Model Railroader managing editor David Popp shows how to use insulation displacement (suitcase) connectors to wire underneath your layout. […]
How to use suitcase connectors to wire your model train layout
Tag: How To
How to wire a model train layout for Digital Command Control (DCC) part III: Feeder wires and system testing
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader managing editor David Popp shows how to test circuits on a layout with a railroad amp meter and a quarter. […]
How to add dust effects to locomotive models
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader associate editor Cody Grivno shows how to add dust effects on your locomotives using an airbrush. […]
How to wire a model railroad layout
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader executive editor Andy Sperandeo shows how to wire a layout for electrical reliability. […]
How to wire a model train layout for Digital Command Control (DCC) part II: Bus wiring
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader editor Neil Besougloff shows how to install bus wires when creating new power districts. […]
How to wire a model train layout for Digital Command Control (DCC) part I: Boosters and circuit breakers
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader managing editor David Popp show how to upgrade a layout using Zonemaster power supplies and Zoneshare circuit breakers. […]
A cure for noisy track
A number of years ago I started to experiment with substitutes for white glue to hold down the track and fix the ballast in an attempt to limit the transmission of sound through the benchwork. Part of my solution came in the form of acrylic-latex caulk (the type used around doors and windows). I use […]
Cascade Pacific
Name: Cascade Pacific Scale: O (1:48) Size: 15′-6″ x 44′-6″ Prototype: freelance Locale: Pacific Northwest Era: late 1960s Style: walkaround Mainline run: 96 feet Minimum radius: 42″ Maximum turnout: no. 5 yard, no. 6 main Maximum grade: 1 percent Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan. […]
Santa Fe & Pacific
Name: Santa Fe & Pacific Scale: N (1:160) Size: 16 x 27 feet Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe,Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific Locale: Cajon Pass (San Bernardino to the Lower Narrows of the Mojave River) Era: 1985 to 1995 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 110 feet (excludes run-through staging) Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: […]
Build a 1:22.5-scale SR&RL caboose PDF
Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]
How to prune dwarf Alberta spruce
How to prune dwarf Alberta spruce In an effort to model conifer trees, garden railroaders usually go to the nearest garden center and find dwarf Alberta spruce shrubs. This classic, Christmas-tree-shaped evergreen has a nice, green color and a densely packed growth habit, giving it a fuzzy look. Picea glauca conica (aka. P.g. var. albertiana […]
Boston & Maine RR
Name: Boston & Maine RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 15 x 18 feet Prototype: freelanced B&M Locale: New Hampshire seacoast to the mountains Era: September 1954 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 115 feet Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3.5 percent Originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Model Railroader. Click on […]
