Name: Cascade Pacific Club: Corvallis Society of Model Engineers Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 26 x 78 feet Prototype: freelanced Locale: western Oregon Era: circa 1950s to present Style: walk-in Mainline run: 330 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the March 2012 issue of Model Railroader. Click […]
Name: Mineral Range & Lake Michigan RR Layout designer: John Armstrong Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 24′-0″ x 43′-6″ Theme: ore, pulpwood, and lumber traffic Locale: Upper Peninsula, Michigan Era: late steam/early diesel Style: walkaround Mainline run: 164 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 30″ (staging loops) Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 5 (yard) Maximum grade: […]
Name: New York Central Hudson Division Layout designer: Vic Roman Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 25 feet Prototype: New York Central Locale: upstate New York (Albany to Tivoli) Era: 1948 Style: walk-around Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the March 2012 issue of […]
John Armstong had produced hundreds of model railroad track plans published in magazines and books, and in fact, earned the nickname “Dean of Model Railroad Track Planning.” He drew this never-published Mineral Range & Lake Michigan RR for a paying client, but it was apparently forgotten for many years in a home in a Chicago […]
Looking at other model railroads can inspire you to reach greater heights on your own layout. Ask your local hobby shop owner about modelers or clubs in your area whose railroads you could visit. And remember, no matter how incredible the artistry involved, every one was built by someone who was a beginner at first. […]
Name: The “Michigan” Layout designer: Jim Six Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 12′-3″ x 44′-0″ Prototype: New York Central’s Michigan District Locale: northeastern Indiana Period: 1955 Style: around the walls Mainline run: 116 feet Minimum radius: 42″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 0.25 percent Originally appeared in Model Railroad Planning 2012. Click on the link […]
Simple techniques for weathering rolling stock Don’t miss Alan Olson’s series on weathering in the February 2012 issue. Trains.com members can download a companion article on weathering techniques for rolling stock. […]
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 […]
Sometimes the most expedient way to get your outdoor railway from point A to point B is on benchwork, so called because the height of the roadbed is similar to that of a workbench and facilitates the handling of trains and track. The many styles of benchwork construction seem to correspond to the skills of […]
Common name: Sweet woodruff Latin name: Galium odoratum, syn. Asperula odorata Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9 (sheltered or near the house in Zone 3) Cultural needs: Shade or partial shade, moist (even wet) soil Plant size: 6-12″ high, spreading quickly to 9-12″ wide Do you have a rather large shady spot in need […]
The full-size Central Seed Co. was built shortly after World War II. What made this business interesting is that it received rail shipments from the Green Bay & Western at one end of the building and Soo Line at the other. Truck shipments were handled at the covered dock. In the February 2012 issue of […]
Ted Pamperin borrowed ideas from many sources to develop more realistic looking waybills for his new HO Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. In the February 2012 issue of Model Railroader, Ted Pamperin explains how he used prototype paperwork to create a waybill system for his Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. layout. Click on the links below to […]
