Duplainville, Wis., about 18 miles west of Milwaukee, was developed around 1848. A predecessor of the Milwaukee Road began building a new main line west toward Portage, Wis., running through Duplainville about 1855. The Wisconsin Central (Soo Line) built south from Rugby Junction to Chicago in 1885, crossing the Milwaukee Road at Duplainville. The crossing […]
How did you get started in the hobby? My love of trains started when I was six years old, watching steam engines on a branch line of the Union Pacific in the late 40’s. I recall being swept away with the sounds and power of the Consolidation (2-8-0) locomotives that stopped in my Dad’s hometown. […]
Don Ball model railroad images Don Ball model railroad images: Don Ball, a contributor to Model Railroader and Model Railroad Planning magazines, died on January 21, 2022 at his home in Blue Springs, Mo. He was 73 years old. Through the pages of our magazines, Don shared his passion for modeling the 1890s. He […]
O gauge realism is Herb Lindsay’s legacy. One of the landmark layouts featured in Classic Toy Trains over the years has been the O gauge model railroad designed and built by the late hobbyist and his talented wife and fellow modeler, Dagmar Lindsay. How articles about Herb’s realistic tribute to railroading in central Pennsylvania during […]
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Buying used track: You’ve heard the old saying, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Well, for model railroaders – as tempting as it sounds – saving money by buying used track may not be the bargain it seems. Repurposing a few pieces of track might help you purchase another boxcar or perhaps a few […]
Hosting a virtual operating session is change. During a thoughtful dinner conversation, a friend quipped: “Count on two things. People always complain about the way things are and they always complain about change.” But our hobby numbers remarkably resourceful people who do change. When COVID-19 protocols had people hunkering down, operating sessions began to reappear, […]
I like to spend my Saturday mornings going to garage sales. Occasionally I find something I can use for my large-scale railroad. At one sale, I found a damaged Christmas Workshop sold by USA Trains. I paid the dollar asking price and brought my prize home. I had recently kitbashed a yardmaster’s office from […]
There are several modular model railroading standards out there, but one you might have heard more about recently is the Free-Mo modular standard. Like most modular standards, the Free-Mo modular standard lets you build a section of model railroad that will connect and operate with others built to the same standard. The cool thing about […]
It’s a new year with new progress on Gerry Leone’s all-new HO scale layout. Of course, that means a new season of construction videos gets Back on Track right now! In this episode, you’ll see how our host made quick work of his hardboard fascia installation. While work on his upper deck isn’t quite as […]
It’s a new year with new progress on Gerry Leone’s all-new HO scale layout. Of course, that means a new season of construction videos gets Back on Track right now! In this episode, you’ll see how our host made quick work of his hardboard fascia installation. While work on his upper deck isn’t quite as […]
Visual trickery has been part of model railroading for many years. John Allen used mirrors on his HO scale Gorre & Daphetid to make scenes appear deeper than they really were. John also made inches appear like miles on his model railroad using structures and scenery to create the illusion of distance, a technique known […]
