Operator positions on the SJR&P Railroad

11_holding_co

A mixed freight crosses the water-lily filled Lake Sarah Jane on its way to Bat Yard. While much of their SJR&P runs through their backyard forest, Deb and Stan Ames view this beautiful viaduct from their cedar deck (the crew lounge). Thelma Shoneman An oil train from Riley snakes down the railway on its way […]

Read More…

Operations on the garden railroad

man standing in garden railway

Operations on the garden railroad: Operations on model railroads simulate the type of railroading that gets work done – moving cargo and passengers like full-scale railroads. “Ops” in the garden railway extends the social appeal of your yard, giving folks a fun activity. This introduction more than outlines the various railway jobs, such as engineer, […]

Read More…

Build industrial-railway tank cars

tank_cars

Thomas A. Yorke Thomas Yorke starts the second of three scratchbuilt projects in the June 2018 issue. Download these full-size drawings of his tank cars and follow his instructions in the magazine. You will also need the basic flatcar drawings from the April 2018 issue for this project. […]

Read More…

How to build and paint model railroad backdrops

yhst-22106725251441_2125_34237796

Don’t miss the backdrop special in the June 2018 Model Railroader. If you’re looking for more backdrop-related projects, check out this digital collection of previously published articles. Whether you’re looking for a simple sky-blue scene divider or a detailed mountain vista, adding scenic backdrops to your layout isn’t hard with help from some experts featured […]

Read More…

HO scale St. George

HOscaleStGeorge

Name: St. George Layout owner: John Ottman Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12 x 16 feet Prototype: freelanced, inspired by Louisville & Nashville, Norfolk & Western, Southern Ry., Wheeling & Lake Erie Locale: Appalachian Mountains Era: steam-to-diesel transition Style: walk-in Mainline run: 70 feet Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 3 percent Benchwork: […]

Read More…

HO scale Leadville & Red Cliff RR

HOscaleLeadvilleRedCliff

Name: Leadville & Red Cliff RR Layout owner: Bill Brown Scale: HO and HOn3 (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 40 feet Prototype: Union Pacific, BNSF Ry. (lower level); Denver & Rio Grande Western, Rio Grande Southern, and Silverton RR narrow gauge lines (upper level) Locale: central Colorado Era: present day (lower level), 1949 (D&RGW and RGS), […]

Read More…

Oregon, California & Eastern RR

Name: Oregon, California & Eastern Ry. Scale: HO scale (1:87.1) Size: 60 x 96 feet Theme: freelanced, bridge line based on the OC&E Locale: central, southern, and western Oregon Era: Fall 1975 Style: double deck, point-to-point with connecting staging yards Mainline run: 1,353 feet (20.5 scale miles); Sycan Branch, 118 feet; Coastal branch, 72 feet […]

Read More…