Click on the links at left to download the image sized appropriately for your computer screen. A 4-8-2 Mountain-type steam locomotive leads southbound Rutland through freight No. 20 past a grove of laden apple trees toward Vergennes, Vt., on Randy Laframboise’s HO scale Rutland Division. Click on the links below to download the image sized […]
Tag: Beginners
Ask MRVP: Episode 39
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page The holiday lights are shining bright on this episode of Ask MRVP! David starts the festivities by answering a question related to Christmas lighting, before addressing other hobby-related inquiries regarding painting, wiring, benchwork construction, rolling stock repair, and more! […]
Ask MRVP: Episode 39
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page The holiday lights are shining bright on this episode of Ask MRVP! David starts the festivities by answering a question related to Christmas lighting, before addressing other hobby-related inquiries regarding painting, wiring, benchwork construction, rolling stock repair, and more! […]
Build a Winter Scene
Sign up for this free digital download to master all the steps it takes to build the perfect winter scene toy train layout. Learn how to build a basic train table, design a layout, and add a temporary touch of winter to your toy train layout! […]
Adding Realistic Details to Model Railroad Scenes
Download this free 15-page PDF to learn how to make your layouts more realistic and convincing. This free digital download is full of step-by-step instructions for detailing a station scene with figures, signs, and ancillary items, adding a grade crossing, and incorporating background buildings and small-town streets into model railroading scenes. […]
Distributed power in the Midwest
A Norfolk Southern SD70ACe pushes on an empty crude oil train in Toledo, Ohio, in March 2013. Michael D. Harding Q Watching passing freight trains, I’ve seen a locomotive located in the middle or at the end of the train. Are these pusher locomotives being run by remote control by the engineer in the lead […]
Spacing of steam ‘chuffs’
A conventional two-cylinder locomotive like this one exhausts four times per wheel revolution. This is thanks to the position of the valves. Library of Congress Q At low speed, the four “chuffs” a steam engine makes per wheel rotation all sound the same to me, but at higher speed I think I hear a four-beat […]
Computer desktop wallpaper from the January 2019 Model Railroader
Click on the links at left to download the image sized appropriately for your computer screen. With a storm brewing in the distance, a Canadian National coal train makes its own thunder as it pounds the rails over the Fraser River at Cisco, British Columbia. Don’t miss this multilevel N scale project layout in the […]
Steam engine water treatment
A water tank on the Pacific Coast Railroad in Washington displays discoloration brought by impurities in the local water. Al Farrow photo, Martin E. Hansen collection Q Did steam locomotive operators test the water prior to filling the tender? Was water treated then or prior to filling the tank? Without treatment would there have been […]
Small N Scale Layouts
Download this free 15-page PDF for expert advice on planning and building realistic HO and N scale layouts for small spaces. Whether you’re working out of a spare bedroom or a garage, this free digital download will provide you with the track plans and product information you need for the space you have. […]
Computer desktop wallpaper from the December 2018 Model Railroader
Click on the links at left to download the image sized appropriately for your computer screen. A General Electric ES44AC leads an eastbound coal train in Furnace Creek Canyon on Eric Brooman’s HO scale Utah Belt. Modern motive power is one of the many recent developments of the ever-evolving UB. This month you can use […]
Ask MRVP: Episode 38
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In this first episode of the fall season, Host David Popp tackles some of your toughest hobby questions! With assistance from Cody Grivno, David addresses inquiries related to layout wiring, illuminating structures, couplers, rolling stock details, and much more! […]
