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Steam locomotive manufacturers and aftermarket sound companies have come a long way in producing realistic sound, to a point. These systems usually have a single speaker mounted face down in the floor of the tender. Projecting sound downward and bouncing it off the track and ballast results in heightened bass and low definition between the […]
Common name: Creeping speedwell Latin name: Veronica repens Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: 1″ high, spreading 6-12″ USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-8 Cultural needs: Normal or sandy; well drained, moist soil; full sun to part shade Dwarfs and dwarf trees won’t be obscured when surrounded by this mat-forming creeping speedwell. Here, in full bloom during June […]
Trainfest will return to Downtown Milwaukee’s Baird Center Nov. 1-2, 2025. The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), celebrating its 90th anniversary, will take over as this year’s event producer. NMRA President Gordon Robinson previews the upcoming show with Trains.com Staff Writer Lucas Iverson, while also discussing plans for the future of the event. Watch the […]
I model the Western Maryland Ry. (WM) from the 1920s to before the start of World War II. Appropriate commercial models of coal hoppers for my modeling era are limited in large scale. I was using LGB two-bay and Bachmann three-bay hoppers as stand-ins, but I wanted accurate, period-specific coal hoppers for my rolling stock […]
Common name: Trailing lobelia, edging lobelia, annual lobelia Latin name: Lobelia erinus ‘Riviera Sky Blue’ Plant type: Annual Plant size: 8-10″ high and spreading USDA Hardiness Zones: 10-11 for overwintering, all Zones as an annual Cultural needs: Moist soil, sun or part shade, fertilize regularly for continuous blooming So few miniature plants have such a […]
I model the Western Maryland Ry. (WM) from the 1920s to before the start of World War II. Appropriate commercial models of coal hoppers for my modeling era are limited in large scale. I was using LGB two-bay and Bachmann three-bay hoppers as stand-ins, but I wanted accurate, period-specific coal hoppers for my rolling stock […]
Common name: Dwarf baldcypress, dwarf swamp cypress Latin name: Taxodium distichum ‘Peve Minaret’ Plant size: 6-10′ high by 3′ wide in 10 years USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11 (marginally in Zone 4) Cultural needs: Moist, acidic soil; sun T.d. ‘Peve Minaret’ is a dwarf variety of the magnificent swamp cypresses of the Florida Everglades. The dwarf […]
While traveling, I came upon an operating large scale layout that was a circle of track attached to the top of a whiskey barrel planter that had been cut in half. I thought that it would be fun to build something like that for our front porch, but wanted something a little larger and less […]
In 2016, to separate the road and the track, I built a retaining wall and safety fence around one of the curves in my railway. I used pieces of treated wood to represent concrete blocks, and 3” wide strips from white plastic-coated wire baskets to serve as the fence (August 2016 Garden Railways). After eight […]
I model the Western Maryland Ry. (WM) from the 1920s to before the start of World War II. Appropriate commercial models of coal hoppers for my modeling era are limited in large scale. I was using LGB two-bay and Bachmann three-bay hoppers as stand-ins, but I wanted accurate, period-specific coal hoppers for my rolling stock […]
MTH Electric Trains, 7393 Washington Blvd., Ste. 101, Elkridge, MD has announced a new ES44 locomotive. The 1:32 scale engines feature two remote-controlled ProtoCouplers, a detachable snow plow, onboard DCC/DSC decoder, and much more (70-2186 shown). Eight paint schemes will be available. Expected delivery in September 2025. To order, contact your local MTH retailer or […]
Common name: Skeleton bush, wire-netting bush Latin name: Corokia cotoneaster ‘Little Prince’ Plant size: 3′ high x 18″ wide, easily kept smaller Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-10 Cultural needs: Sun or shade, medium water needs, good drainage, tolerates alkaline soil The dark, almost black, twisting stems of Corokia cotoneaster ‘Little […]
