Improve your garden’s success rate: Part 2

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Photo 1 The author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad in the early stage of transplanting shrubs into amended and prepared soil. The upper-level track is mostly in place and being used, while the lower-level track has yet to be laid. Don Parker Photo 2 The middle of the tiny, white-edged lady’s mantle (Alchemilla faeroensis ‘Pumila’, Zones […]

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Lip fern

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Nancy Norris Common name: Lip fern, Silver cloak fern Latin name: Cheilanthes argentea Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 Cultural needs: Sun to part shade; well drained, slightly acidic, poor soil Plant size: 6″ high and wide The perfect dwarf fern for railway gardens elevated on rocks is the lip fern. Able to withstand […]

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Video 101: Sharper images

“Aria” wrote in, asking how to get sharply focused videos that reveal the road names on his rolling stock. His question appears here: http://cs.trains.com/grw/f/91/t/268387.aspx With some excellent comments by forum moderator Tom Trigg, and some research, we realized that sharper images of both prototype and model trains challenge our skills and our equipment. With professional […]

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Arduino control code for traverser

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Click on the link  to download the computer code. Get the download here. Michael Hardwick described how he built a push-button traverser track using an Arduino microcontroller, 3-D printer parts, and other low-cost electronics in the August 2018 Model Railroader. Click on the link below to download the computer program that Michael uses to operate […]

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HO scale Arcadia & Betsey River Ry.

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Name: Arcadia & Betsey River Ry. Layout owner: Harley “Skip” Luyk Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 14 x 28 feet Prototype: freelanced logging line Locale: Pacific Northwest Era: 1910 to 1957 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 74 feet (main), 87 feet (branch line) Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 4 percent Benchwork: mix of […]

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HO scale Piney Fork Branch

HOscalePineyForkBranch

Name: Piney Fork RR Layout Owner: Seth Gartner Scale: HO scale (1:87.1) Size: 23 x 31 feet Prototype: New York Central Locale: eastern Ohio (Minerva to Dillonvale) Era: early 1960s Style: multilevel, walk in Mainline run: 260 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 (industries), o. 5 (yardns), no. 6 (main line) Maximum grade: […]

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Video 101: Sharper images

“Aria” wrote in, asking how to get sharply focused videos that reveal the road names on his rolling stock. His question appears here: http://cs.trains.com/grw/f/91/t/268387.aspx With some excellent comments by forum moderator Tom Trigg, and some research, we realized that sharper images of both prototype and model trains challenge our skills and our equipment. With professional […]

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Canadian Canyons Series: Scenery All-Stars, Part 4 Highway installation and scenery

David Popp and Ben Lake next to layout scenery

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page MRVP All-Stars Cody Grivno and Ben Lake get back to installing the roadway section representing the Trans-Canada Highway. After Ben prepares the pavement, Cody then shows how to groom the shoulders, place safety barriers, and add scenery textures between the rocks and the […]

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City Terminal & Transfer Series: Episode 8 Filler

Kent laying down foam.

In this installment of our O gauge City Terminal & Transfer Railway series, Kent expands The Big City limits by extending the elevated sections over the tracks and out to the edge of the layout. After that, he then fills in a few gaps with yet another type of foam! […]

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How-to Library: DCC Sound Decoder Installation for Small Steam Locomotives

Econami sound decoder in its packaging

In this episode of MRVP Tech, David Popp dives into adding a DCC sound decoder to a Bachmann steam locomotive. Although the OO scale model of a British shunting engine isn’t a typical MRVP subject, Dave show it’s a perfect candidate for demonstrating how to fit a few Soundtraxx products into rather tight quarters! David […]

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How to make older turnouts dcc friendly

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Southern Ry. Alco RS-3 no. 2143 passes over an older HO Shinohara turnout on Larry Puckett’s Ho layout. He explains how to make older turnouts DCC-friendly. In the September and October 2014 issues of Model Railroader, I wrote about how I modeled the Rockfish River crossing on my HO scale Piedmont Southern layout and built […]

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Canadian Canyons Series: Scenery All-Stars, Part 3 – Forestry along the rock faces

David Popp and Jenny Freeland next to layout scenery

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page MRVP All-Stars David Popp and Jenny Freeland team up to plant a full forest of trees in the craggy mountain walls along this Fraser Canyon scene. While the tree canopy will be dense in this part of our N scale (1:160) Canadian Canyons […]

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