We share five ways to make durable signs for your large-scale structures. Methods include using decals, vinyl stencils, styrene and magnets, and more. Weathered enamel signs Here’s an easy way to simulate old, rusting enamel signs. First, invent and print the sign, or take a photo of a real one. Print the image on glossy […]
Facts & features Name: Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound Scale: N (1:160) Size: 48 x 96 feet Prototypes: Great Northern; Milwaukee Road; Northern Pacific; Pacific Coast RR; Spokane, Portland & Seattle; Tacoma Belt Line; and Union Pacific Locale: Pacific Northwest Era: circa 1950 Style: multi-deck walkaround Mainline run: approx. 1, 250 feet Minimum radius: 12 […]
Facts & features Name: The Baraboo Subdivision Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 10 x 24 feet Prototype: Chicago & North Western Ry., Madison Division Locale: Baraboo, Wis. Era: variable, from 1956 to 1995 Style: around the walls Mainline run: 38 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: flat Benchwork: 1 x 4 open […]
Name: Richard (Al) Phillips’ O gauge layout Dimensions: 11 x 12 feet Track: GarGraves, Lionel (diameters range from 27 to 72 inches) Switches: Lionel Motive power: Lionel (all eras), Marx Rolling stock: Lionel (all eras), Marx, MTH Electric Trains, Williams Controls: Lionel types KW and ZW transformers Accessories: Lionel (postwar), Marx Structures: Lemax, Lionel, Plasticville, […]
Name: John Mansueto’s S gauge layout Dimensions: 7 x 11½ feet Track and switches: Gilbert American Flyer (maximum diameter is 54 inches) Motive power: American Models, Gilbert and Lionel American Flyer, S-Helper Service Rolling stock: American Models, Gilbert and Lionel American Flyer, MTH, S-Helper Service Controls: Lionel types RW and ZW transformers, MTH nos. Z-750 […]
Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs. Burlington Northern (BN) had more than 2,000 diesel locomotives on its roster. With a fleet of that size, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there were more than a few Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs. Paint scheme variations, wreck rebuilds, and test subjects were among the examples I found when searching […]
What my garden railroad taught me: Our first garden line, The Johnsville & Cripple Creek, was complete – as these things go. We moved. I looked forward to starting over. Construction on the Hitchcock Railway began a few months after moving in – and continued for more than 10 years. When NMRA National Convention visitors […]
Lionel F3 sets that never existed are a constant source of conversation among collectors. One area of focus is the late 1940s. Amid the ordinary items produced in vast quantities, there were some advertised that were probably never produced – but maybe they were. Lionel’s first O gauge F3 diesels came in freight sets with […]
Why I love the Electro-Motive Division SD40-2 Many modelers have a locomotive that they are fond of, probably one of their first models that they received as a kid. My first engine was an O gauge F7, a far cry from the locomotive that I love, the Electro-Motive Division SD40-2. In fact, nine years later […]
When two trains running in opposite directions on a single-track main have to pass each other, the dispatcher will schedule them to meet at a passing siding. But what happens when one or both of those trains is too long to fit into the siding? Engineers coped with this situation with a maneuver called a […]
Common name: Begonia Latin name: Begonia sp. Plant type: Annual USDA Hardiness Zones: 10-11; grown as an annual in lower zones Cultural needs: moist, well drained, neutral or slightly acidic soil; part shade Plant size: 18″ x 18″ Most begonias are true perennials, living on for years as houseplants or in tropical gardens. Usually we […]
Preparing for layout operations | The crew might be at the end of work on the State Line Route N scale model railroad, but the fun of operating a layout has only just begun. In this episode, David Popp teams up with Trains.com host Gerry Leone and Model Railroadermagazine Editor Eric White to ready the […]
