HO scale Ogdensburg & Norwood Ry.

HOscaleOgdensburgNorwoodRyNorthernDivision

Name: Ogdensburg & Norwood Ry., Northern Division Layout owner: Jim Heidt Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 24 x 30 plus 7 x 20 feet Prototype: Ogdensburg & Norwood Locale: upstate New York Era: July 1948 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 404 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3.3 percent Benchwork: L-girder Height: 36″ (lower deck), […]

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The Railroad Comes Through The Middle of The House

Silver Rail Club railroad goes through the middle of the house

Name:    Peter Martens Forum User Name:    Peter_J_M Railroad Name:    The Silver Rail Club (founding chapter) Location:    Cumberland, Virginia Scale:    O-scale Theme:    A different kind of ‘music video’. Description:    Inspired by Rusty Draper’s 1956 hit song, ‘The Railroad Comes Through The Middle Of The House’, Peter J. Martens, founder of the Silver Rail Club, built this […]

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HO scale Milwaukee Beer Line addition

HOscaleBeerLineaddition

\ Name: Milwaukee Road’s Beer Line Layout owner: Model Railroader staff Scale: HO (1:87.1) Prototype: Milwaukee Road’s Chestnut Street Line Locale: Milwaukee, Wis. Era: 1947 Style: Sectional Mainline run: 24 feet (original layout); 10 feet (addition); 34 feet (total) Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: none Benchwork: sectional tables Height: 44″ Roadbed: […]

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How-to Library: DCC Installation for large layouts, Part 3 – Adding a Smart Booster

David Popp holding an NCE Smart Booster

Enhancing our project layout’s Digital Command Control system to allow additional cabs requires the installation of a power booster. In this episode, David Popp shows how to arrange, install, and connect the NCE Smart Booster components, allowing more users to enjoy the fun of operating of our large, HO scale layout! […]

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How-to Library: DCC Installation for large layouts, Part 2 – Adding a cab bus

David Popp standing at a table in front of the Beer Line layout

Ready for the next step to installing Digital Command Control on a large model railroad? In this episode, David keeps the train rollin’ by sharing why, where, and how to add plug ports, before he shows how to install a DCC cab bus under the HO scale Beer Line project layout. […]

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How-to Library: DCC Installation for large layouts, Part 4 – Setting up power districts

freight cars on track

Tired of hassling with an entire layout shutdown when a single train derails on your DCC layout? We certainly were! In this episode, David Popp explains why it happens, and then shows how to remedy this inconvenience by establishing power districts and adding circuit breakers. Watch to see how these easy fixes pave the way […]

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HO scale Western Pacific Railroad

HOscaleWesternPacificRR

Name: Western Pacific RR Layout owner: Jim Pendley Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 20 x 46 feet Prototype: Western Pacific Locale: California’s Sierra Nevada Time periods: 1960s, early 1970s, early 1980s, mid-1980s Style: walkaround Mainline run: 220 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (yards) Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Benchwork: L-girder and […]

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How-to Library: DCC Installation for large layouts, Part 1 – Bus lines

David Popp standing behind model railroad products

In this all-new MRVP series, watch and learn as David Popp walks you through, step-by-step, the full sequence for installing Digital Command Control on a large model railroad. To get things started, David first provides a quick overview of DCC starter systems, and then he gets to work adding a DCC power bus line under […]

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HO scale Dayton & Southern RR

HOscaleDaytonSouthern

Name: Dayton & Southern Layout owner: Dave Sellers Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 23′-9″ x 47′-6″ Prototype: freelanced Baltimore & Ohio branch Locale: Southwest Ohio Era: steam-to-diesel transition Style: walk-in Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Maximum grade: 3 percent Minimum turnout: no. 4 Benchwork: L-girder, open grid, and shelf Height: 36″ to 52″ Roadbed: […]

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HO scale Kansas City Terminal

HOscaleKansasCityTerminal

Name: Kansas City Terminal Ry. Layout owner: Jim Senese Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 11 x 21 plus 11 x 40 Prototypes: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Kansas City Southern; Kansas City Terminal; Missouri-Kansas-Texas; Missouri Pacific; and St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco). Locale: Kansas City, Mo. and Kansas Time: 3 p.m. Nov. 15, 1980 Style: around-the-walls Mainline […]

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HO scale Santa Fe, Colorado & Western RR

HOscaleSantaFeColoradoWesternRR

Name: Santa Fe, Colorado & Western RR Layout owner: Scale Rails club Scale: N (1:87.1) and HOn3 (HO scale, 3 foot track gauge) Size: 27 x 42 feet Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Denver & Rio Grande Western Locale: California and Colorado Era: 1955-1965 Style: multi-level, walk-in Mainline run: 731 feet Minimum radius: […]

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