Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Warmer temps, Hawaiian shirts, and… (wait for it) turnout questions are back! In this May 2017 episode of Ask MRVP, host David Popp addresses a question regarding Pelle Søeborg’s scenery, installing backdrops, battery-powered trains, and much more! If you’re curious about these topics, […]
Train Topic: Beginners
Ask MRVP: Episode 25
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Warmer temps, Hawaiian shirts, and… (wait for it) turnout questions are back! In this May 2017 episode of Ask MRVP, host David Popp addresses a question regarding Pelle Søeborg’s scenery, installing backdrops, battery-powered trains, and much more! If you’re curious about these topics, […]
Montana Rail Link creation
On Sept. 26, 2013, Montana Rail Link’s eastbound Gas Local passes a westbound BNSF coal train in Plains, Mont., bound for Roberts Bank, British Columbia. Tom Danneman Q What was the reason BNSF sold off trackage to Montana Rail Link? As an observer, it appears most trains on the railroad are of BNSF origin. – […]
Big Boy braking power
Ten hoppers coupled to the Big Boy consist in January 2014 were used for additional braking power. Steve Sweeney Q Why was there a string of hopper cars in the consist moving Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 from Pomona to West Colton, Calif., in January 2014? – David Tritenbach, Kerrville, Texas A Although Union […]
An ancient scale test car
Scale test cars are used to calibrate in-track scales that weigh freight cars. The car shown above was built in 1891 and served until the 1980s. Jim Battle Q The car in this picture was in the New York, Susquehanna & Western’s Little Ferry, N.J., yard in September 1978. Do you know if it is […]
Ask MRVP: Episode 24
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Looks like show host David Popp (and the crew too) has a case of spring fever! What a perfect reason for this episode of Ask MRVP to venture into “wild” Wisconsin! This month, David tackles Q&As from the MR workshop, the aisles of […]
Ask MRVP: Episode 24
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Looks like show host David Popp (and the crew too) has a case of spring fever! What a perfect reason for this episode of Ask MRVP to venture into “wild” Wisconsin! This month, David tackles Q&As from the MR workshop, the aisles of […]
Yellowstone National Park railroad
On Sept. 25, 2007, a Montana Rail Link local in Livingston, Mont., heads onto an old branch line that once went to Gardiner, Mont., and the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The GP35s are taking four wood chip cars and a caboose (for the return back-up move) to a lumber mill about a mile […]
Running ‘backward’
A Montana Rail Link local with a GP35 running backward (long hood forward) rolls along the Jefferson River west of Sappington, Mont. Tom Danneman Q In the 2010 movie, “Unstoppable,” movie makers create a lot of drama about running a locomotive backward at high speed. How capable are road and switch engines of operating in […]
Ask MRVP: Episode 23
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page There’s a lot on the table in this episode of Ask MRVP! Host David Popp really does have a small bistro table loaded with reference he’ll use to answer your questions this month. He’ll address Model Railroader Video Plus subscriber inquiries related to […]
Ask MRVP: Episode 23
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page There’s a lot on the table in this episode of Ask MRVP! Host David Popp really does have a small bistro table loaded with reference he’ll use to answer your questions this month. He’ll address Model Railroader Video Plus subscriber inquiries related to […]
What holds railroad track in place?
Spikes are part of a system that keeps rails in service. Redundant numbers of spikes are present in most tracks. Bob Johnston Q During a recent trip to the U.S., I visited rail lines in Chicago used by both freight and passenger trains. I noticed how many spikes are torn out or completely missing in […]