Ask Trains.com April 2024 compilation | Our host Cody Grivno addresses a wide array of modeling and prototype railroading questions, including an explanation why and how modern railroads still use cabooses; where to find a sound modules used to enhance specific layout scenes; what the pros and cons are replacing plastic trucks with metal trucks; plus an homage to Jim Hediger’s HO scale Ohio Southern HO scale layout; and so much more!
Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com, or leave a question in the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!
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Ask Trains.com is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where editors answer the questions readers and viewers are asking.
Special guests can include editors and contributors from Model Railroader, Trains, Classic Toy Trains, Garden Railways and Trains.com.
Questions can be about any railroad or model railroading topic, including on the fan configuration on an SD45. These can include questions about railroad operating practices, railroad lantern manufacturer details, model locomotive details, and toy train transformers, among others.
Trains.com and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno works through many of these questions, which are posted twice a week, each week, all year! See all our answers to questions online!
One other advantage of plastic wheel sets is that they will never cause a short circuit if they derail on a turnout.
To add a thought on rural industries in the 40’s. Several the come to mind fit just about any small town in that era are fuel oil dealers, lumber yards, and feed & seed stores. The relatively small town near me had five oil dealers, three lumber yards, a farm supply, and a small warehouse. Even the small city we moved to in the early 2000’s still had several small “railcar is bigger than the building” industries that were still active until about 2010 timeframe. One was a propane dealer right out of the Walthers catalog and one was basically a Pikestuff building as a grocery distributer.
Cody,
Did you ever find a replacement for Testors ELO in the last month? I did find a product at OReilly Auto Parts called Super Clean. It is a purple solvent and I used it full strength with no harm to plastic. Make sure to soak parts in a plastic container. product ate right through an aluminum baking pan. it does evaporate like alcohol, so monitor the stripping work. ELO did not evaporate, that was nice.