GTW Romeo Sub

Track plan at a glance Name: GTW Romeo Sub Scale: O Size: 11 x 15 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 24″ (staging) Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the October 2003 issue of Model Railroader. Also appeared in 102 Realistic Track Plans. Click on the link to download a PDF […]

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Tuolumne Forks Lumber Co. RR

Track plan at a glance Name: Tuolumne Forks Lumber Co. RR Scale: O (1:48) Size: 19 x 21 feet Prototype: free-lance Period: 1942 Style: walk-in island Mainline run: 119 feet (1.1 scale miles) Minimum radius: 34″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 4 percent Originally appeared in the July 2000 issue of Model Railroader. Click […]

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How do I find a source for thin metal strip for layout wiring?

Wires and wiring materials

Q: I am building a layout and want to do what I’ve seen in postwar dealer displays. Specifically, I’ve seen under the layout board a thin metal strip running the entire length of the layout. To this you would solder the ground contact for every accessory, thus greatly reducing the amount of wiring required. I […]

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Louisville O Scalers

Track plan at a glanceName: Louisville O ScalersScale: O (1:48)Size: 15 x 45 feetPrototype: Chesapeake & OhioEra: 1950-1953Style: modularMainline run: 120 feetMinimum radius: 72″Minimum turnout: no. 6Maximum grade: noneOriginally appeared in the July 2005 issue of Model Railroader.Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan […]

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Appalachian & Ohio RR

Track plan at a glanceName: Appalachian & Ohio RRScale: O (1:48)Size: 28′-6″ x 56′-0″Theme: Appalachian coal haulerEra: 1969Style: linear walkaroundMainline run: 230 feetMinimum radius: 60″Minimum turnout: no. 6Maximum grade: 2.75 percentOriginally appeared in the May 2006 issue of Model Railroader.Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan […]

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Bay Point & Diablo

Track plan at a glance Name: Bay Point & DiabloScale: On2.5 (1:48 proportion, 2.5-foot gauge)Size: 11 x 12 feetPrototype: Bay Point & Clayton RREra: Early 20th centuryStyle: around the wallsMainline run: 33.5 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: no. 5(main line), no. 4 (yard)Maximum grade: 5 percentOriginally appeared in the May 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Also […]

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Cascade County Narrow Gauge

Track plan at a glance Name: Cascade County Narrow GaugeScale: On3 (1:48)Size: 26′-0″ x 31′-3″Prototype: Nevada County Narrow GaugeEra: mid-1920s to early 1930sStyle: walkaroundMainline run: 175 feetMinimum radius: 36″Maximum grade: 3.3 percentOriginally appeared in the January 2006 issue of Model Railroader.Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan […]

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Central New Mexico Ry.

Track plan at a glance Name: Central New Mexico Ry.Scale: O scale (1:48 proportion), narrow gauge (On3 and On2.5)Size: 11′-3″ x 17’2″Theme: narrow gauge miningEra: 1905Style: island with an open centerMainline run: 34 feetMinimum radius: 28″Minimum turnout: no. 6Maximum grade: 8 percent on the On2.5 tram lineOriginally appeared in the July 2006 issue of Model […]

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SMR Trains O gauge 4-4-0 steam locomotive

I’LL BET THAT MOST children of the baby boom spent at least a little time in their school library thumbing through books about the Civil War or the Wild West. As model train enthusiasts, we probably spent extra time gazing at black-and-white images of impossibly frail-looking steam power and rolling stock – those trains always […]

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SMR Trains O gauge frontier-era rolling stock

WHILE CREATING AN OPERATING scale model of a vintage locomotive is commendable, not too many of us will be happy just staring at it in a case. The folks at Schneider Model Railroading (SMR Trains) acknowledge the inner engineer of potential customers, and they’ve launched a line of scale-sized brass equipment that looks right at […]

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