David installs a Digitrax Evolution Express command system on our State Line Route layout. Follow along as David guides you from installing the universal panels to modifying a throttle pocket to watching trains run on the N scale layout! […]
Good news! If your lifeless locomotive has ever run under Digital Command Control (DCC), chances are good that you can get it running again without having to send it off for repair. The solution is easy, too! More good news! If you have a new steam locomotive that doesn’t run or only partially works, maybe […]
After a quick update with Jenny to see how her Walther’s bungalow kit is coming along, David gets to work on electrical projects. Follow along, and you’ll see how he installed feeder wires and added a power bus line under the State Line Route N scale layout. […]
After a quick update with Jenny to see how her Walther’s bungalow kit is coming along, David gets to work on electrical projects. Follow along, and you’ll see how he installed feeder wires and added a power bus line under the State Line Route N scale layout. […]
The latest special issue from Classic Toy Trains! If you’re looking to build your first toy train layout, or maybe just something more manageable, Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces has you covered! It’s full of plans for layouts under 100 square feet that will fit in a spare room, including island and around the […]
My little shelf layout is made from track and lumber salvaged from a small model railroad I was building in my apartment living room back in Pennsylvania before I moved to Wisconsin to work for Model Railroader. In my current living room, I only have room for a shelf layout, which is built into an […]
In this final series video, Trains.com resident DCC expert Ben Lake covers signal installation with JMRI. Using the Canadian Canyons N scale layout scale as his workbench, Ben walks and talks viewers through signal decoder setup, signal wiring schematics, PanelPro configuration, and more! […]
HO Scale Walthers turnouts introduction Like their predecessors, the latest generation of turnouts is DCC friendly. Turnouts that are DCC friendly minimize the possibility of a short shutting down part of a model railroad due to metal wheels contacting adjacent rails that are at a different polarity. The new Walthers Track line turnouts are available […]
By Allan Gartner The Advanced Control Module from Walthers will work with DCC systems capable of controlling accessories, such as turnouts. Your system will need at least one throttle that you can set thrown/closed, on/off, 1/2, or whatever your system calls it, as needed. Systems where the throttle only allows you to toggle from the […]
Some of today’s short-wheelbase locomotives have issues with the prototypical switches and narrow-angle crossings that make an O gauge railroad look realistic. Here’s a quick fix that will allow any locomotive - even this economical Bethlehem Steel saddle tanker from Lionel – to perform reliably over the troublesome trackwork. THIS IS A PHOTO FEATURE. CLICK […]
Picking the right power supply for your railroad has one toe in the present and one in the future. It will need to run what you have today and will be expected to perform just as well years from now. Transformers aren’t cheap, but today’s O and S gauge hobbyists have a better selection of […]
Basic maintenance is the key to reliable operation. Here are several simple things you can do to keep your engines running: Proper lubrication is so important to reliable operation that Bachmann includes a video with many of its locomotives showing how to do it. This is no less important with other manufacturers’ locomotives. Many […]
