Facts & features Name: Post cereal plant in Battle Creek, Michigan Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 12-0′ x 14-0′ Prototypes: Grand Trunk Western and Penn Central Locale: Battle Creek, Michigan Era: 1970s Style: Single deck Mainline run: Not applicable Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: L-girder with risers and open-grid […]
Five tips for blending backgrounds: While scenery at the outside edge of a layout may pose some difficulties (see my story “Scenery on the edge” in Model Railroad Planning 2017), the back of the layout also has its challenges. The abrupt change in the model scene from horizontal to vertical at the backdrop demands we do […]
Facts & features Name: Bishop Street Branch Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 10′-6″ x 22′-0″ Prototypes: Guilford/Pan Am Railways Locale: Portland, Maine Era: Late 1980s through the 1990s Style: Walk-in Mainline run: None Minimum radius: 24” Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: None Benchwork: Open grid Height: 51″ Roadbed: 1⁄2″ birch plywood with N scale cork […]
Facts & features Name: Vermont Rail System Scale: HO (1:87) in standard, narrow (3-foot), and dual gauges Size: 22’-103⁄4” x 25’-7” Prototypes: Vermont Rail System, Rutland Railroad Locale: Vermont Era: 1960s to present Style: Walk-in Mainline run: 96 feet point-to-point, 106 feet loop Minimum radius: 24” Minimum turnout: no. 4 (yards), no. 6 (main) Maximum […]
Name: Bob Davies’ O gauge layout Dimensions: 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ feet Track: GarGraves (diameters range from 42 to 54 inches) Motive power: Lionel, Wiliams by Bachmann Rolling stock: Lionel, Menards Controls: Lionel GW-180 transformer Accessories: Z-Stuff for Trains Structures: Mattel, MTH Vehicles: Mattel Download the track plan for this layout. […]
In this episode, Gerry wraps up work on his model train layout and encourages everyone to start watching Spaces to Places. Getting to know Gerry Leone Back on Track host Gerry Leone is just as clever as he is comedic! But even better, he’s a masterful model railroader who’s knowledgeable in numerous areas of the […]
In this episode, Gerry finishes up scenery work and gives a tour of final touches he’s making to his railroad. Getting to know Gerry Leone Back on Track host Gerry Leone is just as clever as he is comedic! But even better, he’s a masterful model railroader who’s knowledgeable in numerous areas of the […]
10 tips for a better holiday toy train display With the holidays on the way, we at Classic Toy Trains wanted to share ways to have a better holiday toy train display. Here are 10 tips from hobbyist David Smith. 1. Traditional O-27 tubular track allows for more varied track plans in a small space. […]
A lot of railroad modelers got their start in the hobby when they received a train set for Christmas. I’d bet that most of them woke up to find the train not in a box but running in circles under the tree. What dad could resist setting up the train “just to test it?” Arranging […]
[…]
The Mandy Patinkin Lionel layout collection is loaded with realistic scenes packed with details. Trains, accessories, structures, and more from the post-World War II and Modern eras of Lionel production fill every square inch of an outstanding model railroad that fills much of a 17 x 42-foot room in the Patinkin household. Visiting Mandy and […]
Five tips for trouble-free turnouts: Since turnouts play a prominent role on model railroads, they deserve attention before and after installation, as well as during routine maintenance. Taking the time to ensure turnouts perform well will guarantee more reliable, and therefore more enjoyable, operation. Though all commercial turnouts meet National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) standards, […]
