Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page One of the most useful tools in the hobby is the National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA) Standards Gauge. Gerry demonstrates how to use this versatile tool to help conform your layout trackwork, motive power, rolling stock, and even scenery to acceptable operating specifications. […]
Modeling Topic: Model Railroad Operations
The train dispatcher and model railroads
A train dispatcher supervises the movement of trains over a designated portion of a railroad and also supervises the other employees involved in that movement. The dispatcher’s first responsibility is safety, to see that each train gets over the road without trying to occupy the same piece of track at the same time as any […]
Ice harvesting at Crystal Lake Ill on the Chicago North Western
The Cold hard tracks Crystal Lake was once used for harvesting ice. Blocks of ice were cut from the lake in winter, then stored in warehouses along the shore. The ice was shipped in refrigerator cars to Chicago via the “Ice Track,” a 2-mile branch that ran from the C&NW main line through the west […]
Operating a small switching model train layout
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 […]
Operating a small switching model train layout
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 […]
Basics of car cards and waybills for model railroad operation part 2
To apply the car-card-and-waybill freight-car routing system I described in part 1 takes more than just the two basic forms. The first form is the car card identifying each freight car with a pocket to hold the other form, a 4-step waybill. The pocket and waybill are sized so that only one of the waybill’s […]
Basics of car cards and waybills for model railroad operation part 1
One of the most widely used model railroad car-routing systems is an identification card for each car with a pocket to hold a waybill naming a destination. It’s a flexible and versatile method that’s easy to set up, use, and modify as you go along. It’s so common that it will probably be familiar to […]
Basics of car cards and waybills for model railroad operation part 3
The switch crew in Woodsriver Yard on Paul Dolkos’ old Boston & Maine layout sorted cars according to waybill information to make up several different trains, pickups for trains passing through, and cuts for delivery to Woodsriver industries. Paul Dolkos The car-card-and-waybill freight-car routing system I’ve described in my previous two columns gives you all […]
Video: Fleischmann/Roco Z21 WLANMaus throttle
The WLANMaus is an easy-to-use wireless WiFi throttle from Roco/Fleischmann that works with the firm’s Z21 Digital Command Control (DCC) system. Model Railroader senior editor Dana Kawala shows you some of the features of this DCC throttle in this quick demo. […]
Video: Fleischmann/Roco Z21 WLANMaus throttle
The WLANMaus is an easy-to-use wireless WiFi throttle from Roco/Fleischmann that works with the firm’s Z21 Digital Command Control (DCC) system. Model Railroader senior editor Dana Kawala shows you some of the features of this DCC throttle in this quick demo. […]
Off The Rails: Get Your Kinks, Episode 43
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page The Kinks are back in vogue! This time, host Gerry Leone looks at a few of the vintage MR “Construction Kinks” suggestions that flopped, and other tips that have withstood the test of time. […]
Off The Rails: Get Your Kinks, Episode 43
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page The Kinks are back in vogue! This time, host Gerry Leone looks at a few of the vintage MR “Construction Kinks” suggestions that flopped, and other tips that have withstood the test of time. […]