MRVP’s Ben Lake explains the essential components and process for establishing a digital means to control trains, turnouts, blocks, and even signals. His solution? JMRI interfaced with a Raspberry Pi computer. Follow along, and get up to speed on this cutting-edge DCC option for operating your model railroad! […]
Although I’m really an HO scale modeler at heart, I’ve always been intrigued with N scale trains and have more than once thought how neat it would be to “have a few.” Being without any other outlet for modeling, those very thoughts soon translated into construction of the Havaphew Central, my first N scale layout. […]
In this video, Bob Wundrock shows how he assembles a train for operations on his developing layout. […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page One of the most useful tools in the hobby is the National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA) Standards Gauge. Gerry demonstrates how to use this versatile tool to help conform your layout trackwork, motive power, rolling stock, and even scenery to acceptable operating specifications. […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page One of the most useful tools in the hobby is the National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA) Standards Gauge. Gerry demonstrates how to use this versatile tool to help conform your layout trackwork, motive power, rolling stock, and even scenery to acceptable operating specifications. […]
A train dispatcher supervises the movement of trains over a designated portion of a railroad and also supervises the other employees involved in that movement. The dispatcher’s first responsibility is safety, to see that each train gets over the road without trying to occupy the same piece of track at the same time as any […]
The Cold hard tracks Crystal Lake was once used for harvesting ice. Blocks of ice were cut from the lake in winter, then stored in warehouses along the shore. The ice was shipped in refrigerator cars to Chicago via the “Ice Track,” a 2-mile branch that ran from the C&NW main line through the west […]
In this video, I show how I set up operations on my small switching layouts, including making car cards, building car-card racks, and running through a short operating session. Video by Steven Strum […]
In this video, I show how I set up operations on my small switching layouts, including making car cards, building car-card racks, and running through a short operating session. Video by Steven Strum […]
To apply the car-card-and-waybill freight-car routing system I described in part 1 takes more than just the two basic forms. The first form is the car card identifying each freight car with a pocket to hold the other form, a 4-step waybill. The pocket and waybill are sized so that only one of the waybill’s […]
One of the most widely used model railroad car-routing systems is an identification card for each car with a pocket to hold a waybill naming a destination. It’s a flexible and versatile method that’s easy to set up, use, and modify as you go along. It’s so common that it will probably be familiar to […]
The switch crew in Woodsriver Yard on Paul Dolkos’ old Boston & Maine layout sorted cars according to waybill information to make up several different trains, pickups for trains passing through, and cuts for delivery to Woodsriver industries. Paul Dolkos The car-card-and-waybill freight-car routing system I’ve described in my previous two columns gives you all […]
