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Q: I have a 5’-6” x 6’-0” HO scale layout modeling south-central Oregon in the years 1950 to 1979. I want to model the industries that I grew up around in that area – potatoes, wheat farming, cattle ranching, and logging. The members of the train club I’m in say that the railroads quit hauling […]
The Lionel Legacy 0-6-0 switcher has a great feature set for a steam engine this small. Strasburg Rail Road’s No. 31 has immortalized in this run of the locomotive. Really, the hype for the heritage railway was the story of the Lionel 2021 Volume 2 catalog, all courtesy of the brass-hybrid offering of 2-10-0 No. […]
A John Armstrong inspired layout: In March of 1952 Model Railroader magazine began a series called Track Plan of the Month. A frequent contributor was John Armstrong, an undisputed genius of model railroad planning. Armstrong designed two track plans for the September 1953 issue. John rotated the center line of the layouts’ footprints 45-degrees and […]
This time around, our intrepid host lets anxious viewers see all the progress he’s made to prepare the O scale (1:48) Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout for the next big step! From backdrop to tabletop to trackwork to scenery, David shares the extent of his off-camera efforts — all to get things into place for […]
This time around, our intrepid host lets anxious viewers see all the progress he’s made to prepare the O scale (1:48) Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout for the next big step! From backdrop to tabletop to trackwork to scenery, David shares the extent of his off-camera efforts — all to get things into place for […]
The Lionel Trippy and Polar Express trolleys are recent releases of a well-known (and loved) product. The bump-and-go mechanism of these staple products makes these great operating elements on layouts that have enough room for a single track but no more space for a full loop. In the 2021 Volume I offerings from Lionel, deep […]
David has cleared the deck and marked his track configuration on the plywood, so he’s ready to cut things to pieces! No fears! In this video, he’ll show you how to make accurate measurements, so you can make equally precise cuts. Once those cut parts are assembled, David also shares how to install the styrene […]
David has cleared the deck and marked his track configuration on the plywood, so he’s ready to cut things to pieces! No fears! In this video, he’ll show you how to make accurate measurements, so you can make equally precise cuts. Once those cut parts are assembled, David also shares how to install the styrene […]
Q: I was wondering, what would be a great way to get started in N scale? I have modeled in HO scale for a while, but I would like to have an N scale layout, since I’m downsizing. What would be some tips and tricks on N scale track and track laying, and what would […]
Polar Express layout tips: We at CTT had a lot of fun building our recent Polar Express layout. Despite building several project layouts over the years, I learned new techiques and ideas during the five days we spent working on this project. Perhaps one of these tips will inspire you too. Happy holidays! Polar Express […]
Can’t you just tell by the pile of materials, supplies, and tools on David’s workbench? Progress is being made on the construction of his O scale (1:48) Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout. But “change” is the name of this layout-building game! This time out David is really poking holes in his plans… all before he […]
Can’t you just tell by the pile of materials, supplies, and tools on David’s workbench? Progress is being made on the construction of his O scale (1:48) Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout. But “change” is the name of this layout-building game! This time out David is really poking holes in his plans… all before he […]
