Q: What does all that freight car lettering mean? For example, I have noticed build or rebuild dates and brake information. – Jack Pfleeger A: There’s a lot of variation in freight car lettering. It can depend on the type of car, the car’s owner, and the era, since regulations and practices changed over the […]
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For any beginner model railroading building their first or even second layout, one of the first questions usually asked is, “What railroad should I model?” It’s important not to bite off more than you can chew. First and foremost, you’ll want to consider product availability and resources. Do manufacturers offer rolling stock for the railroad […]
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“How much is this worth?” is a simple enough question. I wish it had an easy answer. There is no Kelley Blue Book value for large scale trains like there is for vehicles. There are also variables that will affect the value: condition, modifications to the model, and your motivations for selling. First, you need […]
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Q: I’m planning an HO scale switching layout designed to squeeze a maximum number of industries into a corner shelf. To capitalize on limited real estate, I intend to use low-profile backdrop buildings. I want to diversify a freight car fleet with a variety of freight cars, not just the ubiquitous boxcar. I’m looking at […]
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Q: I need some ideas for compact industries that receive coal. Though modeling coal mines on a layout seems a popular topic, what about the coal’s destination? The coal needs to go someplace unless it just disappears into staging. Steel foundries, shipping ports, and power plants seem typical, but these require a lot of layout […]
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If you’ve read Model Railroader magazine for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed the hobby journey for many of our authors started with a train set. For baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, the set was often produced by Lionel or American Flyer. Fast forward a generation or two, and those sets were […]
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Q: I’m interested in modeling a Maine short line in HO scale. What can you tell me about the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR in the steam era? – Joel Norman A: The Belfast & Moosehead Lake looks like a great subject for someone interested in modeling a Maine short line, especially if you’re intrigued […]
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When you’re building a layout, there are four kinds of track for model railroads you can choose from. Those four are sectional track, sectional track with attached roadbed, flextrack, and hand-laid track. Each has its advantages and drawbacks. Luckily, you can mix and match the different types on the same layout to take advantage of […]
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Q: I’m excited to lay track on my HO scale shelf layout. I have a few track laying questions. I’m using the Walthers turnouts with the little tab on the side for the frog power. I remember one of your videos where you talked about these turnouts and connecting the power to the frog. […]
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Battery-operated kids train runs on Lionel FasTrack: Want to share your love of toy trains or even your layout without fear of little ones harming your prized possessions? Look for near-O gauge trains that may be compatible with O-gauge track. My kids received this battery-powered Caterpillar Construction Express train set that their older cousins had […]
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In the 60-plus years that N scale has been around, there has been a great deal of change in couplers. Rapido, an early manufacturer of N scale models (not to be confused with today’s Rapido Trains), let other companies use its coupler design. The wedge-front coupler, which was used on most N scale models (except […]
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Train sets – the gateway to model railroading: If you look at an author’s biography at the end of a layout story in Model Railroader, more often than not you’ll find that the layout owner got his or her start in the hobby with a train set. Sure, your first train set won’t look like […]
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