Speed matching DCC locomotives for better consisting

A trio of consisted Southern Ry. F units pull together on Larry Puckett’s HO scale railroad

Q: Can you provide a simple procedure for pairing locomotives in a consist? One locomotive is pulling or pushing the one in front. – Stephen J. Szypula A: An important part of making your consist work is speed-matching the locomotives so they don’t fight each other. If your locomotives respond to the same throttle speed step […]

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How to: Install LionChief app on your phone or tablet

Install the LionChief app locomotive and device

Here’s how to install the LionChief app on your smartphone or tablet and get the most out of your Bluetooth-equipped Lionel locomotives. Years ago, there was only one way to run our toy trains, and that was with a transformer. Today, we’re fortunate to have a lot of options to control our trains, including remotes […]

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An introduction to track wiring basics

Diagram showing the path power takes from a booster, through a bus, and to the track.

There is probably no other aspect of our hobby that creates more anxiety and confusion for newcomers than wiring. When you’re starting at absolute ground zero on the learning curve it can be daunting at times. However, at the most basic level, what we’re trying to do is get electricity from a power source to […]

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Track wiring for beginners

Pair of wires seen alongside track attached to a power bus.

Track wiring your model railroad layout can be daunting, especially for beginners to the hobby. In order to help those looking to start, here’s a review of the bare-bones basics of wiring your layout that will help you get your trains up and running as quickly as possible. Run the wire bus roughly beneath the […]

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