Name: Long Island & Lake Erie RR Layout designer: Charlie Weinhofer Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 24 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR and Long Island RR Locale: New York Era: 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 60 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (yards), no. 4 (spurs) Maximum grade: 2 percent […]
Refineries are a fascinating industry to model, and they can add considerable switching activity to a model railroad operating session. Kits for contemporary refineries are available, but they weren’t much help on my 1895-era railroad where the principal retail petroleum product is kerosene instead of gasoline. Some time ago, I became aware of the remains […]
Bachmann HO scale 2-6-0 Mogul The HO scale 2-6-0 Mogul from Bachmann is the company’s first steam engine equipped with the SoundTraxx Sound Value Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. The Sound Value is an entry-level version of SoundTraxx’s Tsunami decoder, but the effects produced are just as strong and authentic as the full version. The […]
Kato N scale Electro-Motive Division SD9043MAC diesel locomotive Whether on 1:1 rails or in 1:160 proportion, an SD90MAC diesel draws the attention of railfans and modelers alike. At more than 80 scale feet long, this re-release of the N scale SD90MAC from Kato USA is an accurately detailed model of its massive prototype. Model Railroader […]
Atlas HO scale Thrall triple 53-foot articulated well car Price: decorated, $109.95, undecorated, $89.95 ManufacturerAtlas Model Railroad Co.378 Florence AvenueHillside, NJ 07205atlasrr.com Road names (five road numbers each): TTX (yellow and black), Pacer Stack Train (blue, white, and red), and undecorated. Era: 2000 to present Comments: This common Thrall articulated intermodal car is now available […]
Woodland Scenics track cleaning system This innovative tool from Woodland Scenics is part of the firm’s Tidy Track line and makes it easy to clean the rails almost anywhere on a model railroad. A complete system. The Rail Tracker is a 21⁄2″ inch long plastic tool that swivels on a knob. Indentations on the knob […]
Athearn N scale FMC 50-foot double-door boxcar Price: $19.98 ManufacturerAthearn Trains2883 E. Spring St., Ste. 100Long Beach, CA 90806athearn.com Era: early 1970s to present Road names (three numbers each): British Columbia Ry., Burlington Northern, Northern Alberta Rys., Western Pacific Comments: For those modeling the 1970s and later, the 50-foot exterior post boxcar is a ubiquitous […]
Read about the Virginian Railway in a PDF of the article: “A Bit of Flair in the Coalfields” published in the Fall 2001 issue of Classic Trains in the Fallen Flags Remembered section. Download the story by clicking on the PDF below. […]
Name: New England & North Coast Layout designer: Sam Novello Scale: HO (1:87.1) Room size: 12 x 14 feet Prototype: freelanced Locale: New England seacoast Era: 1955 to 1965 Style: walkaround Minimum radius: 22″ Mainline run: 100 feet Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3 percent Originally appeared in the July 2012 issue of Model […]
The MTH Electric Trains HO Scale Alco PA/PB diesel locomotives feature the Digital Command System (DCS) and the Proto-Sound 3.0 system. See and hear the locomotives in action as they haul a streamlined passenger train around our model railroad. […]
The cardboard brings the puffball foliage to the same height as the foreground trees. The screen and cardboard are completely hidden in the finished scene. Modeling a dense forest area on your model train layout can get expensive if you start using individual trees. I found a way to make puffball trees look more realistic, […]
Name: The Oakville Sub Layout designer: Jim Reising Scale: N (1:160) Size: 26′-6″ x 52′-0″ Prototype: Union Pacific and BNSF Ry. Locale: Ex-Southern Pacific line between Bakersfield and Tehachapi, Calif. Style: walk-in, partial multilevel Era: present day Mainline run: 222 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 7 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in […]
