Model railroaders who want to maximize their mainline runs often resort to narrow shelves that hug the walls and zigzag through the middle of the room on long peninsulas. The tradeoff with this kind of design is that the more shelves have to fit into a room, the narrower they have to be. This limits […]
While David and Co. continue construction on the N scale project layout, Steve Sweeney shares his techniques for assembling a cardstock house kit. Follow along, as Steve walks and talks you through all of the essential tools, supplies, and processes — start to finish! […]
Most modelers have heard of modular railroading, or even practice it themselves. Modular railroading is an easy and practical way for a hobbyist (be they a beginner or more experienced) to create a mobile, and sometimes more manageable, layout. Modular layouts are built to a set of standards that allows an individual unit to connect […]
When you think of engine facilities on the BNSF Ry., images of large, multi-bay structures; wash racks; and sand towers and fuel columns that can handle 10 or more locomotives at a time probably come to mind. And that makes perfect senses considering the railroad’s size. BNSF has facilities like this in Alliance (Neb. and […]
Independent Locomotive Service (ILSX) and KBN Inc. became co-owners of my hometown railroad, the Minnesota Northern (MNN), in August 2000. Since taking over the short line from RailAmerica, the railroad’s fleet of MNN-painted and lettered diesels has been supplemented with assorted lease units from ILSX. Everything from Electro-Motive Division (EMD) SW1s to SD40T-2s have been […]
Welcome to the final installment in our three-part series “Modeling from postcards.” This time, we’ll take a look at cards that show two of Crookston’s rail-served industries. Welcome to Wilds. In 1964, Cargill Inc. built a grain elevator at the south end of Crookston near the station sign Wilds. In addition to the main elevator, […]
In last month’s installment, we took a look at two postcards that showed aerial views of Crookston, Minn., my hometown. This time we’ll examine two ground-level scenes, one in the city and the other in the country. The heart of downtown. The intersection of Broadway (the north-south street the photographer is standing in) and Robert […]
Staging yards are how we represent the rest of the world beyond the unavoidably finite portion modeled on our layouts. Trains that come and go from staging can be arriving from the next town down the line, the next division point, or the other side of the continent. Staging is invaluable to creating the illusion […]
Q: I have a couple of questions about the benchwork construction of your Spartanburg Subdivision. How large did you cut the plywood sheet? Did you attach the 1x4s to the top of the plywood sheet, or at the sides? Where did the trim pieces go? How large was the sheet of foam you put in […]
Welcome to the first of a three-part series where I’ll show you the various modeling information you can learn from postcards. The cards in this series are all from Crookston, Minn., my hometown and the focus of my modeling research. Similar postcards can be found for most communities. Online auction websites like eBay are a […]
If you’ve been trackside in the past five or six years, you’ve probably noticed blue metal signs at grade crossings. These are called Emergency Notification System signs, or ENS for short. The top two lines of the sign read “Report problem or emergency.” Hazard may be used in place of problem in some instances. Below […]
When I first moved to Wisconsin to start working for Model Railroader, my family and I were in a two-bedroom apartment. I had built a freelanced Pennsylvania RR layout in my apartment back in Pennsylvania that filled a 7 x 11-foot section of our long apartment living room. It was basically a donut, with a […]
