\ Name: Milwaukee Road’s Beer Line Layout owner: Model Railroader staff Scale: HO (1:87.1) Prototype: Milwaukee Road’s Chestnut Street Line Locale: Milwaukee, Wis. Era: 1947 Style: Sectional Mainline run: 24 feet (original layout); 10 feet (addition); 34 feet (total) Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: none Benchwork: sectional tables Height: 44″ Roadbed: […]
Name: Santa Fe Eastern Layout owner: Les Illes Scale: HO Size: 25 x 35 feet Prototype: Santa Fe (BNSF Ry.) and Southern Pacific (Union Pacific) Locale: Cajon Pass in California Era: 1940s to present Style: walk-in Mainline run: 600 feet in three lines Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (yards) Maximum grade: 2 […]
Enhancing our project layout’s Digital Command Control system to allow additional cabs requires the installation of a power booster. In this episode, David Popp shows how to arrange, install, and connect the NCE Smart Booster components, allowing more users to enjoy the fun of operating of our large, HO scale layout! […]
Ready for the next step to installing Digital Command Control on a large model railroad? In this episode, David keeps the train rollin’ by sharing why, where, and how to add plug ports, before he shows how to install a DCC cab bus under the HO scale Beer Line project layout. […]
Tired of hassling with an entire layout shutdown when a single train derails on your DCC layout? We certainly were! In this episode, David Popp explains why it happens, and then shows how to remedy this inconvenience by establishing power districts and adding circuit breakers. Watch to see how these easy fixes pave the way […]
Name: Western Pacific RR Layout owner: Jim Pendley Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 20 x 46 feet Prototype: Western Pacific Locale: California’s Sierra Nevada Time periods: 1960s, early 1970s, early 1980s, mid-1980s Style: walkaround Mainline run: 220 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (yards) Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Benchwork: L-girder and […]
In this all-new MRVP series, watch and learn as David Popp walks you through, step-by-step, the full sequence for installing Digital Command Control on a large model railroad. To get things started, David first provides a quick overview of DCC starter systems, and then he gets to work adding a DCC power bus line under […]
Name: Dayton & Southern Layout owner: Dave Sellers Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 23′-9″ x 47′-6″ Prototype: freelanced Baltimore & Ohio branch Locale: Southwest Ohio Era: steam-to-diesel transition Style: walk-in Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Maximum grade: 3 percent Minimum turnout: no. 4 Benchwork: L-girder, open grid, and shelf Height: 36″ to 52″ Roadbed: […]
Name: Kansas City Terminal Ry. Layout owner: Jim Senese Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 11 x 21 plus 11 x 40 Prototypes: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Kansas City Southern; Kansas City Terminal; Missouri-Kansas-Texas; Missouri Pacific; and St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco). Locale: Kansas City, Mo. and Kansas Time: 3 p.m. Nov. 15, 1980 Style: around-the-walls Mainline […]
Name: Santa Fe, Colorado & Western RR Layout owner: Scale Rails club Scale: N (1:87.1) and HOn3 (HO scale, 3 foot track gauge) Size: 27 x 42 feet Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Denver & Rio Grande Western Locale: California and Colorado Era: 1955-1965 Style: multi-level, walk-in Mainline run: 731 feet Minimum radius: […]
Name: West Virginia & Southern Ry. Layout owner: Terry B. Ketcham Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 14 x 40 feet Prototype: Norfolk & Western Locale: Southeastern W.Va. Era: 1950s Style: walkaround Mainline run: 360 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 4 percent Benchwork: L-girder Height: 32″, 44″ and 60″ Roadbed: Homabed Track: code […]
Name: Pennsylvania RR Pittsburgh Division Layout owner: Dave Johnson Scale: HO (1:187.1) Size: 33′-8″ x 37′-4″ Prototype: Pennsylvania RR Locale: Pittsburgh to Harrisburg, Pa. Period: 1952 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 235 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (main), 28″ (yard lead) Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 5 (yard) Maximum grade: 1.75 percent Benchwork: L-girder and open […]
