The HO scale Winnebago Rapids & Northern RR

A model railroad track plan

Facts and features Name: Winnebago Rapids & Northern RRScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 14 x 18 feetPrototype: freelancedLocale: WisconsinEra: 1956Style: walk-inMainline run: 120 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 31⁄2%Benchwork: L-girderHeight: 41″ to 49″Roadbed: HomabedTrack: code 83 (handlaid in visible locations, extrack in hidden areas)Scenery: extruded-foam insulation board and clothshellBackdrop: painted drywallControl: NCE ProCab Click the […]

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Why do railroads use catenary?

Orange, black, and white model electric locomotive running under catenary.

When you think about electrified rail lines today, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. But in the first half of the 1900s, before the start of the diesel era, railroads used electrified lines to move freight and passengers. Examples in the east included the New York, New Haven & […]

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Kitbash a large-scale fire truck

red model fire truck

Sometime last year I took a serious look at one of my vehicles. I leave my vehicles out all year, and the weather takes its toll. I could strip the pickup and repaint it, but I’m planning a firehouse in my town, so why not make a fire truck? The vehicle is a Solido 1:19 […]

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Broad way

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The Pennsylvania Railroad’s wide four-track main line was known as the “broad way,” as seen at Braddock, Pa., near Pittsburgh. The name eventually migrated to the road’s passenger fleet, giving rise to the famed Broadway Limited. Union Switch & Signal Co. photo […]

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Live steam railway in Australia

overview of garden railway

My garden railway is like a 4 x 8-foot layout, only it’s scaled up to around 12 x 32 feet and built outdoors. I’ve added a small garden retaining wall to raise the railway to knee height, which is comfortable for viewing and placing trains on the track. Originally, the patio had no roof or […]

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Why did railroads use train orders?

Scan of train order with information written in pen.

If you’ve read Model Railroader or many of our books and special issues, you’ve probably seen references to timetable-and-train-order operation, or TTTO for short. Employee timetables (ETT) that governed TTTO operation listed station names, mileposts, train numbers and classes, departure and arrival times, and operating instructions, among other items, to govern train movements. So why […]

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NC&StL locomotives remembered

Diesel NC&StL locomotives with passenger train by signal and station

NC&StL locomotives were distinctive but disappeared all too soon.   The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway had its share of unique items and was a pioneer. Historian Dain L. Schult says the “NC,” as it was known, was the only southern road to try a Camelback and a duplex; neither type worked out. It […]

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The On30 Owl Cove Lumber Co. layout

A model railroad track plan for the Owl Cove Lumber Co layout

Facts and features Name: Owl Cove Lumber Co.Scale: On30 (1:48, 30″ narrow gauge)Size: 6 x 40 feetPrototype: freelancedLocale: Washington’s Northern CascadesEra: 1930sStyle: around-the-wallsMainline run: 26 feetMinimum radius: 18″Minimum turnout: No. 4Maximum grade: 6%Benchwork: L-girderHeight: 40″Roadbed: corkTrack: code 83 handlaid and flextrackScenery: hardshellBackdrop: hand-painted on wallsControl: NCE Digital Command Control Click the link to download a […]

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Plans for a masonry depot

Color image of weather-beaten masonry depot

Harold W. Russell’s illustrations have been appearing in Model Railroader magazine since the mid-1960s. He has more than 150 bylines to his credit. In the July 2024 issue he shared plans for a masonry depot on the Lehigh Valley in Gorham, N.Y. Click on the link below to download Harold’s plans. Use this link to […]

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