Basic Training: How to install rail joiners

Hands cutting piece of wire

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Scale model railroad track uses rail joiners to connect the rails. In this basic training video you’ll learn about different types of rail joiners and learn the proper technique for installing them. […]

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Basic Training: How to install rail joiners

Hands cutting piece of wire

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Scale model railroad track uses rail joiners to connect the rails. In this basic training video you’ll learn about different types of rail joiners and learn the proper technique for installing them. […]

Read More…

Basic Training: How to install rail joiners

Hands cutting piece of wire

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Scale model railroad track uses rail joiners to connect the rails. In this basic training video you’ll learn about different types of rail joiners and learn the proper technique for installing them. […]

Read More…

Calculating track grade

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Three Deseret Power Railway E60Cs begin the short but steep 2-percent descent into Coyote Basin near Bonanza, Utah, on July 8, 2009. David Honan Q How do you figure out the percent of the grade of a railroad track?— Richard Buckhold, Kirkwood, Mo. A Grades are expressed as the rise in feet per 100 feet […]

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Pandrol rail fasteners

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A Pandrol e-clip elastic rail fastener secures the rail to the tie, along with a type of hairpin spike. TRAINS: Kathi Kube Q How do Pandrol clips secure rails to concrete or wooden ties?— John Trifari, Sunnyvale, Calif. A The clips are made of spring steel and must be pressed into position by machinery or […]

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Railroad from “Breakheart Pass”

Q On which railroad was the 1975 movie “Breakheart Pass” filmed? — Klaus Schmidt, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. A “Breakheart Pass” was filmed on the Camas Prairie Railroad, a short line in Northern Idaho. Originally a cooperative building effort by predecessors of the Union Pacific and the BNSF in the early 20th century, as of 2004, […]

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Running long hood forward

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Southern Railway SD45 No. 3121 leads long hood forward on a unit coal train at Oreton, Va., in 1984. Such design enhanced bidirectional capability. Ron Flanary Q When did railroads such as the Norfolk & Western stop running their road engines “long hood first?” How effective was this practice for crew safety? Did it have […]

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How to use an NMRA gauge

Jim Hediger next to layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader senior editor Jim Hediger shows how to use a National Model Railroad Association gauge to check the spacing of different aspects of track and your model trains. […]

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How to use an NMRA gauge

Jim Hediger next to layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader senior editor Jim Hediger shows how to use a National Model Railroad Association gauge to check the spacing of different aspects of track and your model trains. […]

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Locomotive throttle notches

Q Why do modern locomotive throttles still use notches?— Ben Redl, Williams Lake, B.C. A The primary reason is to help the locomotive’s engineer direct a specific response from the locomotive. Engine RPM speed must be increased gradually during normal operation. As the engineer demands more power from the locomotive by moving a notch at […]

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