Gateman’s tower drawings in 1:29 scale

Gateman's tower drawings in 1:29 scale

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]

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Ten tree-like plants to try on your railroad

miniature trees

Trees are as essential to a landscape as mountains, hills, and rivers. Those of you living in (and/or modeling) the desert, will have to overlook my exuberance for trees. In this article I’d like to add to my previous discussions of conifer, deciduous, and wannabe trees, to pursue my favorite subject further. (See the list […]

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Aristo-Craft 2-8-0 Consolidation

consolidation1

Kevin Strong 1:29 scale, gauge-1 2-8-0Aristo-Craft Trains698 S. 21st St.Irvington NJ 07111Price: $891Website: www.aristocraft.com Plastic model of a 2-8-0, based on the Baltimore & Ohio E-27-class Consolidations. Dimensions: length, 29″ over couplers (70′ scale); width, 4″ (9.6′ scale); height, 6.5″ to top of stack (15.7′ scale). Minimum radius, 4′ (8′ diameter) Pros: Smooth, quiet motor […]

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Aristo-Craft Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive

class661

Kevin Strong 1:29 scale, gauge 1, Class 66 diesel-electric locomotiveAristo-Craft TrainsAvailable in the US exclusively from: Trainworld751 McDonald Ave.Brooklyn NY 11218Price: $799.99Website: www.trainworld.com Plastic model of Canadian-built Class 66 locomotives, produced for the UK and Europe between 1998 and 2008. Dimensions: length, 29″ (70′ scale); width, 3.5″ (8.5′ scale); height, 5.5″ (13.3′ scale). Minimum radius, […]

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DCC Bitswitch automatic station stop control

dccbitswitch

Kevin Strong Automatic station-stop control for DCC-controlled railroads (all scales)DCC BitSwitch31190 Eagle Crest LaneEvergreen CO 80439Prices: Timed-stop station control, $89.95; DC brake generator (needed in conjunction), $25Website: www.dccbitswitch.com Circuit boards to provide automatic station stops for DCC-powered railroads Pros: Wiring diagrams clear and easy to follow; simple installation Cons: Only works on track powered, DCC-controlled […]

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JuDee’s Collectibles, LLC Helms Bakery Truck

van1

Marc Horovitz 1:24-scale Helms Bakery TruckJuDee’s Collectibles, LLCPO Box 385El Segundo CA 90245Price: $125 + s&hWebsite: www.judeescollectibles.com Ready-to-use model of a Helms Bakery truck; die-cast construction; operating side doors and vent windows; full interior; rolling wheels (not steerable). Dimensions: length, 67/8″; width, 3″; height, 39/16″. In 1:24 scale, this works out to 13’9″ x 6′ […]

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Making Model Buildings for Garden Railways book

peter_jones_book

Making Model Buildings for Garden Railways by Peter Jones with Kes JonesCrowood PressThe Stable Block, Crowood Lane, RamsburyMarlborough, Wiltshire SN8 2HRUnited KingdomAvailable in the US from:Quayside Publishing Group400 First Avenue North, Suite 300Minneapolis MN 55401  7¾” x 10″, 192 pages, hardbound, profusely illustrated in color  Price: $39.95  Website: www.qbookshop.com The legions of Peter Jones fans […]

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Death Valley Scotty’s record-breaking train ride

Scottybooklet

For three days in July 1905, the American public was transfixed by a fast train, racing from Los Angeles to Chicago with one goal: to make the trip faster than anyone had before. The train did, making 2,265-mile trip in 44 hours, 54 minutes, a new cross-country record. But after the hype died down, questions about the […]

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Pennsylvania sewer?

Two eastbound movements on Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line: a stack train pushed by two SD40E helpers is overtaken by another SD40E helper set in Lilly, Pa., on Dec. 27, 2009. Barely three years earlier, Lilly and surrounding communities opened the Central Mainline Sewer Authority — named after the Pennsylvania Railroad, which preceded NS. Photo by […]

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New products for February 23, 2012

Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP35 diesel locomotive

Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP35 diesel locomotives HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP35 diesel locomotive. New paint schemes and road numbers: Southern Pacific; CP Rail; Denver & Rio Grande Western; Nickel Plate Road; Toledo, Peoria & Western; and Western Maryland. Three road numbers each. Directional headlights, prototype-specific details, and McHenry scale magnetic knuckle couplers. […]

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LIONEL O GAUGE CANADIAN PACIFIC FREIGHT SET

CTT-PR0312_CP-freight-cars

The Canadian Maple Leaf freight set may be the “Sir Mix-a-Lot” of starter sets because it jumbles up Canadian road names as well as eras. This is the third Lionel O gauge set we received for review in late 2011, and it may be the best of them. It combines an uncommon road name (for […]

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