Tips to rejuvenate postwar freight cars

gray model oil car

In the September 2010 issue, I showed how I rejuvenated a postwar Lionel No. 2458 boxcar. It’s one of several cars I bought from my local hobby shop’s bargain shelf. Here are photos of a few more cars I worked on, along with comments on what I did to improve their appearance. Sunoco tank car […]

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How to lay flex track

parker_laying_track

Trackwork at the Hoot Valley complex shows #8 limestone gravel roadbed underlying the #9 limestone ballast. The near track is the mainline and the other is the lumber-yard and engine-service siding. (The mainline runs through the train-storage shed in the background.) Don Parker     Now it’s time to get that track onto prepared roadbed […]

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Build a 1:22.5-scale Wiscasset station PDF

Build a 1:22.5-scale Wiscasset station

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]

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Accucraft 0-4-0ST live-steam locomotive

Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 1:20.3 scale, 0-4-0ST live-steam locomotive Accucraft 33268 Central Avenue Union City CA 94587 Price: $549 Website: www.accucraft.com Gauge-1 model of an 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotive; single flue, gas-fired boiler; pressure gauge; safety valve; filler plug in cab; reversing lever; displacement lubricator; two, piston-valve cylinders; simple-eccentric valve gear; piston-valve reversing; flip-over cab roof; […]

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Hyde-Out Mountain Live Steam sound system

Kevin Strong Basic digital steam-locomotive sound systemHyde-Out Mountain Live Steam89060 NNRJewett OH 43986Price: $67.50 (including shipping)E-mail: Hydeoutmountain@verizon.net Easy to install, basic steam-locomotive sound Pros: Very simple operation and installationCons: Steam chuff tone rises as track voltage increases; bell has very short duration, must be triggered additional times for more than four rings When I first […]

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MTH trains Baldwin VO-1000 diesel-electric locomotive

Gary Raymond 1:32 scale, gauge 1, ready-to-run, Baldwin VO-1000 diesel-electric locomotiveMTH Trains 7020 Colombia Gateway DriveColumbia MD 21046Price: $429.95Website: www.mthtrains.com Plastic model of a Baldwin VO-1000 diesel-electric locomotive; modular electrical connections and car body; two, two-axle power trucks; one motor per truck; directional front and rear headlights; lighted number boards; interior cab light and details; […]

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About that Milwaukee Road map

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad

Trains Magazine’s September 2010 “Map of the Month: Milwaukee Road Growth” maps the expansion of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, from a 20-mile line linking Milwaukee and Waukesha, Wis. (respectively, Trains’ past and current hometown) into a 10,733-mile transcontinental system over a scant 100 years. Any map charting this kind of expansion […]

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