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Early last spring, it was time to plan a summer vacation and get to some unfinished business. Alison and I agreed on the overall goal: get to Alaska. For her it was the call of Denali National Park and the fjords along the coast south of Seward. For me (no surprise), it was the chance […]
SEATTLE — Amtrak has awarded a construction contract for upgrades to its King Street Yard in Seattle, meant to prepare the facility for arrival of next-generation Amtrak Airo equipment for the Amtrak Cascades route as well as improving maintenance for long-distance trains that use the facilities. PCL Construction Services will lead design and construction on […]
ELBE, Wash. — The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad has purchased three ex-Reading Co. passenger cars from the North Carolina Transportation for use in its steam heritage rail operations. Mt. Rainier Scenic said in a press release that the museum determined the cars, built between 1922 and 1927 by the Standard Steel Car Co. and Bethlehem […]
Jay Smith, former illustrator (ret.) for Kalmbach Media, is back for more work on David’s painted backdrop of his On30 display layout. Although the painting won’t be completed here, Jay shows off his various techniques for adding more precision to the roughed-in mountains he crafted in the previous episode of this Olympia & Sand Creek […]
Name: Art Volz’s O-27 gauge layoutDimensions: 10 x 20 feet Track and switches: Lionel (diameters range from 27″ to 31″)Motive power: Lionel (postwar, modern)Rolling stock: Lionel (postwar, modern), MenardsControls: Lionel Nos. 1033 and 1034, type-ZW transformersAccessories: Lionel, MTHStructures: Atlas O, Lionel, Menards, MTH, scratchbuilt, Woodland ScenicsVehicles: Ertl, Lucky Die Cast Products, MTH, SpecCast CollectiblesFigures: Bachmann […]
LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Sound Transit opened the latest piece of its light rail network on Friday, an 8.5-mile, four-station addition that extends the 1 Line north into Snohomish County and to Lynnwood for the first time. In addition to the Lynnwood City Center station, the new extension includes a station at Mountlake Terrace and two […]
In this episode, professional help is on the way! Jay Smith, former illustrator (ret.) for Kalmbach Media, heads for the basement to help make realistic mountains materialize on the backdrop of the On30 display layout. Guided by David’s practice painting, pretty pictures, and temporary placement of key structures, Jay shares his specific techniques for turning […]
Feather canyons everywhere! David looks at clouds that way. If you really don’t know how to paint clouds at all, then you’ll want to follow David as he demonstrates his techniques for adding realistic skies to his On30 display backdrop. But that’s not the only illusion recalls! David also shows how easy it is look […]
Facts and features Name: Owl Cove Lumber Co.Scale: On30 (1:48, 30″ narrow gauge)Size: 6 x 40 feetPrototype: freelancedLocale: Washington’s Northern CascadesEra: 1930sStyle: around-the-wallsMainline run: 26 feetMinimum radius: 18″Minimum turnout: No. 4Maximum grade: 6%Benchwork: L-girderHeight: 40″Roadbed: corkTrack: code 83 handlaid and flextrackScenery: hardshellBackdrop: hand-painted on wallsControl: NCE Digital Command Control Click the link to download a […]
The BNSF Northern Transcon is a major railroad artery that funnels traffic from the Pacific Northwest to Chicago and points east. Closely followed by U.S. Route 2, there’s a lot of traffic on this Great Railfan Road. Come along with Trains.com as we show you some of the highlights of the route and how it […]
In this concluding video of the Olympia & Sand Creek Sidetrack Series, host David Popp finalizes the assembly of the horses, mules, and wagons. Follow along as he shares techniques for hitching the ponies to the carts, before he gets back to working on the On30 model railroad! Be sure to explore the entire Olympia […]
SEATTLE — The Sound Transit board of directors has selected a site in Federal Way, Wash., as the location for its Operations and Maintenance Faciility South, which will service future expansion of the Link light rail system to West Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. The site at South 336th Street had been identified as the preferred […]
