New model trains for the week of April 30, 2020

MRRNP0720_57

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP38-2 diesel locomotive. Amtrak (silver and blue with Travelmark herald), BNSF Ry. (blue-and-white scheme in three numbers, solid blue in one number), General American Locomotive Group (black-and-blue scheme), and Helm Leasing (burgundy-and-black scheme). Four numbers per scheme unless noted. Solid pilot face with screw-mounted coupler pockets on both ends, light-emitting-diode […]

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Ask MR: How to line turnouts on thick benchwork

Model Railroader placeholder image

Question: I‘m building an N scale layout on a hollow core door covered with 2″ thick extruded-foam insulation board on top. I’d like to remotely control a few of the turnouts that aren’t easily reachable from the front of the layout. Any suggestions on how to operate these turnouts? The thickness of the foam plus […]

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MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 4 – Putting parts together

Model Railroader Video Plus Week 4

After checking the bond of the previously glued components, David moves to the next step — building the laser-cut pieces and parts into an O scale structure for the Olympia Logging Co. display-style layout. Along the way, you’ll see that even David has to make do with the tools and materials he has available at […]

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MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 3 – Some assembly required

Model Railroader Video Plus Week 3

David Popp is now working weekends to give MRVideoPlus.com subscribers an exclusive episode from his basement bunker. See how the parts and pieces of the wood kit start to come apart…all to come together again! But even in the midst of offering great tips and tricks, our expert builder must still manage a few unexpected […]

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Modeling steers and bulls

DanLewisNscaleMilwaukeeRoadNorthMontanaLine_06

Most N scale bovines offered by figure manufacturers are milk cows, but the Montana cattle industry requires steers and bulls, too. Dan Lewis uses wire and Microscale Kristal Kleer to turn cows into bulls, as well as to model longhorns, on his N scale Milwaukee Road North Montana Line. One problem I encountered with commercially […]

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Modeling tip: Extra flags for locomotives

DanLewisNscaleMilwaukeeRoadNorthMontanaLine_07

A feature one doesn’t see modeled very often is white extra flags. On a line like the North Montana that hosted mostly time freights, extra trains carrying livestock and grain were seasonal. Extra flags can be easily made from .008″ brass wire and small squares cut from white tissue paper. After gluing the flags onto […]

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Gettin’ out of Dodge

ATSFmixed

In August 1968, two years before author Dierks’ ride and when the Boise City mixed carried a combine instead of just a caboose, Santa Fe train 174 is at Elkhart, Kans. Joe McMillan This wasn’t my first rodeo, so to speak. I had ridden mixed trains in Utah and Idaho, and, just four days ago, one in Kansas. […]

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Tips for identifying modern diesel locomotives

Moderndieselidentification

Many readers have asked how we identify the current crop of big, modern road diesels. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy, as many locomotive designs have evolved into a family of similar looking locomotives. This means modelers have to study the details to figure out what locomotive is represented by a specific scale model. Comparing the model […]

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Remembering Pere Marquette Railway freight trains

A black and white photo of the Chesapeake & Ohio No. 350 locomotive leaving the rail yard with white smoke coming out of its chimney

All this month — April 2020 — Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and images of the Pere Marquette Railway. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images from the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include Pere Marquette diesel- and steam-powered freight trains through time. You might also enjoy this […]

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HO scale Frisco Lines

One of two pages showing a complicated large room track plan.

Layout at a glance Name: Frisco Lines Layout owner: John Peluso Scale: HO scale (1:87.1) Size: 16 x 30 feet Prototype: St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. (Frisco) Locale: St. Louis to Springfield, Mo. Era: late 1950s to late 1960s Style: double-deck walk-in Mainline run: 400 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (main), 26″ (staging) Minimum turnout: no. 8 […]

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