Precision Craft HO scale 4-8-8-4 We reviewed Precision Craft’s Big Boy steam locomotive in the December 2006 issue of Model Railroader. Click the icons below to see a video clip of the locomotive in action. All videos may take several minutes or more to download depending on your connection speed […]
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 […]
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 […]
Red Rock Mountain, just southeast of Hidden Valley. On top is the turntable and engine facilities. Scenery was made from recycled packing material. William Zuback The scratchbuilt power house building contains most of the controls for the D.E.U. Line below. Access is through the top. William Zuback It’s a busy day at the Hidden Valley […]
A cranky, old toy train locomotive with a terrible growl, a hot-running motor, and anemic power may be trying to tell you something. Before deciding to retire it, though, check the clearance in the armature brushplate bushing. A worn or defective bushing often results in one or more of these locomotive maladies. The solution is […]
When it comes to replacing a broken traction tire on a steam locomotive, it helps to have a sense of humor. That and a third hand. I don’t have a third hand to lend you, but I can offer you the tips below to get a leg up on this friction-fraught task. Traction tires have […]
Fig. 1: Pry off the original smoke unit cover with a screwdriver to gain access to the inside. Fig. 2: Remove the heater coil and smoke unit lining, both of which will be replaced in the conversion. Fig. 3: After scrapping and cleaning out all the pellet residue, make sure the air hole is not […]
A two-lane road takes traffic through town on the author’s railway. Roads constructed by this method are durable, permanent, and realistic. Ken Correa I have seen many beautiful railways in all scales that were authentic in every detail, with realistic scenes and scenery, but were lacking one major detail-roads. Roads running through a railway add […]
This railtruck is constructed primarily out of old tin cans. Here it awaits its driver for a trip down the rails of the author’s Ogden Botanical Railway. Marc Horovitz The underbody detail was supposed to be made of wooden shapes (according to the plan), but ended up here rendered in tinplate. The differential was turned […]
Scrap wood, like that pictured here, is readily available and free for the asking. Rene Schweitzer Trestles! Bridges! Cribbing! Wooden rolling stock! There are many applications of unpainted wood for an outdoor pike to challenge the beginner and veteran alike, all requiring tools, time, money, and skill. The most common choices of wood for outdoor […]
Soldering tools. Top row: mini torch; 40/60 rosin-core solder; liquid flux. Bottom row: heavy-duty pliers to align rails while the solder is hot; a wire brush for cleaning rail ends; and an Atlas Super Saw to cut the rails. Jack Verducci Here, two sections of flex track have been soldered. Notice that the solder has […]
Jack Verducci shows you how to make durable, outdoor rock formations from a mixture he calls “gulapata.” Download the 1997 article free here. […]
