host Gerry Leone! Topics cover benchwork, track, wiring, scenery, modeling, painting and weathering, and plenty more! […]

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Biodiesel fuel in locomotives

Q Certain states require fueling stations to blend biodiesel into diesel fuel for cars and trucks at different times of the year. Do railroads use biodiesel in their locomotives? – Brett Schmidt, Madison, Wis. A Class I railroads, regionals, short lines, and commuter agencies have tried biodiesel with a variety of blends from a 10-percent […]

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Ask MRVP: Episode 27

David Popp and Cody Grivno standing in the MR&T layout room at Kalmbach Media.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page The questions keep coming to Ask MRVP (Thank YOU!), so this month host David Popp enlists help from none other than Cody Grivno. Together they address inquires related to our MR&T HO scale layout, diesel detailing, working with foam scenery, layout trackwork, wiring, […]

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Ask MRVP: Episode 27

David Popp and Cody Grivno standing in the MR&T layout room at Kalmbach Media.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page The questions keep coming to Ask MRVP (Thank YOU!), so this month host David Popp enlists help from none other than Cody Grivno. Together they address inquires related to our MR&T HO scale layout, diesel detailing, working with foam scenery, layout trackwork, wiring, […]

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Locomotives’ minimum speed

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An ammeter in a GP40-2 with the short-time rating plate below. Note the duplicate time chart listed on the gauge as well. Chris Guss Q Why is it that a D.C. traction locomotive can stay below its continuous full-power minimum speed limit for only 30 minutes while an A.C. traction unit can grind away in […]

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Diesel locomotive pooling

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Two Canadian Pacific trains, with motive power from CP, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern, meet near Oconomowoc, Wis., in November 2014. Brian Schmidt Q It is common to see a train from one railroad which is powered, partially or fully, by locomotives from another railroad. Why does this happen so frequently and how is the […]

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Ask MRVP: Episode 26

David Popp wearing a Hawaiian shirt and standing next to a model railroad.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Thanks to an abundance of inquiries last month, host David Popp had plenty to address in this extended-length June 2017 episode of Ask MRVP! David, along with help from Cody Grivno, Kent Johnson, and Ben Lake, tackles hobby questions regarding layout operation, turnouts, […]

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Ask MRVP: Episode 26

David Popp wearing a Hawaiian shirt and standing next to a model railroad.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Thanks to an abundance of inquiries last month, host David Popp had plenty to address in this extended-length June 2017 episode of Ask MRVP! David, along with help from Cody Grivno, Kent Johnson, and Ben Lake, tackles hobby questions regarding layout operation, turnouts, […]

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Cabooses, not cabeese

A line of colorful cabooses sits behind a gravel loading platform

Volunteers at the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville, Ind., prepare a string of cabooses (not cabeese) for an excursion in December 2013. Steve Sweeney Q If the plural of “goose” is “geese,” then is the plural of “caboose,” “cabeese?” What is the proper plural form of “caboose?” – William James, Manchester, N.H. A Our collected […]

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