Kansas court rules for BNSF in grade-crossing case

BNSF Railway logo

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Court of Appeals has found for BNSF Railway in a case regarding state law on blocked grade crossings, saying in a decision released Friday that federal jurisdiction preempts state law. Officials in Chase County, Kan., had cited the railroad for blocking grade crossings for more than the 10 minutes allowed […]

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A doubleheader to dance about

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“Glory!” Doubleheaded Southern Railway Ps-4’s depart Charlottesville, Va., with an Atlanta-bound train in 1951. I. W. King My father, I. W. King, grew up in Greenville, S.C., where his father, I. E. King, was a telegraph operator for the Southern Railway. Like most railroad families, they often used the employee pass to visit relatives. Many […]

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New model trains for the week of November 1, 2018

Accurail HO scale assorted freight cars

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP40-2 diesel locomotive. Alaska RR (dark blue and yellow with “Alaska Railroad” on long hood), BNSF Ry. (blue-and-white scheme, one road number), Conrail (“Quality” scheme), GATX Locomotive Group (blue-and-black scheme), Indiana Harbor Belt (orange-and-black scheme, three numbers), Norfolk Southern (Conrail “Quality” scheme patchout, two numbers), and Union Pacific (lighting stripe […]

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Model the desert

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The skeleton of a desert in progress at Scott Kennedy’s East Bay Union Railroad at one end of his dogbone trackplan. A flagstone plateau supports the track and retains soil while a dry creek provides drainage and a footpath. Nancy Norris In the fleshed-out desert, a dwarf, blue-green olive tree (Olea ‘Little Ollie’) flanks the […]

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Soo Line train depot reference plan and cutting diagrams

Dallasdepot

In the December 2018 issue of Model Railroader, Tom Houle shows how he scratchbuilt an exact O scale model of the Soo Line train depot in Dallas, Wis. As an online bonus, download the cutting diagrams featured in the story, as well as the standard plans for a Wisconsin & Northern depot that he used […]

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High tech modeling for garden railroaders

PETG_Strings

3D printing has become less expensive and can produce higher-quality prints than ever before. Most people limit themselves to PLA or ABS filaments. These two plastics are quite common and can even be found in your favorite big-box store in the most common sizes: 1.75mm and 3.0mm. There are others out there with advantages and […]

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Building an outdoor garden caboose

she_sheds

Photo 1 Sun has set but modeling continues in paradise—a building for building railway gear, rain or shine. In this caboose, the author keeps kits under construction, trains ready to run, parts drawers, a tiny fridge, and an electric kettle. A train runs through it. Garden tools hang just inside the end door. Rungs lead […]

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Japanese spurge

japanese_spurge

Nancy Norris Common name: Japanese spurge, Pachysandra Latin name: Pachysandra terminalis Plant type: Groundcover USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well-drained soil; full shade to full sun Plant size: 6-8″ high, spreading aggressively Close up of leaves Nancy Norris Sometimes we need a groundcover to simply cover the ground in hardy greenness to prevent […]

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New products from the December 2018 issue of Garden Railways magazine

lgb_christmas

LGB starter set Piko electric locomotive Engines & rolling stock LGB (Märklin) is offering several items for the Christmas market. A Christmas Train Starter Set (#L72305, shown) includes a Christmas design, old-timer steam locomotive with Bühler motor, working headlight, and built-in smoke unit; two passenger cars; 12 sections of curved track; power supply and controller; […]

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