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Recreate a prototype photo: If you are a history nut like me, authenticity is important on your layout. I model the Kansas Central narrow gauge line that tried to build across Kansas in the 1870s to connect with the Denver & Rio Grande in Colorado. It met with competition from the standard gauge Kansas Pacific […]
Locomotives and freight cars in fresh paint Locomotives and freight cars in fresh paint. Many modelers, myself included, enjoy accurately weathering locomotives and freight cars. I’ve written several articles on weathering for Model Railroader in my time with the magazine, including “How to weather with acrylics” in May 2016 and “How to weather a covered […]
5 tips for moving a layout Many people spend years building their dream layout in their home, building it in permanently, thinking they will never move. But we know that life happens, and things change. When building your dream layout, even though you’re not planning on moving, build it in sections, so that it can be […]
Facts & features Name: “The Loop” City Belt Line Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 9 x 14 1/2 feet Theme: industrial switching Locale: Midwest Era: 1950s-1960s Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 30 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: none Name: “The Dogbone” Canis & Ossa RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 9 x 14 […]
Facts & features Name: MHO Junction Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 38 feet Prototype: 80 percent freelanced, 20 percent prototype (Canadian Pacific and Ontario Northland) Locale: Ontario and Quebec (between Ottawa and Montreal) Era: 1970s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 170 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: Peco large radius (SL-88 and SL-89) Maximum grade: […]
Packing up a model train layout: There are many reasons for packing up a model train layout. For John Lehnan of Pewaukee, Wis., the reason was to rebuild. His first layout had reached a point that the best way to improve it was to replace it, so the old layout had to come down. One […]
Facts & features Name: Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers’ O gauge layout Dimensions: 35 x 80 feet Track: GarGraves flextrack (maximum diameter is 120 inches) Switch: Curtis Hi-Rail, Ross Custom Switches Motive power: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (postwar and modern), MTH, Weaver, Williams Rolling stock: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (postwar and modern), MTH, Weaver, Williams Accessories: […]
Making grade crossing signals: Work is coming to an end on the State Line Route N scale model railroad, but not before adding some final details. In this episode, David Popp shows how to make grade crossing signals using parts from various manufacturers. The modeling tools he uses for this project are available for purchase […]
As the author of Model Railroader’s “Ask MR” column, I get a lot of questions from readers. Usually I either know the answers or at least where I can find the answers for them. Sometimes, though, I get a question that stirs my imagination and prompts me to compose a more involved response. Such was […]
Burlington Northern caboose prototype: If you’ve been involved with model railroading for a while, you’ve most likely heard the expression “There’s a prototype for everything.” On my way to the National Model Railroad Association Thousand Lakes Region convention in Grand Forks, N.D. back in 2004, I made a stop in Hillsboro, N.D. The community of […]
I thought it would be fun to make a citrus train for the garden railroad. I like to reuse broken hobby items from my junk box, and I had several pieces to build my train inexpensively. Certain livestock trains had a car — usually a converted long caboose — called a drover’s caboose for the drovers (cowboys) to […]
DCC install for n scale | As the crew nears completion of the State Line Route N scale (1:160) model railroad, it’s time to get the locomotives ready to run. In this episode, David Popp shares how to install a Train Control Systems (TCS) AMD4 DCC decoder into an N scale Atlas diesel locomotive. Follow […]
