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Do you know how to switch model railroad freight cars? Operations, once considered a quirky art practiced by few, has become commonplace on today’s model railroads. As interest in operations increases the need for “boomers” – operators, in other words – has also increased. Therefore you may find yourself pressed into service on a new […]
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Question: When I was young, my father collected issues of Model Railroader. Some issues were lost when we moved. One of the lost issues contained scale drawings of the Denver & Rio Grande outside-frame narrow gauge 2-8-2 steam locomotive. I’d be very happy to know if such a scale drawing can still be bought. I’ve […]
It’s before sunrise on April 12, 1863, at the Atlanta Car Shed, and Western & Atlantic 4-4-0 locomotive The General is steaming up for its 4 a.m. run to Chattanooga, Tenn. While the crew eats breakfast at the Lacy Hotel, about 20 Union soldiers disguised as civilians will commandeer the train, leading to the events […]
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Earlier this year, we put out the call for MR readers to send us their best model railroad photos. We published the winners in the July 2020 Model Railroader. Follow the links below to download the images of all eight winning trackside photos sized appropriately for use as computer screen desktops. Click on the links […]
Earlier this year, we put out the call for MR readers to send us their best model railroad photos. We published the winners in the July 2020 Model Railroader. Follow the links below to download the images of all eight winning trackside photos sized appropriately for use as computer screen desktops. GRAND PRIZE WINNER – […]
Question: I’m in a conundrum and would love to hear an expert’s opinion. I’m planning to build a replica of an Alexandria, Minn., cold storage building for our club’s HO scale layout. If the structure is to fit the space, it will have to be selectively compressed, compromising its accuracy. To remain proportionally accurate, it […]
How to find items in your chosen scale Download the PDF here. Once you have settled on a scale that strikes the right balance for you, you can then begin to assemble the pieces to build your railroad—locomotives, rolling stock, buildings, vehicles, and people. Some manufacturers are good enough to mark the scale of their […]
This three-rail track incorporates two different gauges—0 gauge and 1-gauge. Trains in 16mm-scale (1:19) and 15mm-scale (1:20.3) are equally at home on these rails. Marc Horovitz Download the PDF here. Let’s look at the various scales available and list their characteristics, with an eye to finding their advantages and disadvantages. As mentioned above, the thing […]
Question: I‘m building an N scale layout on a hollow core door covered with 2″ thick extruded-foam insulation board on top. I’d like to remotely control a few of the turnouts that aren’t easily reachable from the front of the layout. Any suggestions on how to operate these turnouts? The thickness of the foam plus […]
Click on the links at left to download the image. Lee Marsh’s HO scale Great Northern Cascade Division is featured in the June 2020 Model Railroader. Download this photo from Lee’s layout to use as a background on your computer screen. Click on the links below to download the appropriately sized image. Download the 1600 […]
