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Unlike modern machines, the steam locomotive — which underwent few fundamental changes in 125 years of development — openly displays many of its parts. This mechanical honesty has long captivated onlookers and invited study, but many still wonder just how steam locomotives work. In fact, entire books have been devoted to the subject. There are […]
One of the hottest topics of the moment is the conversation around artificial intelligence (AI.) If you’ve been paying attention to this conversation, you likely know that Artificial Intelligence programs have made enormous strides forward in just the past few years. These advances have caused disruption and innovation in equal measure in many fields. These […]
End-of-train devices replaced cabooses that, not so long ago, train watchers almost everywhere could count on as a final point of interest at the end of each freight train. The distinctive little cars housed crew members who would observe the cars ahead for defects, process the train’s paperwork, operate track switches, monitor the air-brake system […]
Rene and Bryson unbox LEGO City trainset 60197. This will be the first of more LEGO train set unboxing and assembly videos to come! […]
Trains.com staffers Bryson Sleppy and Rene Schweitzer review LEGO trackwork basics, and the history of LEGO trains and trackwork. Looking for more information on LEGO trains? Watch Bryson and Rene unbox a LEGO City trainset! […]
Model Railroader‘s Bryson Sleppy loves LEGO! And of course, he loves “digital” interests in model railroading too! So why not put the two together? That’s exactly what he’s done by adding a SoundTraxx Blunami decoder to control his LEGO 10219 Maersk Train Set locomotive fitted with a battery-powered, motorized truck part. Follow along, and you’ll […]
The photo above shows a pair of HO scale 48-foot intermodal containers that I made using paper, cardstock, and cardboard. If you don’t want white containers, copy or print the drawings found in the link to the pdf below full-size on color paper. I find red or blue paper yields the best looking containers. I […]
The Bay Area Garden Railway Society (BAGRS) is hosting the 2023 National Garden Railway Convention this year. The event runs from July 1-8 at the Hyatt Santa Clara, Calif. and features a variety of events for all ages. The show features an exhibit and vendor hall (The Santa Clara Convention Center, adjacent to the hotel) […]
Five finds at model railroad swap meets. I always look forward to the fall and winter months. No, not because I enjoy raking leaves and shoveling snow. In this part of the country, October through March is peak model railroad swap meet season. These events are held at venues large and small, including county fairground […]
Class I railroads Class I railroads: If you’re in your car watching a long 100-car freight train roll over a grade crossing, chances are good that the train belongs to one of the Class I systems. The Class Is operate 70% of the total track miles in the U.S., employ 73% of the labor force, […]
Earthwork on the project railroad: We are ready to begin grading the line. The first thing we had to do was to transfer our design to the ground. This would give us a feeling for how the railroad would actually sit in its site and it would also delineate where the earthwork had to be […]
An overview of garden railroading: Garden railroading is the art of combining a model railroad and a beautiful garden to create a railway-like atmosphere. The difference between a traditional indoor layout and a garden railway is the difference between realism and reality. Indoors, the goal is to create the illusion of reality through the use […]
