Expanding a 4×8

Sketching with Steve The good old 4 x 8 train table is a tradition – if not a cliché – for a reason: plywood comes in 4 x 8-foot sheets. When our dads or grandpas bought us our first train sets for Christmas, they often nailed that simple oval or figure-8 onto a table made […]

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On30 Ashland & Iron Mountain

Track plan overview

The layout at a glance Name: Ashland & Iron Mountain RR Scale: On30 (1:48 proportion, 30″ gauge) Size: 24′-6″ x 39′-0″ Prototype: freelanced, inspired by Quincy & Torch Lake RR Locale: Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan Era: late 1930s-1940s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 202 feet Minimum radius: 27″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 2.5 […]

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HO scale Stone Canyon

Track plan

The layout at a glance Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 28 x 40 feet Prototype: Freelanced Locale: Western U.S. mountain states Era: 1950s Style: walk in Mainline run: 200 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: L-girder Height: 42″ to 51″ Roadbed: cork on 3⁄4″ plywood Track: code 83 visible, […]

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Scale It Down: Making big plans fit into less space, Episode 1

Scale It Down logo over image of unfinished benchwork and track work.

Steve Brown, host of It’s My Railroad, launches into an all-new, Trains.com exclusive series! Follow along as he walks through his plans and strategies for building a reduced-scope, N scale version of his favorite HO scale layout, the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway (The Tar Branch), previously featured in Model Railroader magazine and MRVideoPlus.com. […]

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Scale It Down: Making big plans fit into less space, Episode 1

Scale It Down logo over image of unfinished benchwork and track work.

Steve Brown, host of It’s My Railroad, launches into an all-new, Trains.com exclusive series! Follow along as he walks through his plans and strategies for building a reduced-scope, N scale version of his favorite HO scale layout, the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway (The Tar Branch), previously featured in Model Railroader magazine and MRVideoPlus.com. […]

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Scale It Down: Laying Track, Episode 2

Steve Brown laying track on his N scale model railroad

Trains.com exclusive video series host Steve Brown gets to work on the trackwork of his down-sized (N scale) depiction of the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway. True to form, Steve follows his “Regular Guy” routine, and finds that some unexpected complications are cause for contemplation…and deviation from the original Model Railroader magazine HO scale track plan!   […]

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