I have two modern Lionel operating cars based on the postwar No. 3434 Poultry Dispatch Car. One, the No. 29825 Postwar Celebration version of the 3434, has the figure suspended on the operating arm between two springs. On the other, a No. 16739 Looney Tunes Foghorn Leghorn Poultry Car, the operating arm appears to have […]
While reminiscing and revisiting my archive of photos of our dearly departed Milwaukee, Racine & Troy HO scale layout, I found myself admiring my own work. No, not my contributions to the MR&T, of which there were none, but rather my own photos, all of which were captured with my smartphone camera. For better or […]
Ken Smith’s South Durham Ry. is an HO scale shelf layout that fills a 9′-6″ x 11′-0″ spare room. The freelanced model railroad depicts a North Carolina bridge line connecting the Southern Ry. (SOU), Seaboard Coast Line (SCL), and Durham Southern in the 1970s. Second-generation diesel power moves grain, plastic pellets, perishable fruit, and other […]
I’ll admit in preaching to the choir that O-gauge model railroading can be an expensive endeavor. Newer, higher-end scaled products that can be either preorders or recent releases can cost many hundreds to thousands of dollars. My time at the Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club (MLRRC) in New Berlin, Wis., has garnered friendships with fellow members […]
Name: Tom Kaiser’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 10½ x 11 feet Track: Lionel FasTrack (diameters range from 31 to 60 inches) Motive power: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Ready Made Trains, Williams Rolling stock: K-Line, Lionel, Menards, MTH, Ready Made Trains, Williams Controls: MRC transformers (2) Accessories: K-Line, Lionel, Marx Structures: Bachmann, K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Plasticville U.S.A., scratchbuilt See more in the […]
LGB’s Stainz locomotive is an icon in the large scale hobby. Not only is it instantly recognizable, it also tugs at the strings in our modeling hearts. For many garden railway fans (myself included), the Stainz was most likely their first locomotive. When I found a milk crate full of used large scale items, including […]
If you want to fascinate visitors and draw their eyes into your layout, make your layout tell a story. Many modelers put a lot of effort into making their locomotives, track arrangements, and operating schemes as realistic as possible. But not all of us put the same amount of thought into the little plastic people […]
Q: I am in a decision mode as to what’s the best industry for a small shelf layout. I’m considering either lumber or grain. My shelf is 14″ x 6-0″. Also, what freight cars would be needed for each industry? Thanks. — Bill M. A: You didn’t say what scale you’re modeling in, but 14″ […]
When I first started at Model Railroader in February 2014, I edited a story by Alex Marchand about how he created N scale hoppers using 3-D printing. That story was where I began to learn the basics of 3-D printing. But things have come a long way in the decade since. What was once a […]
I model Colorado narrow gauge, specifically the Denver & Rio Grande Western and Rio Grande Southern. I own two separate garden railroads (not connected and about 8 feet apart). Trains run around approximately 250 feet of mainline tracks with a couple of short lines for logging and running the Galloping Goose. I can run five […]
There’s a robust market for secondhand model railroad products today. Hobby shops, online auction websites, and swap meets are a few of the typical places you can find used locomotives, freight cars, and structures, among other items. In recent years, sellers have taken to non-hobby channels for secondhand trains, such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. […]
Host Gerry Leone left us with a bit of a cliffhanger in his quest to remake a wider, curved river for his Bona Vista HO scale double-deck model railroad. In this episode, he shares the plan and his efforts to move forward with the required deconstruction and reconstruction (…and even re-reconstruction — don’t ask, you’ll […]
