A steam up in Nebraska

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1. Scratchbuilt, battery-powered brass steam locomotive. The author could not bring his live steam engine because of airport inspection. Yukio Nakagawa 2. Durham Western Heritage Museum, formerly the Union Pacific, Omaha Station. Yukio Nakagawa 3. Present Amtrak Omaha Station. Just one passenger train a day stops here. Yukio Nakagawa 4.House of Trains store in Omaha. […]

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Grain elevator drawings in 1:29 scale

Grain elevator drawings in 1:29 scale

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]

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Blend benchwork into your garden railway

model train next to mountain

Sometimes the most expedient way to get your outdoor railway from point A to point B is on benchwork, so called because the height of the roadbed is similar to that of a workbench and facilitates the handling of trains and track. The many styles of benchwork construction seem to correspond to the skills of […]

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Sweet woodruff

train next to green bush

Common name: Sweet woodruff Latin name: Galium odoratum, syn. Asperula odorata Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9 (sheltered or near the house in Zone 3) Cultural needs: Shade or partial shade, moist (even wet) soil Plant size: 6-12″ high, spreading quickly to 9-12″ wide Do you have a rather large shady spot in need […]

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Meccano Erector set locomotive kit

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Gary Raymond Large scale (no scale specified), gauge 1, locomotive construction kitMeccano363 Avenue de Saint ExuperyF-62100 CalaisFrancePrice: $65.99 at Toys-R-UsWebsite: www.meccano.com Erector Special Edition #83-0506E, non-scale-specific construction set for a couple of different 1-gauge locomotives (as well as a rocket, submarine, or four other vehicles); all necessary parts with instruction booklet included (except 4 AA […]

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Ozark Miniatures bobber caboose kit

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G. Erhart 1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, two-axle bobber cabooseOzark Miniatures3461 S 5225 WCedar City UT 84720Price: $130.80 Website: www.ozarkminiatures.comWood-and-metal kit for constructing a freelance bobber caboose; laser-cut wooden parts; white-metal castings; plastic window panes; Sierra Valley wheels; link-and-pin couplers. Dimensions: length, 8½” over couplers; width, 4½”; height, 8½” to top of smokejack. In 1:20.3 scale, […]

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The Ambledown Valley Railway

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Fairford, a Lynton & Barnstaple Manning Wardle 2-6-2T on the embankment and bridge between Hinton Magnolia tunnel and Higher Buxton. On the left of the line is Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’. Near it grow the red, fleshy leaves of a Sempervivum sp. Opposite, on the other side of the line, the bronze winter color of Cryptomeria […]

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Glossary of steam locomotive terms

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Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac 4-8-4 No. 602, named Governor Thomas Jefferson, rushes an 18-car passenger train toward Washington, D.C., near Four Mile Run, Va., in June 1940. C. W. Whitbeck Back pressure Back pressure is caused by the resistance of the exhaust steam exiting the cylinders. Overcoming this resistance represents negative work done by the […]

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