Add a valance and dust cover

HowardLloydmadeasimplevalancetoconceallightfixturesandfocusviewersattentiononhisHOscaleNationalDocksRylayout

I think every model railroad should have a valance. What is a valance, you may ask? A valance is a view block suspended from the ceiling that follows the edge of the benchwork and frames the layout for viewing. If you think of a model railroad as a stage, then a valance serves the purpose […]

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Cody’s Workshop: Episode 13 – mini-scene makeover

Cody Grivno standing next to model railroad

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody Grivno, host of Cody’s Workshop, steps away from the workbench and heads to the MR&T layout to revamp a compact grade crossing scene. Cody shows how to install a new scenery base and shape the terrain using Shaper Sheet from Woodland Scenics. […]

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Cody’s Workshop: Episode 13 – mini-scene makeover

Cody Grivno standing next to model railroad

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody Grivno, host of Cody’s Workshop, steps away from the workbench and heads to the MR&T layout to revamp a compact grade crossing scene. Cody shows how to install a new scenery base and shape the terrain using Shaper Sheet from Woodland Scenics. […]

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HO scale Pennsylvania RR

PennsylvaniaRR

Name: Pennsylvania RR Layout designer: Brent Monahan Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: layout 51⁄2 x 191⁄2 feet, dioramas 41⁄2 x 17 feet Locale: north of Princeton, N.J., to New York Era: 1959 Style: island (layout) and dioramas Mainline run: 10 feet (visible track) on layout Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent […]

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HOn3 Glenwood & Black Creek

GlenwoodBlackCreek

Name: Glenwood & Black Creek Scale: HOn3 (1:87.1) Size: 16′-6″ x 35′-0″ Locale: western United States Theme: western narrow gauge Period: 1930s – 1940s Turnout minimum: no. 6 Minimum curve radius: 24″ Maximum grade: 2 percent (main), or 3 percent (branches) Originally appeared in the May 2014 Model Railroader. Click on the link to download […]

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Rice Harbor freight car roster

RiceHarborfreightcarroster

1930s-era freight cars and locomotive on Model Railroader‘s Rice Harbor project layout. Accurail No. 2500 series Norfolk & Western USRA twin hoppers (2) No. 4111 Virginian 40-foot outside braced-boxcar with wood doors and wood ends No. 4311 New York Central 40-foot outside-braced boxcar with wood doors and metal ends No. 43041 Pennsylvania 40-foot outside-braced boxcar […]

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Member video: Demonstration of Keep-Alive Digital Command Controler decoder in an HO scale short wheel base locomotive

Keep-Alive Digital Command Controler decoder in an HO scale short wheel base locomotive

Here’s a short demonstration showing how a DCC decoder with a Keep-Alive capacitor can help short wheel base locomotives get through complicated track work that they sometimes stall on. In this example, a TCS KAM4 decoder is installed in a Athearn SW1000 switcher. Operation of the switcher before and after installation is shown for comparison. […]

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