Click on the image to download a PDF copy of this track plan. Name: CSX Philadelphia Subdivision Layout owner: Bruce Friedman Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 42 x 56 feet Prototype: CSX Locale: Philadelphia to Baltimore Era: modern day Style: multi-deck walkaround Mainline run: 1,000 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2.25 […]
To continue this informative series of videos from Classic Toy Trains magazine, David Popp shares info and insights on the wide array of O gauge track systems, sizes, and styles you can use to build a toy train layout! […]
Click on the image to download a PDF copy of this track plan. Name: Conrail’s Onondaga Cutoff Layout owner: Dave Abeles Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 20′-8″ x 30′-6″ Prototype: Conrail Locale: upstate New York Era: 1990s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 250 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (main), 22″ (yards and sidings) Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), […]
Click on the image to download a PDF of the track plan. Name: Rice Lake, Dallas & Menomonie RR Layout owner: Bob Wundrock Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 24 feet with a 2 x 9-foot interchange yard Prototype: Soo Line Locale: northwestern Wisconsin Era: 1950 to 1955 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 100 feet Minimum […]
Click on the image to download a PDF of the track plan. Name: Chama Yard Layout owner: Kim Nipkow Scale: HOn3 (1:87.1, 30″ gauge) Size: 1m x 10.5m (40″ x 34′-5″) Prototype: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR Locale: Chama, N.M. Era: present day Style: modular Mainline run: no main line Minimum radius: 55mm (21.6″) Minimum […]
Nancy Norris/Rick Johnson Water goes down to ‘seek its own level’. Hygroscopic tension forces water sideways when moisture follows the underside of a spill rock or fallen branch. Soil wicks water in all directions by osmosis. Splashing bounces up. Water evaporates into thin air and we wonder if the reservoir is leaking. Water needs to […]
Waterscape your garden railway: Swirling water stirs the imagination. Splashing shuts out city sounds, and viewers remember seeing famous falls at national parks or smaller watercourses near home. Bridges over brooks urge us to see connections to the land and how plantings create the habitat for a popular scenic attraction. There are countless reasons why […]
Follow along with author Mike Lafond as he builds a steel-frame snow plow in the Fall and Winter 2019 issues. Download a full-size version of his CAD drawings here. Please note: Check your printer settings before printing. Uncheck the “scale to fit” box. You may need to tile these pieces into two pages. See gray […]
Mike Lafond Figure 1 Mike Lafond Photo 1 Printed templates glued on the aluminum. I left the templates stuck on the alumimum until I had drilled out all the holes. I “cheated” here and used a bandsaw to cut these pieces from the main sheet. The two upper pieces are the outer bolster parts, cut […]
Mike Lafond In the Summer 2019 and Fall 2019 issues, follow along as author Mike Lafond build a metal-frame snow plow. Download this companion piece to turn your own wheelsets. […]
The Mynderups keep their plants potted, which they grow on shelf-like terraces within their Redwood Creek and Tallulah Ridge garden railroad. Richard Mynderup Lighting under the Japanese maple illuminates the waterfall and is a beautiful and relaxing scene in the evenings. Richard Mynderup What tricks can you share about integrating water into your railway? Richard […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Dwarf parrot’s feather Latin name: Myriophyllum aquaticum minima Plant type: Water plant USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-10 (overwinter indoors in colder zones) Cultural needs: Full or partial sun in water Plant size: 2″ high and spreading Dwarf parrot’s feather is one of my favorite aquatics for its lacy, fluffy look and its […]
