Prototype operations weren’t the focus of many model railroaders when I started work on my HO scale layout in 1988. But I had a clear vision of an operations-oriented layout that would depict the Canadian Pacific Ry.’s Montreal Terminals Division in Canada’s second largest city in the late 1960s. That was when I spent […]
The layout at a glance Name: Stockton & Copperopolis RR Layout designer: Don Ball Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 37′-0″ x 40′-3″ Prototype: Stockton & Copperopolis RR Locale: California Era: 1895 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 240 feet Branchline run: 100 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Train length: […]
Why would anyone model the Stockton & Copperopolis, an obscure short line with a name that sounds made up? Or model this little-known prototype in the 1890s? Most importantly, would it be practical to build it as a large, prototypically faithful model railroad capable of realistic operation and equip it with authentic locomotives and rolling […]
In this video, I show how I set up operations on my small switching layouts, including making car cards, building car-card racks, and running through a short operating session. Video by Steven Strum […]
Take a closer look: Find the accompanying text and pictures for John’s article, “Video 101: Along the line” in the Spring 2020 issue of Garden Railways magazine, page 12. […]
For nearly 30 years, when we lived in upstate New York, I would occasionally watch my husband, Lou, making trees for his HO scale West Hoosic Division RR. Over the years, together with his friend, Pete Darling, he managed to build and plant more than 4,000 HO scale hardwoods on his 22 x 26-foot layout. […]
Take a closer look: Find the accompanying text and pictures for John’s article, “Video 101: Along the line” in the Spring 2020 issue of Garden Railways magazine, page 12. […]
Tony describes how he kitbashed the feed mill, pictured on the left, of his portable O scale Wingate model railroad. Using parts from two Atlas O Ace Feed & Supply kits, Tony rearranged the side walls and added a second story turned sideways to create a more realistic footprint and to disguise the kit’s all-too-familiar […]
Click on the links at left to download this image sized appropriately for your computer screen. The prominent sign of the beverage store at Thomasville Crossing is a prominent scene on Brian Wolfe’s HO scale Western Maryland Ry. Blue Ridge Division model train layout. The image is also this month’s featured desktop wallpaper download. Click […]
Roadname- and roadnumber-specific details abound on this pair of Canadian National GP9 diesel locomotives Both also come factory-equipped with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoders. Watch senior editor Dana Kawala use the Geeps to work some freight along the Model Railroader staff layout, the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. […]
The layout at a glance Name: St. Louis Junction Layout designer: John Schindler Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 30 x 60 feet Prototype: BNSF Ry., CSX, Norfolk Southern, Terminal RR Association of St. Louis, and Union Pacific Locale: St. Louis area Era: 2010 Style: multi-deck walk-in Mainline run: 275 feet Minimum radius: 32″ Minimum turnout: no. […]
The layout at a glance Name: Western Maryland Ry. Blue Ridge Division Layout designer: Brian Wolfe Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 28 x 39 feet Prototype: Western Maryland Ry. Locale: Maryland/Pennsylvania border Era: 1970 Style: multilevel walk-in Mainline run: 200 feet Minimum radius: 29″ (main), 18″ (Hagerstown wye) Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (yards) […]
