Review: Ballast King O gauge ballast spreading car

PR0711_Ballast-King-Car

How do you put down ballast on your O gauge railroad? Depending on the scope of the project, I may use either a plastic cup – or a cut-open one-gallon water jug filled with ballast. I pour it down on the track and then use a paintbrush for general shaping and tamping, and maybe an […]

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Review: Lionel O gauge Trackmobile car mover

PR0711_Lionel-Trackmobile

Not long ago, businesses that received or generated moderate levels of rail traffic called the local railroad for switching duties. Others had their own switcher. Other firms with less, though steady traffic had another recourse for motive power: the Trackmobile.First developed in the late 1940s, the Trackmobile was a dream come true for firms with […]

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MTH O gauge Premier line GE U25B

PR0711_2-locos

You know I’m not sure if I ever saw a General Electric U25B diesel locomotive operating in revenue service. Oh, back in the day, I have a hazy memory of perhaps seeing one in a backshop deadline, although that may have been another four-axle GE model. But during my prime railfanning period (1978-85), I believe […]

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Atlas HO scale turntable

Atlas-HO-scale-turntable

Atlas HO scale turntable This product is a good, inexpensive direct-current powered turntable for the modelers who don’t a lot of money to spend. It features a handwheel to control by hand. The roundhouse slots have As and Bs to show how to install track. The table itself has no pit, but looks fine and […]

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Headed north on the Southern main line

Norfolk & Western J-Class 4-8-4 No. 611 rolls north on the Southern Railway main line, Aug. 22, 1982 during the engine’s three-day move from its restoration in Birmingham, Ala., to its birthplace in Roanoke, Va. The engine has an eight car train high above the James River. William D. Middleton photo […]

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End of the Line

NW

N&W’s eastbound Pocahontas descends Christiansburg Hill toward Roanoke on April 21, 1971 – ten days before Amtrak. J. David Ingles The air was chilly and damp as I stood beneath the eaves of the weather-beaten depot in Lynchburg, Va. I was waiting for the train that would take me back to Cincinnati one last time. […]

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Building the Reader’s Choice RR benchwork

CTT121010RCRRBenchwork

Our 2010 survey asked what you, our readers wanted in a layout. We compiled all of your feedback and we present this project railroad designed just for you. For the Readers’ Choice RR we chose a lightweight benchwork option that was new to us, and found that the Mianne benchwork system was an ideal solution. […]

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