HO scale Pennsylvania RR Middle Division from the April 2015 Model Railroader Name: Pennsylvania RR Middle Division Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 36 x 36 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR Locale: Harrisburg, Pa. Era: 1945 to 1950 Style: around the walls Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main line), 24″ (branch line) Minimum turnout: no. 5 […]
On30 Torres & Prietas RR from the April 2015 Model Railroader Name: Torres & Prietas RR Scale: On30 (1:48 proportion, 30″ narrow gauge, also called On21⁄2) Size: 6′-9″ x 16′-0″ Theme: Southwest desert mining Locale: Arizona Era: Mid 20th century Style: Island Mainline run: 30 feet Minimum radius: 20″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Just a little bit of a ballast goes a long way toward making Model Railroader magazine’s 3 x 7-foot N scale Red Oak layout look more realistic. In this video, David Popp walks you through the steps you’ll need to prepare the trackwork, […]
While a complete Digital Command Control (DCC) system installation might not initially sound like a simple process, MRVP’s David Popp sure makes it seem that way in this how-to video. In his demonstration, David paces you through the steps he used to add a Digitrax Super Empire Builder Xtra system to Model Railroader magazine’s 3 […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In this final episode of MRVP’s Olympia Logging Co. On30 display-style layout construction series, David Popp and Kent Johnson highlight the efforts, successes, and shortcomings over the last several months. Enjoy the quick tour, glean helpful insights from the candid conversation, and then […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Benchwork for the 3 x 7-foot N scale Red Oak layout didn’t need to be bulletproof, but it did need to be sturdy enough for us to move about the MR workshop and transport to shows. In this video, MRVP’s David Popp shows […]
David Popp show’s you that it really is possible to perform prototypical operations on a layout as simple as our Olympia Logging Co. On30 display. Follow along as he first explains the scheme, makes the essential preparations, and then demonstrates how fun and easy it is to get the layout working like a real railroad […]
HO scale Apple Valley Model RR Club track plan from the March 2015 Model Railroader Name: Apple Valley Model RR Club Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 18 x 100 feet Prototype: freelanced, inspired by the Southern Ry., Yancey RR, and Carolina & Northwestern Locale: western Carolinas Era: 1955 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 785 feet Minimum radius: […]
The layout at a glance Name: Cascade Mountain RR Layout designer: David Miller Scale: Z (1:220) Size: 12 x 13 feet Theme: freelanced Locale: Pacific Northwest Era: 1960s to present Style: island Mainline run: 45 feet Minimum radius: 12″ Minimum turnout: 13 degrees Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: 42″ to 50″ Roadbed: […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In this how-to video, MRVP’s David Popp shows you how easy it is to install Blue Point push-pull control levers used to manually throw turnouts on a layout of any size, scale, or complexity. David’s demonstration talks you through the tools and techniques […]
Originally published in Great Model Railroads 2007, this article by Bill Darnaby follows a way freight as it works its way eastbound on Bill’s HO scale Maumee Route. You’ll find a track plan and description of the operation of each town along train No. 20’s route. Follow a model train along the HO scale Maumee […]
In Model Railroad Planning 2015, Gary Hoover describes how he switched from modeling the Santa Fe in 1951 to modeling the Norfolk & Western in the mid-1950s. Gary’s fascination with the N&W goes back farther than that. In the May 1998 Model Railroader, Gary recreated several of O. Winston Link’s famous photos of the prototype […]
