Parts of the Electro-Motive Diesel SD70M-2. Today is a great time to be a model railroader. The market is filled with a variety of locomotives from different manufacturers in many popular modeling scales. These engines often feature railroad- (and sometimes road-number-) specific details; factory-installed and painted wire grab irons; and sounds recorded from the prototype. […]
How to disassemble a locomotive without damaging it and then reassembling it is one of the more advanced tasks of a model railroader. Some people just want to see the inside of the locomotive, while more often, there’s a circuit board that needs repair or replacement, gears that need lubricating, or a faulty wire or […]
Q: I plan to add Soo Line Mikado 1003 to my railroad empire. In looking for an appropriate model to start with, I need to know if it is a light or heavy Mikado. How do I tell the difference? – Gary Salzmann A: I’ll answer your second question – how to tell the difference between […]
Small O and S gauge layouts are how the hobby began. To demonstrate the wonders of layouts designed to fit into small spaces, let’s travel back to when most current enthusiasts were youngsters. This most likely means we’re talking about the 25 years immediately following World War II. These men and women can trace their […]
Consisting DCC locomotives to run together Q: Can you provide a simple procedure for pairing locomotives in a consist? One locomotive is pulling or pushing the one in front. – Stephen J. Szypula A: In Digital Command Control parlance, grouping locomotives so they all respond at once to the same throttle commands is called consisting. There […]
Removing a locomotive’s shell? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where editors […]
Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where editors answer the questions readers […]
Q: Can you provide a simple procedure for pairing locomotives in a consist? One locomotive is pulling or pushing the one in front. – Stephen J. Szypula A: An important part of making your consist work is speed-matching the locomotives so they don’t fight each other. If your locomotives respond to the same throttle speed step […]
Building your first kitbash I’ve worked for Model Railroader for about six months now with no previous hands-on experience with model railroading. When an opportunity came up for me to enter a kitbashing “contest” among fellow Model Railroader employees, I plunged right in. Note: Fellow employees have been modeling for years. My skill level is […]
Looking for dirt cheap ground cover? While there are plenty of companies selling real dirt products graded and colored to match specific terrains and locales, if you’re on a budget, you might find some suitable ground cover closer to home. Specifically, in your own back yard. But you can’t just scoop up a shovel full […]
Q: I’m planning a reversing loop on my layout. Must isolated sidings inside a reversing loop be part of the reversing section? Or can they be part of the main power bus? – R. John Kohlbrand A: There are three potential ways to wire up separate sidings and spurs that connect to a reversing section […]
How do you find specific models in certain paint schemes? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Click to see a review of the Bachmann Trains HO scale Siemens ALC-42 diesel locomotive. Do you have a question? Would you like to learn more about full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com […]
