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Hosting a virtual operating session is change. During a thoughtful dinner conversation, a friend quipped: “Count on two things. People always complain about the way things are and they always complain about change.” But our hobby numbers remarkably resourceful people who do change. When COVID-19 protocols had people hunkering down, operating sessions began to reappear, […]
I like to spend my Saturday mornings going to garage sales. Occasionally I find something I can use for my large-scale railroad. At one sale, I found a damaged Christmas Workshop sold by USA Trains. I paid the dollar asking price and brought my prize home. I had recently kitbashed a yardmaster’s office from […]
There are several modular model railroading standards out there, but one you might have heard more about recently is the Free-Mo modular standard. Like most modular standards, the Free-Mo modular standard lets you build a section of model railroad that will connect and operate with others built to the same standard. The cool thing about […]
It’s a new year with new progress on Gerry Leone’s all-new HO scale layout. Of course, that means a new season of construction videos gets Back on Track right now! In this episode, you’ll see how our host made quick work of his hardboard fascia installation. While work on his upper deck isn’t quite as […]
Visual trickery has been part of model railroading for many years. John Allen used mirrors on his HO scale Gorre & Daphetid to make scenes appear deeper than they really were. John also made inches appear like miles on his model railroad using structures and scenery to create the illusion of distance, a technique known […]
I bought a second-hand Bachmann rail truck at a good price and wanted to convert it to battery power and radio control. I needed access to an on-off switch, fuse holder, charging plug, volume control, and programming jack. The truck is small and limited as to places to add these items, so I decided […]
Here are some more photos of collectible Lionel 6464 postwar boxcars! Lionel 6464 boxcars help Lionel Corp. mark 1953 as a turning point. Yes, a year after blazing a new trail with classic streamlined passenger cars, the engineering and sales teams at Lionel fielded near-scale models of a modern flatcar, a triple-dome tank car, and […]
Can’t get your new LionChief Universal Remote to pair with a locomotive? If the batteries are good, the device’s firmware might be the problem – it could be old and incompatible with your equipment, or just have bugs. Upgrading it might help establish a connection and get your trains rolling. The hand-held units […]
Facts & features Name: Street Life & Streetcars Scale: HO Size: 2 x 6 feet Prototype: Homage to streetcar service in and around Philadelphia Locale: Philadelphia and suburbs Era: Late 1950s Style: island Mainline run: approximately 16 feet Minimum radius: 6 1⁄4″ Minimum turnout: none Maximum grade: none Benchwork: open grid Height: 48″ Roadbed: Homabed/cork […]
Facts & features Name: Richard Shutt’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 21 x 24 feet Track: GarGraves (diameters range from 42 to 72 inches) Switches: Ross Custom Switches Motive power: Lionel (postwar, modern), MTH Rolling stock: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (prewar, postwar, modern), Marx, Menards, MTH, Ready- Made Toys Accessories: Lionel (prewar, postwar, modern) Controls: Lionel […]
Facts & features Name: Herb Lindsay’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 25 x 26 feet Motive power: Atlas O, Lionel, Weaver Rolling stock: Weaver, Wm. K. Walthers Controls: Lionel’s TrainMaster Command Control Structures: Scratchbuilt Download a PDF of this track plan! […]
Modelers with small spaces, please consider the above Colorado Joint Line short train as one prototype you might want to model. Back in 2017, I was chasing trains from Denver south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo along Colorado’s famed Joint Line before a rail industry conference began. I was told something like “trains run like […]
