Tune up turnouts

Checking a turnout with a National Model Railroad Association standards gauge.

Many modelers build their layouts with commercial turnouts with the expectation that these components are ready to install. However, building my HO Ohio Southern has convinced me that most commercial turnouts are really “ready to finish.” They may need a little tune-up to ensure smooth performance and reliable operation. Gauge (the proper spacing of the […]

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Simulate rust with makeup applicators

Athearn HO scale SW1000 weathered with acrylic hobby paints and makeup applicators.

When I asked my wife if we could walk through the cosmetic department at the local drugstore, she gave me a somewhat puzzled look. This part of the store is home to some fantastic weathering tools, including foam-tipped cosmetic applicators. I used these applicators to simulate rust and paint wear on this Athearn HO scale […]

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Painting acetal handrails

Walthers HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP9s with (foreground) and without vertical handrails painted yellow

Slippery engineering plastic requires specially formulated paint that’s flexible and won’t flake off. Fortunately, the paint is most likely available at the same hobby shop where you purchase your trains. Flexible paint designed for remote-control (RC) car bodies is the perfect solution for locomotive handrails. RC paint is offered in a limited number of colors […]

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Photo gallery of large-scale layouts at the 36th National Garden Railway Convention

Tennessee & Virginia Railroad Chris Bamburg

  The Nashville Garden Railway Society welcomes you to Nashville to attend the 36th National Garden Railway Convention! Nashville is a one-of-a-kind city that has something for everyone. High-tech meets small town, family values meets big business, country music meets symphony orchestra, micro-brewery meets vineyard. It’s all here! The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center […]

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Remembering New York Central freight trains

Road-switcher diesel locomotives with freight train

All through January 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the New York Central Railroad. This week, feast your eyes on freight trains, in black-and-white, and color, from deep in Appalachia, to Manhattan’s High Line. See what we’ve unearthed from the David P. Morgan Library on this great railroad. Only from Classic Trains!   […]

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Pennsylvania Railroad electric locomotives

Box-cab electric locomotive

The Pennsylvania Railroad is famed for its GG1 electric locomotives, but casual observers might be surprised to learn how extensive Pennsy’s electric operations were. After a tentative start with a limited D.C. third-rail system in the early 1900s, the PRR built an A.C. catenary empire between 1915 and 1938 — and fielded an impressive array […]

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Santa Fe Inspiration gallery volume 2

A Santa Fe steam locomotive and caboose are posed at Gary Hoover's HO Scale representation of "Summit", the top of the grade for the Santa Fe in California's Cajon Pass.

In this photo gallery, we encourage you to enjoy two fantastic Santa Fe layouts that are inspired. We hope they inspire you on your journey to creating a new model railroad layout, even one based on the Santa Fe! The first railroad is Gary Hoover’s interpretation of the Santa Fe Railway on Aug. 29, 1951. […]

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