September 2023

The September 2023 issue of Model Railroader

The life of an itinerant model railroad operator

Despite not having layouts, these modelers happily run trains

My dream 4 x 8 layout

A yard, continuous operation, and lots of places to switch

Keeping it “old school”

Freelanced design, DC block control, and traditional building methods serve this HO scale Colorado railroad just fine

Rejuvenating a scene

A new tower adds life to this busy HO scale interlocking

A first generation layout by the next generation

A millenial’s layout depicting a fictional New York railroad in 1838

Prototypical operations on the Yosemite valley

Realistic paperwork makes operations easier and more fun

Installing ditch lights in an NW2

Surface-mounted diodes provide bright light in a small package

ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6
The latest features on our website

FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8
Play with your trains

NEWS AND PRODUCTS, pg. 10
HO scale EMD SD40 by Broadway Limited reviewed, plus the latest new products

ASK MR, pg. 18
Does foam benchwork pose any difficulties?

STEP BY STEP, pg. 24
How to make trees from natural materials

DCC CURRENTS, pg. 60
Introduction to switches

ON OPERATION, pg. 62
Rain, Ruth and a rule

TRACKSIDE PHOTOS, pg. 64

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS AND CARTOON, pg. 73

TRAINS OF THOUGHT, pg. 74
Appalachian geology made easy