Trip on the GM&O in May 1951 Trains

Read the article, “Travel . . . Family Style,” from the May 1951 issue of Trains magazine, in which Bill Akin and his wife and daughter, identified as the “Andrews” family, ride the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio between Chicago and St. Louis. Download the story by clicking here. […]

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Realistic model railroading with Pelle Søeborg

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Pelle Søeborg is a model railroader known for his ability to create ultra-realistic scenes. His main modeling focus is modern-era railroading in the California desert, but his techniques are useful whatever your modeling subject. This article collection includes two track plans: one for a shelf layout and another for Pelle’s 11′-6″ x 22′-0″ Union Pacific […]

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Repair pickup rollers and shoes

This article originally appeared in the December 2003 issue of CTT – click the link above to download! Learn more about how to tune up and rebuild pickup rollers in the February 2014 issue of CTT. Repair pickup rollers and shoes […]

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Christmas in Lionelville

Christmas in Lionelville

Enjoy a visit back to JSM’s Lionelville for Christmas 2013. Running on the main line is MTH 9401 Berkshire pulling O scale freight cars from MTH. On the branch line, a Lionel 726 Berkshire with 2426W semi-scale tender from 1947 is pulling K-Line Midnight Chief passenger cars. Other items of interest shown in the video […]

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Handcar shed drawings

Handcarshed

Check out these plans for a handcar shed from Model Railroader magazine. Every railroad needs myriad small storage sheds along the right-of-way and in engine terminals and yards. When I required a small trackside shed for my freelanced On30 (also known as On21⁄2) North Cariboo Ry., I decided it should show its age. I figured the shed would […]

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Video: Athearn Genesis HO scale GE ES44AC

The HO scale General Electric ES44AC diesel-electric locomotive from Athearn Trains is part of the firm’s Genesis line and includes prototype-specific detail. The models are also available with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound decoders. We ran two of the DCC sound equipped GEVO locomotives on our model railroad. […]

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Video: Athearn Genesis HO scale GE ES44AC

The HO scale General Electric ES44AC diesel-electric locomotive from Athearn Trains is part of the firm’s Genesis line and includes prototype-specific detail. The models are also available with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound decoders. We ran two of the DCC sound equipped GEVO locomotives on our model railroad. […]

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Photo gallery: Amtrak’s Michigan Line track improvements

FULL SCREEN Ties await installation on the unused brick platform at Chelsea, Mich., east of Jackson. FULL SCREEN A Norfolk Southern tie gang finishes up for the day east of Chelsea. FULL SCREEN One mile further east, a tamper pushes gravel under and around newly installed ties at Chelsea, Mich. FULL SCREEN A laser beam […]

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Olympia Logging Series: Selecting lumber and hardware

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page David and Kent head to a local home improvement store to collect the building materials they’ll need to start an all-new On30 project layout. Inside the store they’ll share insights for selecting quality lumber, essential hardware, layout lighting, and more. […]

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