Eastbound and westbound trains

Burlington Northern & Spokane Portland Seattle Railroad

Name: Dave Condon Railroad Name: Burlington Northern & Spokane Portland Seattle Location: Kirkland, WA Scale: O scale Theme: Marshall Landing Washington Description: Heading West to Portland is a heavy BN freight train made up of GP30s and a GP9. My layout has a Portland Cement operation built by Model Structures. The cement rail cars are […]

Read More…

Cab ride on the Livingston Model Railroad Club layout

Cab view of locomotive on layout

Take a cab ride on the Livingston Model Railroad club layout, located in the old Northern Pacific depot in Livingston, Mont. The layout is generic with the exception of the town of Gardiner, Mont., which the train enters around 11:30. The Northern Pacific ran a train from Livingston, Mont., to Gardiner, Mont., until around 1955 […]

Read More…

Serendipity on a mail car

Northern Pacific triple-combine express car

Join Trains for a ride on a former Northern Pacific triple-combine express car as a retired mail car clerk, a historical interpreter, and a reporter meet to catch a mail bag full of history on a moving train on the Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway in October 2017. Only from Trains! […]

Read More…

Video 101: Vignettes and transitions

Santa Fe locomotive

A “vignette” is a small portrait whose edges fade into the background without a definite border, or a brief episode. Vignette is my word for a video scene from a story that is unfinished or only partially told. Al Tillman’s railway was undergoing a major renovation on the day we visited but it had several […]

Read More…

Stuff We Use: Bachmann HO scale track cleaning car

Bachmann track cleaning car

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page One way to help keep your model railroad running smoothly is to regularly run a cleaning train along the line. Senior Editor Dana Kawala shows you how to make your track cleaning chores easier with a Bachmann HO scale Track Cleaning Car. […]

Read More…

Cody’s Workshop: Episode 30 – DCC and Painted Details

Cody Grivno’s Workshop Part 30

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Host Cody Grivno shows how to install a DCC drop-in decoder into an N scale diesel locomotive. After finalizing the installation and programming, Cody reassembles the unit and then turns his attention to adding subtle weathering effects using paint and washes. […]

Read More…