Beginners Archives - Page 36 of 67

What’s the purpose of this building

Scott Snuverink from Eli, Kentucky, photographed a building and wants to know what purpose it serves. Cody Grivno takes a look and provides an answer. […]

Ask MR: Building and powering a garden railroad

Large-scale track is seen resting in a bed of gravel in front of a small wood depot

Q: I am building a garden railroad in Colorado. Any suggestions as to how I should build and lay my track? – Dennis Dvorak, Colorado Springs, Colo. A: Our sister magazine, Garden Railways, published a whole lot of information about how to build a garden railroad. Model Railroader’s Rene Schweitzer, who comes from GR-land, says that many […]

An introduction to track wiring basics

Diagram showing the path power takes from a booster, through a bus, and to the track.

There is probably no other aspect of our hobby that creates more anxiety and confusion for newcomers than wiring. When you’re starting at absolute ground zero on the learning curve it can be daunting at times. However, at the most basic level, what we’re trying to do is get electricity from a power source to […]

Model train scales explained

Photo of modern passenger units in five scales

Model train scales come in a handful of commercial sizes. Among the most popular model train scales in North America are HO, N, O and G. However, these letters stand in for very specific ratios that tell modelers what fraction they are using to scale, or model, reality. What is a model train scale? Scales […]

Where to find automatic crossing bars and signals

Zach wants to know where he can find good quality automatic crossing bars for his layout, as well as some signals for his “rip” track. Cody Grivno is in the studio with some suggestions. […]

Where to find automatic crossing bars and signals

Zach wants to know where he can find good quality automatic crossing bars for his layout, as well as some signals for his “rip” track. Cody Grivno is in the studio with some suggestions. […]

What are the functions of different pieces of scrap metal?

Tobia Keseman is writing in because he came across some abandoned pieces of scrap metal while exploring, and now he wants to know what are the pieces, and what are their functions? Check out the submitted photos with Cody Grivno and he tries to reveal their purpose! […]

Ask MR: What’s available to model a newspaper building?

A model of a brick building with corrugated steel annex bears a sign reading “Walworth County Standard”

Q: As an old newspaperman, I’ve been looking for a newspaper structure kit to add to my layout, but there doesn’t seem to be much available. I know there used to be newspaper office buildings available in HO, but there don’t seem to be any on the market now. Any ideas? – Marc Silvestrini A: […]

How are a crane’s hooks secured for transit?

A brown-and-silver wreck crane is seen in transit, its boom secured to the deck

Q: I have a couple of 25-ton cranes on my layout. While running them in a work train, the hooks swing, giving them an unrealistic look. Are the hooks normally tethered to the boom when the cranes are being transported? I couldn’t find any photos of actual cranes during transport. – Steve Favale, Buffalo, N.Y. […]

Track wiring for beginners

Pair of wires seen alongside track attached to a power bus.

Track wiring your model railroad layout can be daunting, especially for beginners to the hobby. In order to help those looking to start, here’s a review of the bare-bones basics of wiring your layout that will help you get your trains up and running as quickly as possible. Run the wire bus roughly beneath the […]