In this episode of the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout, Cody finishes the foundation retaining wall by adding drybrushed weathering effects. Meanwhile, David shares his techniques for applying tall grass on the embankments, using static grass and coarse turf materials. Be sure to keep up with the construction progress by linking into […]
You never know where change will lead you. What started out as an attempt to fine-tune my existing HO scale layout ended with a new house and a 2,600 square-foot, four-deck model railroad – the Sunset Valley Oregon System (SVOS). I started my previous Sunset Valley (SV) layout in 1959 and worked on it for […]
The Burlington Northern RR began operations in March 1970, the product of a merger between the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Great Northern; Northern Pacific; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle. It was also the railroad I grew up with in Crookston, Minn., my hometown in northwest Minnesota. For many years, I’ve been researching the early years […]
A July 1947 aerial view shows the Pennsylvania Railroad’s big roundhouse at Crestline, Ohio. The long engine at middle left is No. 6100, the 6-4-4-6 duplex of 1939. Classic Trains coll. […]
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When I first started work on my layout, I built wood and plastic structure kits. I quickly grew frustrated with these buildings as few of them represented those found in Appalachia and along the Chesapeake & Ohio. Considering the lack of accurate building available on the marktet, I began scratchbuilding my own structures from wood […]
An operator pulls the armstrong levers to align a route at busy State Line Tower, near Hammond, Ind., on the Chicago & Western Indiana. As the track diagram shows, several railroads operated through the 200-plus lever plant. Wallace W. Abbey photo […]
Scenery is in full swing on the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout! In this episode, both Cody Grivno and David Popp get deep into the effort of framing up the farm scene, developing the depot area, adding weathering effects to bridge abutments, and more! Be sure to keep up with the […]
The Baltimore & Ohio’s passenger terminal in Chicago was Grand Central Station, built in 1890 to the plans of noted architect S. S. Bemen. The Wisconsin Central Railroad actually commissioned the station, but later sold it to the B&O; other users were Chicago Great Western and Pere Marquette. Grand Central was razed in 1970; its […]
Lionel’s No. 520 Lionel Lines Boxcab Electric stands out among other postwar O-27 locomotives because there is so much about it that’s different from what you find on other models from that celebrated era of production. The 520 is far from scarce and so is commonly overlooked by avid collectors and operators of postwar trains. […]
The O scale Union Station from Menards (No. 2759531) is another excellent offering from the home improvement chain, providing a readily made structure that requires minimal fuss for setup. Out of the box, with hardly any assembly needed, the structure measures 13-1/16” wide, 7-7/8″ deep, and 8-1/4″ tall. Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and […]
I enjoy animating scenes on my O gauge layout, and have come across a great way to get slower, more-precise realistic action: using servos. A servomotor, or servo, is a small, inexpensive device that provides control over the position, speed, and acceleration of a mechanical system. The device is readily available, easy to program, and […]
