“Less is more,” as the saying goes from the article, How to lubricate your O and S gauge trains. The same applies to regularly lubricating postwar equipment that has stood the test of time. For steam locomotives, that means regular oiling and greasing. Some disassembly required In Classic Toy Trains’ January 2019 issue, Joseph L. […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — Mt. Emily Lumber No. 1, a three-truck Shay locomotive built in 1923, has been moved into the engine house at its new home, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. The move came Tuesday, Oct. 15, according to a Facebook post from the Friends of the SP&S 700. The center plans to use the […]
Q: Why are the flanges on model steam engine drive wheels so much larger than on the prototypes? Is it because the models don’t weigh very much? Or is it because they have to navigate tight curves? And do larger scales (like G scale and live-steam models) have flanges that are closer to the prototypes? […]
I had an LGB Stainz (2010 version) and decided to convert it to an 0-4-0 Forney. I made a new boiler, steam dome, sand dome, smoke stack, all made from PVC fittings and pipe. After deciding the length of the boiler, I cut the proper length from a piece of 1″ PVC pipe as it […]
My HO scale Agawa Yard layout is set in a fictional suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, in the spring of 1969. It’s part of a single-track main line that zig-zags through the suburbs and provides rail access to the area’s dwindling towns and industries. My layout is based on 1960s photos of the Canadian Pacific, […]
BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — The Tweetsie Railroad, a tourist railroad and theme park in western North Carolina, will be closed for the remainder of its fall season as a result Hurricane Helene, the company announced Friday. An announcement posted on Facebook reads, “Tweetsie Railroad will remain closed for the rest of the fall season to […]
Seemingly every resident of West, Texas – population 2,531 – has turned out to witness a spectacle. Townspeople are lined up on both sides of Union Pacific’s Fort Worth Subdivision, which runs smack through the middle of downtown. All eyes are looking to the south, hoping to catch the first glimpse of UP 4-8-8-4 No. […]
The Golden Spike Centennial Limited leaves Kansas City (Mo.) Union Station on May 14, 1969, St. Louis-bound via Norfolk & Western. Don Wood photo […]
The steam community is in a happy state of shock this week with the news that New York Central 3001, one of the NYC’s famed 4-8-2 Mohawk engines, might be restored to operating condition by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, operators of famed Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765. The announcement came Oct. 9 […]
ELKHART, Ind. — The stage is set for a new partnership between the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, the City of Elkhart, and the National New York Central Railroad Museum, announced in a press conference at the museum campus today (Oct. 9, 2024). The society — owner and operator of Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. […]
As Jay Smith, former illustrator (ret.) for Kalmbach Media, continues is his backdrop painting efforts on David Popp’s Olympia & Sand Creek On30 display layout, you’ll see several subtle techniques Jay employees to create lighting effects and enhance the detailed appearance of even the most distant landform and structures he paints. Be sure to explore […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — The conclusion of the Grand Canyon Railway’s 2024 steam season was a fall finish as 2-8-2 No. 4960 made its Oct. 5 round trip between Williams and Grand Canyon National Park. Railway Chief Mechanical Officer Eric Hadder said the locomotive did well with no significant problems. He also noted that No. 4960’s […]
