Regardless the size, model railroads require regular maintenance. Cleaning track, dusting scenery and structures, and maintaining equipment are just some of the things that require attention. Not keeping up on these tasks will lead to a layout that runs poorly, looks tired, and potentially cause you (and/or members of your operating crew) to lose interest. […]
Q: I’m considering converting my N scale diesel fleet to DCC. I have a concern about getting realistic sound in N scale locomotives. On videos of model railroads I have watched, the diesel acceleration and running sound seems to feature the high-pitched whine of the diesel generators. When I railfan real diesels around the Pittsburgh […]
From Ottawa, Ontario (OTTW), to Montréal, Québec (MTRL), join Trains.com staffer/frequent rail voyager Kent Johnson for a quick overview of VIA Rail Canada’s all-new Siemens Venture trainset (5-car)! Amidst Business Class amenities from station to station, you’ll get to see the perks of being aboard the quickest and cushiest train on VIA Rail Canada’s Corridor […]
Q: What causes a steam locomotive chuff sound? — Tom Huckaby A: Whether you call it a chuff (the railroader’s term), puff, or chugga-chugga, that distinctive sound is made by spent steam and exhaust smoke escaping through the smokestack of a steam locomotive. For a more detailed explanation of what’s going on in a steam […]
Lionel brought out its first No. 6464 near-scale boxcars in 1953. The models it developed were strongly influenced by what Athearn, a manufacturer of O scale trains, had already been doing, especially with a Rock Island prototype. Little wonder that toy train enthusiasts of every age praised the four new 6464 boxcars. Experienced O gauge […]
Q: I keep seeing references to “team tracks” on track plans. What are team tracks, what are they for, and how can they be incorporated into operations? — Damien Bouchey A: The idea of the team track probably dates back to not long after the invention of the railroad. After all, a team track is […]
Q: My HO scale Broadway Limited Imports Reading Co. T-1 steam locomotive is making clicking noises. The strange popping, cracking noise is most noticeable in curves. Otherwise, the engine runs fine. Although it was bought some time ago, it is operationally new. I’ve attached a short video. Any thoughts? — Bill Franz A: It’s hard […]
Lionel’s postwar 44-ton diesels may be the most overlooked O gauge locomotives of the era. Collectors focus, instead, on the firm’s models of F3 cab units by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and the Train Master road diesels made by Fairbanks-Morse. Operators also like those powerful diesels as well as the big and small […]
Q: I need to calculate the grade on a double deck layout. Though I’ve been interested in model railroading since I was a child, it’s been quite some time since I was active in the hobby. Now that I’m retired, I’m planning a layout. After much deliberation, I’ve settled on a two-level around-the-walls design. My […]
If you’re looking forward to hosting an operating session, open house, layout photo session, or just a visit from friends and relatives, you want your layout to make the best possible impression. But there’s more to cleaning a model railroad than just polishing the track and wheels, as important as those things are. Dust is […]
Q: Do you have any suggestions on how to replace trucks on Walthers HO Horizon cars (item No. 932-6073)? — Daniel Kielty A: That part number corresponds to an HO scale Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter car. The Horizon fleet passenger cars, used by Amtrak as well as municipal transit authorities like MBTA, were built […]
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Join Trains.com staffers Kent Johnson and Ben Lake, for a narrated ride aboard Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner! From Downtown San Diego (SAN) to Burbank-Downtown Station (BBK), you’ll follow Ben on his early morning roll-out in Unreserved Coach Class. And then, tag along with Kent as he continues from the L.A. metro area, amidst […]
