Drew James’ Canada, Spokane & Pacific RR in HO scale portrays a bridge line operation connecting the Burlington Northern and Canadian Pacific railroads in the 1980s. You can read more about the layout in the June 2024 issue of Model Railroader magazine. But first, you’ll want to see the action on this distinctive Pacific Northwest […]
Drew James’ CS&P HO scale model railroad portrays a bridge line operation connecting Burlington Northern and Canadian Pacific railroads in the 1980s. You can read more about the layout in the June 2024 issue of Model Railroader magazine. But first, you’ll want to see the action on this distinctive Pacific Northwest setting — where you’ll […]
Host Gerry Leone sets his sights on highway construction for his HO scale Bona Vista model railroad. Catch up with his off-camera preliminary efforts, before following his technique for making authentic roads and streets using medium-grit sandpaper. As he notes, even more insights regarding this technique can be viewed in a prior Trains.com video series, […]
Facts and features Name: Pickering & Sierra RRScale: HO (1:87.1), HOn3, dual gauge, and HOn21⁄2 (dummy)Size: 20′-7″ x 23′-3″ Prototype: freelanced, inspired by Pickering Lumber Co. and Sierra Ry.Locale: Sierra Nevada mountainsEra: 1920s to 1940sStyle: walk-inMainline run: 220 feetMinimum radius: 17″ (logging)Minimum turnout: No.4Maximum grade: 4%Benchwork: open gridHeight: 36″ to 57″Roadbed: plywood and HomasoteTrack: […]
Facts and features Name: Canada, Spokane & PacificScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 32 x 43 feetPrototypes: Burlington Northern, Canadian PacificLocale: Pacific NorthwestEra: June 1981Style: walk-inMainline run: 260 feetMinimum radius: 36″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 2%Benchwork: L-girderHeight: 39″ to 46″Roadbed: HomasoteTrack: Atlas code 83 flextrackScenery: plaster gauze over cardboard web covered with Structolite Backdrop: LARC Products photo […]
Even the smallest layout needs at least a few structures on it. We’ve compiled a list of manufacturers offering products in O and S scale. We’ve noted each manufacturer’s contact information, what type of structures, the material(s), and if the kits are lighted. Please contact the manufacturer directly if you have questions about their products. […]
Enjoy an insider’s look at an informal operating session hosted on Steve Miazga’s N scale (1:160) model railroad, set in northern Wisconsin. While you can read about the construction of this 14 x16-foot basement layout in Trains.com bonus articles and Model Railroader magazine’s September 2018 issue, the real thrill comes from seeing Steve and his […]
Yogo Peak, at 8,812 feet above sea level, is located in the Little Belt Mountains on the Judith Basin between Lewiston and Great Falls, Mont. Winding its way through the basin is a tributary of the Missouri River known as the Musselshell River, named by the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1805 for its abundance […]
Facts and features Name: Georgia & Florida RRScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 12 x 13 feetPrototype: Georgia & FloridaLocale: Central and South GeorgiaEra: late summer, 1966-1972Style: around the wallsMainline run: 55 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: No. 4Minimum grade: noneBenchwork: open gridHeight: 40″Roadbed: corkTrack: Atlas code 83 flextrackScenery: cardboard strips covered with plaster gauze and SculptamoldBackdrop: 1⁄8″ […]
How did you get started in the hobby? I was born into railroading. My mother was pregnant with me while she was working as a freight clerk for the Western Maryland Railway. When I was a bit less than a year old, my mother returned to work and the wife of the railroad’s chief freight […]
Our host Gerry Leone heads for the hills in this episode of Spaces to Places! More specifically, he works a bit on the topography of the underpass area and how the highway routes through it all. Wisely, Gerry elects to make a template of his initial design, and then uses it to guide his efforts shaping up […]
![Two men operate trains on an HO scale model railroad]](https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MRL0324-03-Jared-Childers-and-Eric-Mumford-work-Joe-Kaspers-BN-layout.jpg)
Recently I was asked for my best tips for operating session success. In turn, I asked numerous groups of operators, including participants at ProRail (an operating event held in Kansas City) and layout owners and operators throughout the Midwest. The query elicited a variety of responses, with several recurring themes. Here are the top five […]
