Q: I’ve heard about a freight train the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe operated in the early 1970s and earlier in California called the NCX. The few references I’ve seen indicate it was a hotshot intermodal train. This train sounds interesting, especially since it ran at the same time as the famous Santa Fe Super […]
Q: My layout will have four lumber mills and a planing mill. Where do I get real HO scale lumber and plywood to detail them? Also, do I use covered hoppers to haul sawdust, and where can I get sawdust that doesn’t have oil or grease in it? – Russell C. Brenchley A: Scale lumber, […]
Q: I have a Bachmann stockcar whose couplers hang down so low that the pins catch on turnout closure rails, grade crossings, or crossing diamonds. How can I get them up to the right height? Will a coupler shim work, or do I need to do something else? – Joseph Kuepfer, Milverton, Ont. A: That depends […]
Q: What weight of rail (pounds per yard), does Code 83 represent? Maybe you could publish a table of weight vs. code vs. scale? – Jeff Schredder, Burbank, Calif. A: The relation of model rail code to prototype rail weight depends, of course, on scale. I found in the March 1940 issue of Model Railroader a […]
Q: I recently saw these bright orange boxcars parked near the Canadian National Woodcrest Shops. They have CN reporting marks, though I haven’t gotten close enough to get specific numbers. Many of them have red lights on both ends that look to be like the ones used at crossing gates. They must move these cars […]
I have a tip that I think other modelers might like: a fast and easy way to make a terrific roof covering. The gravel roof in the accompanying photo was painted with Rustoleum American Accents Stone textured finish. It went on in one coat and looks even better in person than in the photo. This […]
Q: What exactly is a switchback and how does it work? I originally thought it was a switching move backwards against the turnout (switch). But I read about switchbacks being used in maneuvering hills. I was also wondering if you could refer me to any back issues of MR where they have been used in a […]
Q: When building benchwork for a model railroad 24 inches deep by 6 feet long, how far apart should the L-girders be from each other? I was studying the graphic drawing of benchwork on the top of page 91 in the book Popular Model Railroads You Can Build (Kalmbach Books, 1977, out of print), and […]
Q: I am a fan of the Penn Central RR. While visiting my local hobby shop, I saw a model of a PC caboose with a white stripe down the middle. Is it prototypical? And why the white stripe? – Mark Kroll A: Yes. Although it was uncommon, that was a prototypical scheme. I’ve seen it […]
Q: I have a couple of questions about the benchwork construction of your Spartanburg Subdivision. How large did you cut the plywood sheet? Did you attach the 1x4s to the top of the plywood sheet, or at the sides? Where did the trim pieces go? How large was the sheet of foam you put in […]
Q: When I run a unit coal train of Bethgon Coalporter gondolas, should the colored (rotary) ends face toward the front or the rear of the train? Which is most prototypical? – Nathan Penn, Monmouth, Ill. A: If possible, a double-rotary-ended car should be the first car in the train, since the coupler on the locomotive […]
Q: The axles stick in the journal boxes of some of my rolling stock. I tried scraping them out and lubricating them. Any help would be appreciated. – Christopher Kramer, Chicago A: Depending on what tool you’re using, scraping them out might be making the bearing surfaces rougher, worsening your problem. And lubricating axle bearing […]
