The beloved forums for Model Railroader, Trains Magazine, Classic Trains, Classic Toy Trains, and Garden Railways are back and better than ever in a new home: forum.trains.com. After a brief hiatus, we’re thrilled to announce that we have successfully migrated nearly 70,000 users and an impressive 250,000 posts to our new platform. For those who’ve […]
The beloved forums for Model Railroader, Trains Magazine, Classic Trains, Classic Toy Trains, and Garden Railways are back and better than ever in a new home: forum.trains.com. After a brief hiatus, we’re thrilled to announce that we have successfully migrated nearly 70,000 users and an impressive 250,000 posts to our new platform. For those who’ve […]
Garden railroading is a popular subsection of the model railroading hobby, and for good reason. One of the most limiting factors for building a functional track or train station is available space. Many people don’t have one or more entire rooms to spare for a model railroad layout. Garden railroading, however, takes that layout and […]
I wanted a reliable uncoupling method for my G-scale body mount Kadee couplers, with no moving parts or power requirements. I initially tried Kadee’s magnetic uncoupling system but found it wasn’t a perfect setup. It required the couplers be stopped precisely over the short magnet, and side-to-side movement of the cars due to slop in […]
Easily add weight to flatcar I have a basic flatcar that was giving me problems. The trouble with flatcars is they don’t weigh that much and derail easier than other cars. One solution is to install metal wheels, but I didn’t want the expense plus by leaving the car outdoors I was worried about rust. […]
America’s largest operating model railroad show returned to Milwaukee over the weekend. After a 2023 hiatus, Trainfest 2024 was held Nov. 23-24 at the Baird Center, located in the downtown area. The center itself was recently renovated and featured 300,000-contiguous sq. ft. of exhibit space, with highlights from the show that included the following: Dozens […]
Make building signs from polyester labels: In our hobby, the little things can make a big difference. When adding buildings to our railroads, it’s details like signs that help us determine if it’s the local drug store or the donut shop. Signs also clue us in to what era the railroad is set in. I […]
Model a “burning” building: I loved the idea of having a “burning” building on a large scale layout. Here was a feature that would be active and easy to set up. Plenty of 1:24 scale fire fighting equipment is readily available and reasonably priced. I bought Pola kit No. 33101 a number of years ago […]
Common name: Red Tip mountain plum pine Latin name: Podocarpus lawrencei ‘Red Tip’ Plant type: dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-9 Cultural needs: moist, well drained, neutral or slightly acidic soil, sun to full shade Plant size: 20” high x 28” wide in ten years Would you like the conifer-tree look, but you’re stuck with […]
Railroads carry a multitude of loads, from passengers, livestock, and a variety of other goods. I decided to build a high-power transformer and the car designed to carry it—the Schnabel car. The Schnabel car is designed to carry heavy or oversized loads. The construction of this car involves two friends and 3-D printing. One hobbyist […]
Many of us started our love affair with model trains after getting Lionel or American Flyer items, perhaps to circle a Christmas tree. We might have gotten a toy plastic or metal station with people printed on the sides and some fake evergreen trees. It was all the excitement and the reality we needed. I […]
I had an LGB Stainz (2010 version) and decided to convert it to an 0-4-0 Forney. I made a new boiler, steam dome, sand dome, smoke stack, all made from PVC fittings and pipe. After deciding the length of the boiler, I cut the proper length from a piece of 1″ PVC pipe as it […]
