Through many years and experiences, I’ve come to appreciate the wide range of interests our hobby has to offer. I’ve repaired and restored vintage Lionel locomotives, custom-painted entire train sets, and even researched the history of Lionel’s Super O trackwork. Although these activities are still exciting, they don’t compare to the thrills I’ve had operating […]
Model Railroader’s famed 28 x 54-foot, HO scale staff layout, the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy, is no more. The layout, which celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2024, began as a concept in Kalmbach Media’s downtown Milwaukee offices in 1975. I won’t attempt to write the full history of the layout; indeed, there is likely no […]
This project is the continuation of the “Build a working display case” project in our October 2024 issue. This second part details the physical and software infrastructure Randy built to control his working display case using an Arduino Nano. The working part All my locomotives are Digital Command Control, and most have sound. It’s obviously […]
Facts and features Name: Pennsylvania RR Scale: HO (1:87)Size: 6′-8″ x 12′-6″Prototype: freelanced, inspired by PRRLocale: northeastern PennsylvaniaEra: changeable between 1870-1915, 1916-1942, and 1943-1959Style: island Mainline run: 31 feetMinimum radius: 36.5″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: none (flat)Benchwork: tabletopHeight: 511⁄2“Roadbed: corkTrack: Micro Engineering flexible code 83Scenery: foam board and Kingspan underlayment on 3 ⁄4” medium density […]
Facts and features Name: Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville (Monon) Scale: S (1:64)Size: 38 x 62 feetPrototype: MononLocale: west central IndianaEra: late 1940sStyle: walk-in Mainline run: 180 feetMinimum radius: 48″ (main), 36″ (sidings and spurs)Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 1% (main), 2.5% (to staging)Benchwork: L girderHeight: 46″ to 49″Roadbed: HomasoteTrack: code 100 (main), codes 83 and […]
Next to “we are moving” some of the most disconcerting words a layout owner can hear is “we need home improvements.” Major changes to the house around a layout bring fear to our hearts: while models can be moved out of the way, all our hard work on track and scenery is suddenly in peril, […]
Lionel’s 75th Anniversary Commemorative Train Set arrived in stores in 1975. Fundimensions, a division of General Mills that was overseeing production and merchandising of Lionel trains, then created an outstanding and very colorful diesel freight set consisting of nine pieces to honor the grand heritage of Lionel. Lionel is, of course, about to celebrate its […]
Q: In all my 74 years of looking at train tracks this is the first time I noticed a “No trespassing” stencil on the web of the rail of the Union Pacific tracks that run by my home in Fort Dodge, Iowa. I’m curious if this is standard procedure for the UP or if other […]
“Don’t sweat the small stuff!” That’s easy to say when you are running small equipment on your rails. Your diminutive LGB Stainz and two-axle freight/passenger coaches with hook-and-loop couplers can track over pretty much whatever you throw at them. But what of us who like to run the big stuff? Heavyweights, streamliners, and extended freight […]
Everyone has to move at some point in their life, but for model railroaders, there’s an added task: reassembling a layout after moving. If you’re contemplating moving, here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes time to put everything back together. Plan to move One of the things you can do […]
Editor’s note: This article was submitted to Garden Railways in 2015. In contacting the author recently to inquire about publication, we learned that he passed away in 2023. We offer our condolences to the family and are honored to present this article in his memory. See the author’s original railway story in the August 2001 […]
What toy train locomotive means the most to you? It just has to be Lionel’s famed 2-6-2 Prairie type locomotive that is still in my collection. How did you acquire it? This adventure started in 1947 at the early age of 5 years old, when Dad unpacked the Lionel train set he’d purchased downtown. We […]
