New model trains for the week of March 8, 2018

Rapido Trains HO scale General Electric B36-7 diesel locomotive

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive. CSX (Chesapeake & Ohio patchout, one road number); Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (red and white, four numbers); and Southern Pacific (SD40R in peeled paint and stencil lettering, one number each; Roman lettering in three numbers). Prototype-specific details, vinyl m.u. hoses, and photo-etched stainless steel windshield wipers. Direct-current […]

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The “middle” order

NS1615

Baldwin road-switcher 1615 passes the Hertford, N.C., depot with Norfolk Southern freight 88 in January 1965. A few months later, removal of a siding here would cause some confusion. Harry Bundy Telegraph operators working from the extra list rolled with the punches. They were on call 24/7, as they say now, to fill vacancies created […]

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Where diesels go to the doctor

NorfolkSouthernJuniataShopAltoonaPennsylvania

Home for the heaviest rebuild, repair, and repaint work on the Norfolk Southern system is the sprawling former Pennsylvania Railroad Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa. The backshop is the heart of this operation in the Keystone State. Alex Mayes Diesel locomotives are amazing. They are built to withstand the rigors of service, running 24 hours […]

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Colored dots on freight cars

TRN-AT0212_05

Dots painted on trilevel auto racks indicate clearance heights. Rob Burnet Q I have seen colored painted dots on freight cars, mostly multilevel auto rack cars. What do they signify? – Rob Burnet, Etobicoke, Ont., Canada A Colored marks on auto multi-levels are to designate slightly different deck height clearances on trilevels. Orange dots indicate […]

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A layout for all seasons

S & O gauge layout with multiple themes

Name: Richard Foltz Forum User Name: Richard Railroad Name: American Flyer-Lionel All seasons Location: Sykesville, Maryland Scale: S & O Theme: All seasons Description: Garden for all seasons, circus, Halloween, Christmas, summer […]

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Plans for a fertilizer blend plant

fertilizerblendplant

Click on the photo or link to download the prototype plans for this fertilizer blend plant. Rich Cobb Fertilizer blend plants have been common rail-served industries since the 1950s. Rich Cobb describes the prototype for his HO model of one of these trackside structures in the April 2018 Model Railroader. Click on the link below […]

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In Memoriam: Richard J. (Dick) Cecil, 1934 – 2018

Milwaukee-area model railroader Dick Cecil died on Feb. 16, 2018. He was 84 years old. Dick was no stranger to Kalmbach Publishing Co. He was born Jan. 27, 1934, and often commented that he was born the same month and year as Model Railroader magazine. He appeared with Wayne Wesolowski in the Kalmbach Video production […]

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Coast Mail at Guadalupe

Coast Mail at Guadalupe

Mt-4 SP 4360 detaches from #72 and picks up two carloads of strawberries in the yard at Guadalupe Calif., in April 1954. Because they were so delicate, strawberries were carried in express reefers on first-class trains. This video was filmed on the still-unscenicked section of my model railroad, which will eventually depict several areas of […]

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Coast Mail at Guadalupe

Coast Mail at Guadalupe

Mt-4 SP 4360 detaches from #72 and picks up two carloads of strawberries in the yard at Guadalupe Calif., in April 1954. Because they were so delicate, strawberries were carried in express reefers on first-class trains. This video was filmed on the still-unscenicked section of my model railroad, which will eventually depict several areas of […]

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B&M NH Mainline – Ballasting the Track

Hand adding ballast to model track

This is the second part of a two-part series where I demonstrate the process I used for ballasting the track on my B&M NH Mainline. This video details the four step process shared by Cody and others: Glue down cinders if appropriate; ballast the track center; light ballast on roadbed shoulders; and final ballast on […]

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