2016-04 Model Railroader Magazine

PUT A DCC DECODER in an old Athearn diesel p.
60
New ‘Bluetooth’
diesel tested p. 62
April 2016
www.ModelRailroader.com
TRACK AND ROADBED

How to get great results like this! p. 28
Build scenery
using cardboard
webbing p. 24
PLUS
Scale drawings for
a junction tower p. 41
New monthly column: BONUS
Vol. 83 • Issue 4
Learn to operate like a pro! p. 70 ONLINE

CONTENT
Add lights and animation CODE PG. 4
to an HO structure p. 36
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• Rear wheel-type hand brake • Winterization hatch
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Availability and prices shown were accurate at press time, for updates visit walthers.com.
*The Santa Fe marks are licensed marks owned by the BNSF Railway Company. ©2016 Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.
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APRIL 2016 • Model Railroader 3
Online Content Code: MRR1604 APRIL2016
Volume 83, Number 4
Enter this code at: www.ModelRailroader.com/code
to gain access to web-exclusive content
60 PUT A DCC DECODER in an old Athearn diesel
IN THIS ISSUE New ‘Bluetooth’
p. 60
62
diesel tested p. 62
April 2016
41 www.ModelRailroader.com
28 TRACK AND ROADBED

How to get great results like this! p. 28
ROCHESTER JCT RJ
28'-6"
24 Build scenery
using cardboard
webbing p. 24
PLUS
28 How to model realistic track and roadbed Scale drawings for

a junction tower p. 41
Learn an expert modeler’s tricks for making flextrack and cork 70 New monthly column:
Learn to operate like a pro! p. 70
look like a real right-of-way
by Pelle Søeborg 36 Add lights and animation
to an HO structure p. 36
36 Animate structures with microcontrollers On the cover: Pelle Søeborg shares the
Arduino circuit boards simplify programming effects tracklaying techniques he used on his new
by Bruce Kingsley ▸ Online bonus ModelRailroader.com Union Pacific Midwestern layout. Pelle
Søeborg photo
41 A steam-era Lehigh Valley interlocking tower
This tower protected a wye and small yard near Rochester,
N.Y. by Harold Russell ▸ Online bonus ModelRailroader.com
IN EVERY ISSUE
44 A bridge line in HO scale MREXTRA 6 Digital MR 60 DCC Corner
A retired railroader builds his double-deck dream layout The latest features on our The basics of decoder
re-creating mountain railroading in West Virginia website by Dana Kawala installation by Larry Puckett
by Lou Sassi ▸ Online bonus ModelRailroader.com
8 From the Editor 62 Product Reviews MREXTRA
53 Low riders on the Sandy River Technology and operations
Modifying boxcars to better resemble their Maine prototypes by Neil Besougloff
was simplified by a parts swap
by Lou Sassi 10 News & Products
Hobby industry news N scale ACS-64 and Amfleet
54 Building from memory MREXTRA by Cody Grivno set from Kato, HO scale
Camping along the Chicago & North Western as a kid Bachmann E-Z App RS-3,
inspired this HO layout by Dave Rickaby 16 Railway Post Office and more
▸ Online bonus ModelRailroader.com Letters from our readers by Dana Kawala
by Hal Miller
72 Trackside Photos 70 On Operation
by Steven Otte ▸ Online bonus ModelRailroader.com 18 Ask MR It takes more than
What’s in a buffer car? a rule book
by Steven Otte by Jerry Dziedzic
22 Heritage Fleet 85 Index of Advertisers and

George D. Stock helped Cartoon
pioneer HO scale
NEXT ISSUE by Keith Wills 86 Trains of Thought
Lineside details
In May, learn about 24 Step by Step MREXTRA by Tony Koester
building a model railroad Making mountains
in Costa Rica, weather a for MR’s project layout
diesel with acrylic paint, by Eric White
check out a track plan for
a compact switching MREXTRA www.ModelRailroader.com subscriber extra
layout, and more!
MRVP Video on www.MRVideoPlus.com
Model Railroader (USPS 529-810, ISSN 0026-7341) is published monthly by Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Periodicals postage paid at Waukesha, Wis., and additional offices.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Model Railroader, Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Printed in USA. Canada Publication Mail Agreement # 40010760.
REEFER MADNESS!
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▸▸ Visit us online for more Dana Kawala
DIGITALMR Subscriber Extras ▸▸ How To ▸▸ Videos ▸▸

News & Reviews ▸▸ Community ▸▸ Shop ▸▸
Subscribers get more at ModelRailroader.com! New product video
Bachmann E-Z
App control
Don’t miss the
review of the
Bachmann E-Z App
RS-3, which features
touch-screen
control. Magazine
subscribers can
watch a video of
senior editor Dana
Kawala using an iPad MREXTRA
to run the locomotive
on the MR staff layout.
Project plans
New layout video highlights MREXTRA

Click on Videos at www.ModelRailroader.com to see trains running on many
of the layouts featured in Model Railroader magazine. This month, website
visitors can watch video of both John Mueller’s Northern Memories layout
and Larry Hickman’s River Falls & Eastern Ry. Classic steam-era
interlocking tower
The prototype for this interlocking
Arduino animation tower protected a wye and small
yard along the Lehigh Valley RR.
Click on the link under Online
Extras to download scale drawings
of the trackside structure.
MR Video Plus
Lay better track MRVP
Model Railroader Video Plus is a

monthly subscription video service
covering all aspects of the hobby.
Check out this free preview video
showing more tracklaying tips.
Add lights and action to a structure
Modeler Bruce Kingsley shows how he uses Arduino microcontrollers to add
multiple lights, moving figures, and other animation to his structure models MREXTRA subscriber extra
on page 36. Watch a video demo of the finished structure on Bruce’s layout.
Click on the link under Online Extras. MRVP Video on www.MRVideoPlus.com
6 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com

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Neil Besougloff
FROMTHEEDITOR
Technology and operations Model railroading is fun!
an understanding of railroading opera- Founder A.C. Kalmbach 1910-1981
tions past and present in detail.
I asked Jerry to write about his rail- Editor Neil Besougloff
Managing Editor Hal Miller
road experiences, and rather than muck Senior Editor Dana Kawala
things up by editing Jerry’s words, this is Associate Editors Cody Grivno, Steven Otte,
some of what he wrote. Eric White
Contributing Editors Tony Koester
“... I ired an ex-Rio Grande K-28 that Pelle Søeborg
I got so hot at Osier I didn’t throw Larry Puckett
another scoop until Los Pinos, 30 min-
Phone 262-796-8776
utes away. I held down a seat box on 844, E-mail mrmag@mrmag.com
admiring Steve Lee’s handiwork at Fax 262-796-1142
This month senior editor Dana 70 per. I switched with an NS SD-70,
Model Railroader Art Team
Kawala reviews Bachmann’s new putting together an excursion train.
E-Z App HO scale diesel locomotive. I worked that train, too, radioing the dis- Art Director Thomas G. Danneman
Senior Graphic Designers Scott Krall
What’s an E-Z App? It’s an diferent way patcher with ‘Extra Drew Halverson
to run a locomotive. NKP 765 West en- Lead Illustrator Rick Johnson
Production Coordinator Cindy Barder
he idea is to use an App designed for tering DCS
an iPhone or iPad that communicates territory at Gap’.
Model Railroader Video Plus
directly via Bluetooth technology to a “hanks to
Producer A. David Popp
receiver inside a locomotive. here’s no model railroad Associate Producer Kent Johnson
other hardware, just a train and a phone. operations, I Associate Editor Ben Lake
Set-up time is perhaps all of a minute. shoved drags over Editorial Assistant Jenny Maaske
A company called BlueRail Trains is Locust Summit on Customer Sales and Service
developing Bluetooth receiver boards for the Reading. I held
Phone 800-533-6644
separate sale. down an operator’s Jerry Dziedzic (Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time)
Bluetooth technology applied to desk and copied Outside U.S. and Canada 262-796-8776, ex. 421
Fax 262-796-1615
model railroading is in its infancy, and train orders at Grand Rapids, on Great E-mail customerservice@kalmbach.com
Digital Command Control is the long- Northern’s Mesabi Division. I ran Con-
established leader in contemporary train rail hotshots down the former NYC Advertising Department
control for good reason. But I can’t help main through Syracuse. I dispatched Group Advertising Manager Scott Redmond
but think that Bluetooth is a neat idea. roads from the C&O to the SP&S, Ad Sales Manager Paul Steinhafel
Ad Sales Representative Martha Stanczak
Dana’s review starts on page 62. from the Santa Cruz Northern to the Ad Services Representative Daryl Pagel
Virginia Midland. To purchase an advertisement
Jerry Dziedzic is Model Railroader’s “Not quite a highlight, I also dis-
Phone 888-558-1544, ex. 643
new operations columnist. As you might patched the La Mesa club’s Tehachapi E-mail adsales@mrmag.com
suspect, Jerry will be writing monthly line so woefully that I tied it into a
about operating a model railroad in a knot an Eagle Scout couldn’t be more Circulation Department
prototypical manner. proud of. ...” Circulation Manager Catherine Daniels
Single Copy Specialist Kim Redmond
Jerry is a long-time modeler with a Jerry’s column is on page 70. In case
basement-sized New York, Susquehanna your tongue is tied in an Eagle Scout To sell Model Railroader in your store:
& Western layout in HO scale. Jerry fre- knot trying to pronounce Jerry’s last Phone 800-558-1544, press 3
quently operates on other model rail- name, it’s DEED-zik. Outside U.S. and Canada 262-796-8776, ex. 818
E-mail tss@kalmbach.com
roads and oten dispatches Tony Koes- Website www.Retailers.Kalmbach.com
ter’s famed Nickel Plate RR HO layout. Fax 262-798-6592
Jerry is a steam locomotive ireman Kalmbach Publishing Co.

trainee and a licensed conductor. He has President Charles R. Croft
Senior VP, Sales & Marketing Daniel R. Lance
VP, Content/Editorial Director Stephen C. George
▸▸ Contributing to Model Railroader VP, Consumer Marketing Nicole McGuire
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We welcome contributions from readers, including articles, photographs, Brand Manager Brian Schmidt
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#920-41600 BN #6217 #920-48603 CHESSIE #1940 WALTHERS MAIN LINE
#920-40710 ALASKA, #1500&1517
#920-41601 BN #6219 SD-9, STANDARD DC DL-109
PROTO 2000 #920-41602 CHESSIE #1939 $169.99 EA. STANDARD DC
GP-20, STANDARD DC #920-41603 CHESSIE #1940 #920-48600 BN #6217 SUPER SALE
GP-20, W/DCC & SOUND SUPER SALE $149.99 EA. #920-41604 D&RGW #5307 #920-48601 BN #6219 $74.99 EA.
BEST DEAL $159.99 #920-48559 CB&Q #905 #920-41605 D&RGW #5312 #920-48604 D&RGW #5307
#920-41606 GN #582 #910-9101 NEW HAVEN, #0703 #910-9106 SOUTHERN, #6400
PROTO 2000 E7 AB STANDARD DC #920-31504 PENN CENTRAL #920-48561 EMD DEMO #5626 #920-48605 D&RGW #5312 #910-9102 NEW HAVEN, #0708 #910-9107 SOUTHERN, #6401
#920-48563 NS #2008 #920-41607 GN #587 #920-48606 GN #582
E7 AB W/DCC & SOUND SUPER SALE $229.99 GP-20, W/DCC & SOUND #920-41609 BNSF #6142
$349.99 #920-47971 UNION PACIFIC SUPER SALE $149.99 EA. #920-48564 NS #2009 #920-48607 GN #587 WALTHERS MAIN
#920-41611 CONRAIL #6908 #920-48609 BNSF #6127
#920-40985 PENNSYLVANIA, green #920-41563 NS #2008 GP-20, STANDARD DC #920-41612 CONRAIL #6917 SW1 DCC READY $69.99 EA.
E7 AA STANDARD DC #920-48612 CONRAIL #6917
E7 A STANDARD DC $139.99 $259.99 #920-41564 NS #2009 $169.99 EA. #920-41613 SOUTHERN #202 #910-9205 SOUTHERN
#920-48550 SANTA FE #1132 #920-48613 SOUTHERN #205 #910-9206 SOUTHERN
#920-47994 NYC #4030 #920-47951 MILWAUKEE Hiawatha #2 GP-20, W/DCC & SOUND #920-41614 SOUTHERN #207 #920-48614 SOUTHERN #206
$239.99 EA. #920-48551 SANTA FE #1150 #910-9209 ROCK ISLAND #910-9215 AMTRAK
PROTO 2000 #920-48552 NYC #2102 #910-9210 ROCK ISLAND SUPER SALE $49.99
E8 A POWERED #920-41551 SANTA FE #1150
#920-48553 NYC #2104 WALTHERS #910-9211 PENNSYLVANIA
#920-41552 NYC #2102 #910-9218 BURLINGTON NORTHERN
W/DCC & SOUND #920-41553 NYC #2104 #920-48554 CONRAIL #2101 PROTO #910-9212 PENNSYLVANIA #910-9219 BURLINGTON NORTHERN
$259.99 #920-41554 CONRAIL #2101 #920-48555 CONRAIL #2107 #910-9213 GREAT NORTHERN #910-9222 NORFOLK SOUTHERN
#920-41367 AMTRAK, #254 #920-41555 CONRAIL #2107 #920-48556 UP #487 #910-9214 GREAT NORTHERN #910-9223 NORFOLK SOUTHERN
#920-41556 UP #487 #920-48557 UP #492 SD45 W/DCC & SOUND SD45 W/DCC & SOUND
#920-41557 UP #482 #920-48560 CB&Q #931 $239.99 EA. SUPER SALE $159.99 EA. WALTHERS
E9 A W/DCC & SOUND PROTO 2000 #920-48562 EMD DEMO #5628
$239.99 #920-41560 CB&Q #925 #920-41059 DRGW #920-41062 EL #3627 MAIN LINE
E9 AB STANDARD DC #920-41562 EMD DEMO #5628 #920-48565 COTTON BELT #812 #920-41065 SEABOARD #8917 #920-41063 MONTANA RAIL #372
#920-41385 UNION PACIFIC #920-48566 COTTON BELT #815
$299.99 EA. #920-41566 COTTON BELT #816 #920-41066 SEABOARD #8918 #920-41064 MONTANA RAIL #375
E9 AB W/DCC & SOUND #920-48368 B&O CAPITOL LTD. GP15-1 GP15-1 W/DCC & SOUND
$449.99 #920-48369 B&O CAPITOL LTD. WILL LOOK GREAT MATCHED STANDARD DC $79.99 EA. $124.99 EA.
#920-41384 UNION PACIFIC WITH ANY UNION PACIFIC PROTO #910-9401 BURLINGTON NORTHERN #910-19401 BURLINGTON NORTHERN
CHALLENGER, FEF, MIKADO, 2000 #910-9402 BURLINGTON NORTHERN #910-19402 BURLINGTON NORTHERN
CONSOLIDATION or E Units #910-9403 CANADIAN PACIFIC #910-19403 CANADIAN PACIFIC
UNION PACIFIC PASSENGER CARS LIGHTED $64.99 EA. SD-45 SD-45 STANDRD DC #910-9404 CANADIAN PACIFIC #910-19404 CANADIAN PACIFIC
#920-14102 85’ BUDD PACIFIC 10-6 SLEEPER, WILLIE JAMES STANDARD DC $169.99 EA. #910-9405 CHESSIE #910-19405 CHESSIE
#920-18500 ACF COACH, KATY FLYER #910-9406 CHESSIE #910-19406 CHESSIE
SUPER SALE $89.99 #920-48050 SANTA FE #5377 #910-9407 CHICAGO NORTHWESTERN #910-19407 CHICAGO NORTHWESTERN
#920-18501 44 SEAT COACH, CITY OF PORTLAND
MORE ON SALE #920-18502 44 SEAT COACH, SUNSHINE
#920-18600 48 SEAT DINER, CITY OF LOS ANGELES
#30726 CSX #9919
SD-45 W/DCC & SOUND
#920-48051 SANTA FE #5400
#920-48052 CNW #6472
#910-9409 MISSOURI PACIFIC #910-19409 MISSOURI PACIFIC
ON-LINE AT UNION PACIFIC PASSENGER CAR LIGHTED SUPER SALE $49.99 BEST DEAL $149.99 EA. #920-48053 CNW #6482
#920-48054 PRR #6118
WALTHERS
MAIN LINE
#920-9237 85’ ACF OBSERVATION DOME LOUNGE, CITY OF PORTLAND #920-41052 CNW #6474
trainworld.com UNION PACIFIC PASSENGER CARS LIGHTED $74.99 EA.
#920-41053 CNW #6485 #920-48055 PRR #6136
#920-48056 UP #15
#920-9236 85’ ACF OBSERVATION DOME LOUNGE, CITY OF LA SD-45 W/DCC & SOUND #920-48057 UP #18 SD70ACe SD70ACe
PROTO 2000 #920-18550 ACF DOME COACH, COLUMBINE SUPER VALUE $189.99 EA. STANDARD DC W/DCC & SOUNDTRAXX
#920-48059 DRGW #5326 $99.99 EA. $149.99 EA.
#920-18650 85’ ACF DOME DINER, COLORADO EAGLE #920-41054 PRR #6110 #920-48060 DRGW #5331
#920-18651 85’ ACF DOME DINER, CITY OF PORTLAND #920-41055 PRR #6127 #910-9801 BNSF #8427 #910-19801 BNSF #8400
U28B W/DCC & #920-48061 EL #3624 #910-9802 BNSF #8492 #910-19802 BNSF #8469
#920-18700 DOME LOUNGE, CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
SOUND $159.99 #920-18701 DOME LOUNGE, HARRIMAN SD-45 W/DCC & SOUND #920-48062 EL #3629 #910-9803 CSX #4836 #910-19803 CSX #4831
U28B STANDARD DC #920-48063 MRL #370
#31376 SEABOARD #5539 $89.99 EA. #920-18702 DOME LOUNGE, WALT DEAN SUPER SALE $199.99 EA. #910-9804 CSX #4844 #910-19804 CSX #4839
U28B W/DCC & SOUND #31064 CSX #5323 #920-41050 SANTA FE #5374 #920-48064 MRL #374 #910-9805 KCS #4164 #910-19805 KCS #4140
UNION PACIFIC PASSENGER CARS NO LIGHTS $57.99 EA. #920-48065 SCL #8919 #910-9806 KCS #4199 #910-19806 KCS #4173
SUPER SALE $189.99 EA. #920-13102 85’ BUDD PACIFIC 10-6 SLEEPER, WILLIE JAMES #920-41051 SANTA FE #5380
U28B STANDARD DC #920-48066 SCL #8923 #910-9807 CN #8008 #910-19807 CN #8002
#920-41650 CB&Q #142 SUPER SALE $49.99 EA. #920-18000 ACF COACH, KATY FLYER #920-41056 UNION PACIFIC
#920-41651 CB&Q #145 #910-9809 NS #1142 #910-19808 CN #8021
#31068 SEABOARD #5536 #920-18001 44 SEAT COACH, CITY OF PORTLAND #920-41057 UNION PACIFIC #910-9810 NS #1171 #910-19809 NS #1125
U28B W/DCC & #31069 SEABOARD #5539 #920-18002 44 SEAT COACH, SUNSHINE PROTO 2000 #910-9811 UP #8799, FLAG #910-19810 NS #1158
SOUND $239.99 EA. #920-18100 48 SEAT DINER, CITY OF LOS ANGELES #910-9812 UP #8716, FLAG #910-19811 UP #8784, FLAG
U28B STANDARD
#920-41654 L&N #2500 DC $169.99 EA. UNION PACIFIC PASSENGER CARS NO LIGHTS $79.99 SD-50 STANDARD DC #910-19812 UP #8723, FLAG
#920-41655 L&N #2502 #920-48650 CB&W #140 #920-9200 85’ BAGGAGE, AMERICAN FLAG SCHEME $89.99 EA.
U30B W/DCC & SOUND #920-48651 CB&W #143 UNION PACIFIC PASSENGER CARS NO LIGHTS $64.99 EA.
#30854 CSX #8663 TRAINWORLD®/TRAINLAND®
SUPER SALE $189.99 EA. #920-48654 L&N #2500 #30855 CSX #8672 TOLL FREE 1-800-541-7010
#920-9201 85’ BAGGAGE, FLEET ART LOCKMAN
#920-41652 CONRAIL #2856 #920-48655 L&N #2502 #920-9216 85’ ACF OBSERVATION DOME LOUNGE, CITY OF LA INFORMATION 1-718-436-7072
#920-41653 CONRAIL #6922 U30B STANDARD #920-18050 ACF DOME COACH, COLUMBINE www.trainworld.com
#920-41657 WESTERN PACIFIC #3052 DC $169.99 EA. #920-18150 85’ ACF DOME DINER, COLORADO EAGLE MORE WALTHERS 10 Day Exchange Policy - Must be New
U30B W/DCC & #920-48652 CONRAIL #2877 #920-18151 85’ ACF DOME DINER, CITY OF PORTLAND PROTO LOCOMOTIVES & FREIGHT CARS Minimum UPS Standard Shipping & Handling $10.99
SOUND $239.99 EA. #920-48653 CONRAIL #2882 #920-18200 DOME LOUNGE, CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO 15% Restocking Fee on Approved Returns
#920-41656 WESTERN PACIFIC #3051 #920-48656 WP #3053 #920-18201 DOME LOUNGE, HARRIMAN TRAINWORLD.COM Prices Subject to Change Without Notice. 04/16F
#920-48657 WP #3055 #920-18202 DOME LOUNGE, WALT DEAN Quantities Limited All Right Reserved.
THE PRODUCTS WE SELL ARE NOT TOYS AND ARE NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 14. THESE PRODUCTS ARE MODEL RAILROAD EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES AND ARE INTENDED FOR USE BY ADULTS.
NEWS&PRODUCTS ▸▸ New product announcements are posted
on ModelRailroader.com every week
HO scale General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel prototype-specific details, operating knuckle couplers,
locomotive. This modern six-axle road unit is the latest and a five-pole motor with flywheels. Direct-current
offering from MTH Electric Trains. The Dash 9-44CW is models sell for $199.95. Versions with Proto-Sound 3.0
decorated for Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; BNSF Ry.; retail for $299.95. MTH Electric Trains, 410-381-2580,
and five other railroads. The ready-to-run locomotive has www.mthhotrains.com
Industry news three road numbers), Australian Railroad

▪ Northeastern Scale Models Group (Genesee & Wyoming scheme with
closes. Northeastern Scale Models, a ARG herald in two numbers, large “ARG”
manufacturer of N and HO scale struc- lettering in one number), Interail (North-
ture kits, ended operations in February ▪ Baldwin DRS-6-6-1500, AS-16, ern Rivers paint scheme, two numbers),
ater more than 65 years in business. and AS-616 diesel locomotives. Paciic National (two numbers), West Rail
he late James Doyle started North- DRS-6-6-1500: Minneapolis, Northield (orange with blue band and white
eastern in Methuen, Mass., in 1946. In & Southern (one road number); Chesa- pinstripe in three numbers, orange with
2001, the company moved the kit side of peake & Ohio; Erie Lackawanna; and blue band in one number, and orange with
its business to Chico, Calif. It sold the Southern Paciic. AS-16: Reading Co. and blue band and white pinstripe and radio
scratchbuilding line to Northeastern Western Maryland. AS-616: Milwaukee markings in one number), and Western
Scale Lumber Co., which continues to Road and Pennsylvania RR (with Australian Government Railways
produce stripwood, sheetwood, and train-phone antenna). Two numbers per (as-delivered scheme and two-tone blue,
structural shapes in Methuen. scheme unless noted. Can motor with two road numbers per scheme). Injection-
lywheel, RP-25 contour metal wheels, molded plastic body, die-cast metal
HO scale locomotives and deck- or body-mounted handrails. chassis, ive-pole skew-wound motor,
▪ Electro-Motive Division GP7 Direct-current model, $189.95; with see-through etched-metal grills, and
and GP7B diesel locomotives. GP7: sound decoder, $289.95. Summer 2016. Kadee couplers. Without sound,
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (pinstripe Bowser Manufacturing Co. Inc., 570-368- $375; with ESU sound decoder, $495.
scheme, two road numbers) and Erie 2379, www.bowser-trains.com Southern Rail Models, +61 2 4981 2945,
(Phase I in one number, Phase II in three www.southernrailmodels.com.au
numbers). GP7B: ATSF (two numbers). ▪ Alco PA and PB diesel locomo-
Also available undecorated (Phases I, II, tives. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and
and III). Road-number-speciic details, Pennsylvania RR (Tuscan ive-stripe
wire grab irons, positionable cab win- scheme). Factory-installed handrails,
dows, and etched-metal detail parts. molded drill starter points for grab
Direct-current model with Quick Plug irons, and Proto-Max couplers. PA:
(8- and 9-pin socket), $189.98; with Direct-current model, $149.98; with
dual-mode SoundTraxx sound decoder, ▪ Western Australian Government dual-mode SoundTraxx sound decoder,
$289.98. October 2016. Genesis series. Railways L-Class diesel locomo- $219.98 (add $20 for Santa Fe models).
Athearn Trains, 800-338-4639, tive. Australian Transport Network PA-PB sets: Direct-current models,
www.athearn.com Access (Wisconsin Central scheme in $279.98; with dual-mode SoundTraxx
▸▸ Mobile Updates
Cody Grivno
Scan the code to
access Model
Railroader’s
website for weekly
News & Products
updates.
sound decoder, $419.98 (add $40 for

Santa Fe models). PA also available
undecorated (DC only), $149.98.
WalthersMainline. Wm. K. Walthers
Inc., 414-527-0770, www.walthers.com
HO scale freight cars

▪ Assorted freight cars. Central
Vermont 40-foot six-panel single-sheathed
boxcar, $16.98. Detroit, Toledo & Ironton
41-foot steel gondola (single car, $16.98;
three-pack, $46.98). Montana Rail Link HO scale assorted vehicles. New vehicles available from American
4,750-cubic-foot-capacity covered hopper, Excellence include a 1935 Mercedes 504K Autobahnkurier, a 1938 Mercedes
$18.98. Northern Paciic 40-foot PS-1 G4, a 1969 Tatra 603, and a 1954 Jeep Willys station wagon. The factory-
boxcar (single car, $16.98; three-pack, painted resin models, produced by BoS-Models, have detailed interiors and
$49.98). Sid Richardson Carbon Co. clear window glazing. The models sell for $19.95 each. American Excellence,
American Car & Foundry three-bay 980-335-2701, www.american-excellence.com
Center Flow covered hopper, $17.98.
Western Paciic 40-foot eight-panel
single-sheathed boxcar, $16.98. Injection- Norfolk Southern. hree road numbers Conrail (brown in one road number and
molded plastic kits with plastic wheelsets per paint scheme. Separately applied wire Conrail Blue), and Penn Central (brown
and Accumate couplers. Accurail, grab irons, etched-metal crossover in one number and green). hree
630-365-6400, www.accurail.com platforms, and 70-ton trucks with numbers per scheme. Factory-installed
rotating bearing caps. $29.98. Genesis brake wheel, air tank, brake cylinder, and
series. Athearn Trains, 800-338-4639, triple valve; metal wheelsets; and
www.athearn.com free-rolling trucks. $27.95 (with train-
▪ 1932 American Railway Associa- phone antenna, $35.95). Summer 2016.
tion boxcar. New paint schemes: Erie Bowser Manufacturing Co. Inc., 570-368-
(1945 repaint), Pennsylvania RR (ictional 2379, www.bowser-trains.com
paint scheme in two road numbers), ▪ 36-foot three-dome tank car.
Missouri Paciic (“Route of the Eagles” Kanotex, North American, Pan-Am Oils,
▪ Trinity 17,600-gallon corn syrup slogan), Roberval Saguenay, Seaboard Air Shell Chemical Co., Sunoco, and Union
tank cars. New paint schemes: Cargill, Line (1934-37 scheme), Soo Line (modern), Tank Car Co. Two road numbers per
Archer Daniels Midland Corn Sweeteners, and Western Maryland. hree numbers scheme; also available undecorated. AB
Dow Chemical, Occidental Chemical, per scheme; also available undecorated in brakes, 33" turned-metal wheelsets, and
Rampart Range, Southern Paciic, and ive body styles. Solid-bearing trucks and Proto-Max couplers. $27.98. Walthers
Univar Canada Ltd. hree road numbers Accumate couplers. $33.95 (undecorated, Mainline. Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 414-527-
per scheme. Separately applied brake $26.95). hird quarter 2016. Master Line. 0770, www.walthers.com
rigging, 100-ton roller-bearing trucks, and Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880,
Accumate couplers. $41.95. Master Line. www.atlasrr.com HO scale structures
Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880,
www.atlasrr.com
▪ Pennsylvania RR class N5c

caboose. Pennsylvania RR (Pittsburgh
Region, Eastern Region with and without
▪ Southern Iron & Equipment Co. train-phone antenna, Lake Region with
50-foot boxcar. Bay Colony, St. antenna, orange, shadow keystone with ▪ The Worst Block in Town.
Lawrence RR, Boston & Maine, Pitts- black roof, Western Region with black Cast-Hydrocal kit with bricked over
burgh & Lake Erie, Milwaukee Road, and roof, and yellow cupola with antenna), windows; missing and weathered bricks;
NEWS&PRODUCTS
Ry., CSX (dark blue and yellow), and
Union Paciic. Two numbers per scheme.
Digital Command Control-friendly
mechanism, illuminated ditch lights, and
ive-pole motor with dual brass lywheels.
Union Paciic models, May 2016;
CSX models, May-June 2016; and BNSF
Ry. models, June-July 2016. $130. Kato
USA Inc., 847-781-9574, www.katousa.com
N scale freight cars

▪ North American Car Corp.
50-foot insulated boxcar. Central RR
of New Jersey, Chicago & North Western,
Denver & Rio Grande Western, Hamm’s
Beer, Trona Chemicals, and Uniroyal.
hree road numbers per scheme. Etched-
metal stirrup steps, 33" metal wheelsets,
HO scale wide-cupola cabooses. Mark the end of your freight train with and body-mounted McHenry couplers.
these Ready-to-Roll cars from Athearn. The wide-cupola caboose ($26.98) is $21.98. October 2016. Athearn Trains,
decorated for Spokane, Portland & Seattle; Missouri Pacific; Grand Trunk 800-338-4639, www.athearn.com
Western; St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt); and Union Pacific in three ▪ American Car & Foundry
road numbers per scheme. The models have plastic end rails and metal 17,360-gallon tank car. New paint
ladders. Athearn Trains, 800-338-4639, www.athearn.com schemes: American Car & Foundry (ARIL
repaint), Dana Railcare, Dow Chemical,
E.I. Dupont, Occidental (7800-series), CIT
plastic doors, windows, and awnings; RR; and Union Paciic. Also available as Group (TTC conversion). New road
full-color decals by Dave’s Decals; and undecorated kit. Includes raised and numbers: General American. hree
discarded couch and mattress (cars and lowered landing gear. Two-pack, $24.98. numbers per scheme; also available
igures not included). Footprint is SceneMaster. Wm. K. Walthers Inc., undecorated. Separately applied brake
10" x 8". $64.95. Downtown Deco, 414-527-0770, www.walthers.com detail and 100-ton roller-bearing trucks.
406-821-0181, www.downtowndeco.com $29.95 (undecorated, $24.95). hird
▪ Public library. Injection-molded N scale locomotives quarter 2016. Atlas Model Railroad Co.,
plastic kit with stone and brick ▪ Electro-Motive Division SD60 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
construction, large entry, and elevated and SD60M diesel locomotives. ▪ Pullman-Standard 4,427-cubic-
stairway. $49.98. Cornerstone Series. New paint schemes. SD60: CIT Leasing foot-capacity high-side covered
Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 414-527-0770, and GMTX (P&W/Vermont Ry. in one hopper. New paint schemes: Burlington
www.walthers.com road number). SD60M: Burlington Northern (original repaint, reporting
▪ Williams Industrial Electric Northern and Norfolk Southern. New marks only, and early 1990s repaint) and
Motors. Injection-molded plastic kit. numbers. SD60: Chicago & North Milwaukee Road. Six road numbers per
Five-story brick and block construction, Western and Susquehanna. SD60M: scheme. Etched-metal grab irons and
rootop elevator machinery house and Conrail and Union Paciic. hree numbers running boards, three trough hatch
skylights, front and rear loading areas per scheme unless noted. Golden-white styles, body-mounted couplers, and
for truck and rail service, and printed light-emitting-diode headlights, modeler- 100-ton trucks with Fox Valley Models
signs. $54.98. Cornerstone Series. installed snow plow and winterization metal wheelsets. $27.95. Trainworx,
Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 414-527-0770, hatch, and Accumate couplers. Direct- 970-874-9747, www.train-worx.com
www.walthers.com current model, $129.95; with NCE motor
decoder, $169.95. Fourth quarter 2016. O scale freight cars
HO scale details and accessories Master Line. Atlas Model Railroad Co., ▪ American Car & Foundry
▪ Air horns. Leslie: RSL-3L-R with 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com 17,360-gallon tank car. New paint
bracket (low proile), S-3L-R with schemes: American Car & Foundry
(standard) and without bracket, and Tyfon (ARIL repaint), Dana Railcare, Dow
A-200-156-CA. Nathan: AirChime Chemical, E.I. Dupont, and Occidental
K5LAR24, M-3, M5R24, and P-3 (with (7800-series). New road numbers:
and without bracket). Brass castings. General American. Two road numbers
hree-pack, $21.98 each. Athearn Trains, per scheme; also available undecorated.
800-338-4639, www.athearn.com Die-cast metal stirrup steps, 100-ton
▪ 35-foot smooth-side trailer. roller-bearing trucks with rotating
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Bangor & ▪ Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACe bearing caps, and separately applied
Aroostook; Chicago & North Western; diesel locomotive. New road numbers details. $86.95. hird quarter 2016. Atlas
Minneapolis & St. Louis; Pennsylvania (model from previous run shown): BNSF O, 908-687-9590, www.atlaso.com
O scale details and accessories
▪ Parking meters and sidewalk

sections. 1:43 proportion. Lead-free
pewter castings. Two meters and two
sidewalk sections, $21.95 (price may vary
depending on exchange rate). Brooklin
Sidewalks. Brooklin Models, +44 (0) 1225
332400, www.brooklinmodels.co.uk GAME
Z scale locomotives
▪ Electro-Motive Division GP38-2
diesel locomotive. Genesee &
CHANGERS.
SoundTraxx continues our legacy of game-changer products with
Wyoming. hree road numbers. Dual new sound decoders that do more for less,
lywheels and light-emitting-diode new decoders for things you never thought of and
headlights. Price to be announced. new decoders with nifty new features that put the
American Z Line, 614-764-1703, fun back in the “function”. From the first
www.americanzline.com Dynamic Digital Exhaust, Functional Braking, Equalizer -
and a whole lot more - SoundTraxx has been leading the way in
Z scale freight cars sound for your railroad for over 25 years.
▪ Trailer Train 89-foot flatcar with
Think you’ve heard it all? Visit your local retailer or our website today and see our newest
two M548 tracked cargo carriers.
game-changers. We’ve got something to make you giggle!
Brown RTTX latcar with two olive green
tracked cargo carriers by Z-Panzer. ®
Flatcar (four road numbers) features
metal wheelsets and AutoLatch couplers. Not sure what you need?
Price to be announced. American Z Line, 141 Burnett Drive, Durango, Colorado 81301 Visit our website and try our
614-764-1703, www.americanzline.com (970) 259-0690 Fax: (970) 259-0691 Website: www.soundtraxx.com Decoder Selector!
Track
▪ N scale code 80 Snap-Track
starter set. Includes one each 5"
straight, rerailer, terminal joiners, and
standard let- and right-hand manual
turnouts; four 19" curves; and 15 93 ⁄4"
straight. $39.95. Atlas Model Railroad Co.,
908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
Scenery
▪ Tear-and-plant meadow mat.
Early spring, lowland, and winter. Apply
as-is for large scenes. Cut or tear for small
pieces. Flexible base can be used on rough
or uneven terrain. Includes 10 separate
grass tuts. Measures 85 ⁄8" x 77 ⁄8". $21.98.
SceneMaster line. Wm. K. Walthers Inc.,
414-527-0770, www.walthers.com
▪ Plowed field mat. One-piece foam
castings. Heat with hair dryer and bend
to it uneven terrain. Includes 10 separate
grass tuts. Measures 85 ⁄8" x 77 ⁄8". $21.98.
SceneMaster line. Wm. K. Walthers Inc.,
414-527-0770, www.walthers.com
NEWS&PRODUCTS
▸▸ Club offerings
▪ New York Central Lines East

Made in the U.S.A. brick manual tower. HO scale kit
produced by he N Scale Architect
for the New York Central System
Historical Society. Laser-cut bass-
wood upper section and laser-cut
vinyl brickwork. $87.50 ($70 for
1:29 Scale NYCSHS members) plus shipping.
Ratio Ohio residents add 8 percent Ohio
Additional Trucks sales tax. NYCSHS Treasurer Joe
Available Epperson, P.O. Box 52 Berea, OH
44017; www.nycshs.net
Patent number 7,434,518 B2
©2015 Kadee® Quality Products Co. #970 A.S.F A-3 Ride-Control Metal Trucks
® ®
Kadee Quality Products Co. • 673 Avenue C • White City, OR 97503-1078 U.S.A. • Tel: (541) 826-3883 • Fax: (541) 826-4013 • www.kadee.com
®
▪ New York, New Haven &

Hartford 3300-series 40-foot
boxcar. InterMountain HO scale
model produced for the New Haven
Railroad Historical & Technical
Association. Four road numbers.
$29.95 each plus $6 shipping for one
car; add $1 for each additional car.
NHRHTA, P.O. Box 289, Accord, MA
02018; www.nhrhta.org

HAWKINS RAIL
37 YEARS OF SERVICE
- GRAIN IS MOVING AT HAWKINS RAIL! -
See 130 car unit grain train running on the in-store layout. Many out
of production items from estates. Providing same day shipment for
37 years! Call Jack Hawkins at 765-742-5577
See You at the UPHS Convention
3501 Union St., Suite 6. Everything for the serious modeler.
Hours: Mon-Fri 12-5, Sat 10-5
Closed Sun. Evenings by appointment.
ALL MODELS SUBJECT TO PRIOR SALE.
WE DO NOT HAVE A CATALOG. We ask that you call us
or send us your want list with SSAE. We will advise you
of the price, availability, and shipping charges. International
shipments made only to countries accepting insured
mail. We have no minimum order. Personal check orders
are held 4 weeks. MASTERCARD and VISA accepted.
Sorry, collect calls are not accepted, but feel free to call
with your railroad questions, model or prototype.
HAWKINS Mail to:
RAIL
SERVICES PHONE: 765-742-5577
%X\7LFNHWV2QOLQH1RZ FOR INFO OR TO EXHIBIT AT A SHOW CONTACT:

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/DUJHVW0RQWKO\7UDLQ6KRZLQWKH86 Shriners Auditorium
Apr. 2-3 • Rochester, NY
Mar 13 April 10 May 1 Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex
You CAN bring it with you…

when you move to our community.
Sharing the joy of model railroading is only one
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55 and over at our Continuing Care Retirement
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RAILWAYPOSTOFFICE
Worldwide hobby
Great photo on page 83 of February
issue — a model of a Japanese railroad
by a Swiss model railroad club in an
American magazine. Gotta love it!
Model railroading is truly a globe-span- A reader in the know says the fastest
ning hobby. I think there’s a gene for it. cars on the Pacific Electric system
Larry Covey, Longmeadow, Mass. weren’t the “Long Beach Twelves.”
See the Eagle Mountain movie exception of the 300-series “Blimps”)

I found it odd when reading the irst represented an unprecedented coverage
of the Eagle Mountain layout articles in of this once-massive system.
the January issue, to see that not one One side-note is the fastest cars built
PLUG & PLAY mention was made of the railroad’s pres-

ence in popular culture. It stood in for a
for the PE were the “San Bernardino”
(1200-1221) series of “Twelves,” not the
ictional Southern Paciic line to the bor- “Long Beach Twelves” (1222-1251).
der of Mexico in the 1986 movie, “Tough he San Bernardino cars operated on
Guys,” that starred Burt Lancaster and longer runs and were able to reach
Kirk Douglas. higher top speeds with a more favorable
he epic ending of the ilm was gear ratio. he Long Beach cars made
ilmed with former SP 4-8-4 no. 4449 at more stops and were designed to haul an
a point called Summit along the railroad. unmotored car (sled), necessitating a
A full-sized mock-up of the locomotive lower gear ratio for better acceleration,
THE SIMPLE SERVO CONTROL was used for the post-crash scene. but a lower top speed.
SYSTEM FOR TURNOUTS, If the stafers working on the layout he 1252-1263 cars were orphans
SIGNALS AND were looking for a good examples of obtained in 1928 from a Southern
MORE! what the area looked like, they only had Paciic-controlled line in Portland and
to track down this movie. were nicknamed “Portland Twelves.”
Lee Bishop, Rochester, Wash. hese cars had similar gear ratios and
horsepower to the San Bernardino cars.
Control
Board
Vintage Pacific Electric models All three series of cars were operated
PLS-100 I read the December 2015 Heritage in multiple-unit and pool service.
SMARTSWITCH Fleet column about the Paciic Electric Business car no. 1299 was created
SET and models built by E. Suydam & Co. In from one of the surplus Portland trailers,
2012 I accepted the posthumous award not a Long Beach Twelve. It can still be
given to Ed and Doug Suydam by the seen on exhibit at the Perris Railway
Hobby Industry Association’s Model Museum in California.
Railroad Hall of Fame. Norman Suydam, Irvine, Calif.
As one of only a few living relatives of
the Suydam brothers and the only one Realism through scenarios
Easy to involved in the hobby, I’ve given a few Reading February’s Trains of hought
program
presentations at my club and at National got me thinking a lot more about realis-
Model Railroad Association meets on tic operation.
E. Suydam & Co. and the interurban I encourage modelers to at least try
Main features models they imported between 1956-77. out realistic operation scenarios for fun.
• Realistic slow-motion control hese presentations detailed all the dif- Set out bad-ordered cars, have slow-
• Simple programming
• Suitable for all scales and gauges
ferent PE models imported and the evo- order track, broken rail, power failures,
• Suitable for 12vDC or DCC Control lution of and quality of the models over washout track or rock slide incidents,
(with optional decoder, available the period they were marketed. out-of-service situations, etc. You’ll be
separately, see below)
Suydam imported about 47,000 HO surprised how much fun you may have,
DCC Control models of interurban cars and trolleys even on the most perfect running layout.
Connecting a Peco Smartswitch 70
Stationary Decoder (PLS-135) to with 26,000 of them being PE cars. here Mike Hauri, Tucson, Ariz.
the main control board, allows you were more than 90 production runs
to individually control each servo. covering 36 diferent PE car types. hese Working safely
Available separately cars represented the majority of the PE Cody Grivno deserves big kudos for
PLS-120 Smartswitch Control Board leet operating in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s promoting and demonstrating safety
PLS-125 Single Servo Motor
PLS-130 Smartfrog (switches polarity of Electrofrogs) when Ed and Doug were growing up and practices and techniques. We all take
PLS-135 Stationary Decoder PLS-140 Cable Extension living in the Los Angeles area. shortcuts, but those of you in the lime-
(ZRMVY[OLTH[`V\YOVII`Z[VYL Suydam imported a few one-of-a- light have a leadership responsibility.
9LVLW^^^WLJV\RJVT kind PE models; however, their inclusion Cody does it well.
0UJS\KLZOLSWM\S]PKLVZVU\ZPUN:THY[Z^P[JO of every general class of car (with the Greg Payette, Springield, Mo.
ASKMR
sold for hobby use seems a little pricey
for the amount in one package. Could
you please provide, if possible, some
ideas of materials I could use to create
my own live coal loads?
Joe Knight, Mentor, Ohio
A hough some modelers use real coal

in scenery or static loads, we don’t
recommend it for live loads. Not only is
the dust annoying (and hazardous, and
lammable), but real coal isn’t dense
enough to low well when crushed to the
size needed for smaller scales.
Our best recommendation for HO
scale is black sand, which can be dyed
quartz sand or ine volcanic basalt. Black
sand is not as dark or shiny as real coal,
but it should be fairly dust-free and have
The light gray covered hopper behind CSX General Electric Dash-9 no. 9034 the density needed to low in your lay-
isn’t due to be dropped off at a shipper along the way. It’s on buffer duty, out’s loading and unloading equipment.
loaded with sand or some other inert cargo to shield this ethanol train’s Look in loral or arts and crats stores
crew in case of a derailment. Scott A. Hartley photo (where it’s sometimes sold as “wedding
sand”) or shop online.
What’s in a buffer car? Since some kinds of black sand can be
magnetic, test your sand with a magnet
before using it on your layout.
Q What are the buffer cars used for on an oil train,

and do they have anything in them?
Q In 2010, you published a special
issue with information about
Richard from Maine, via the Internet building a helix. Do you have copies of
that issue for sale, or is it in the
A Bufer cars are a safety measure meant to give the crew in the locomotive
of a train carrying oil, ethanol, volatile chemicals, explosives, or other
hazardous cargo some protection in the event of an accident.
archives that I can look it up?
Jim Mercier, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
Bufer cars are required by federal regulations imposed just ater the turn of
the 20th century. Cars with hazardous cargos must be placed at least ive cars
away from the engine (and from the caboose, when they were in use), if there
A he article you’re thinking of, by
then-senior editor Jim Hediger, was
published in How to Build More Layout
are enough cars in the train. If there aren’t enough non-hazardous cars in the in Less Space, one of our most popular
train, these cargos must be put in the middle of the train, with at least one non- special issues. It’s still available for sale at
hazardous car between them and the engine or caboose. our online store, www.KalmbachHobby-
In manifest freight trains, the role of bufer is illed by revenue cars bound Store.com. But not long before that issue
for other destinations along the line. But these days, most oil on the rails moves came out, we published the article “Con-
in unit trains, which have no non-hazardous cars available for use as bufers. struct a simple and reliable helix” by Jef
herefore, only one bufer car is required. Johnston in the April 2008 MR. Regis-
Most railroads maintain a leet of dedicated cars assigned to this job. tered users can read it in the Online
Usually, they’re old cars that still have a few years’ service let in them. hese Extras section of our website. It’s also in
cars are loaded with an inert material (such as gravel or sand in hoppers, water our MR All-Access Archive at
in tank cars, or shredded rubber tires in boxcars) to absorb impact in case of a www.ModelRailroader.com/AllAccess.
catastrophe. hey’re oten lettered something like “Bufer Service Only – Do
Not Load.” Athearn and Tangent Scale Models ofer HO scale bufer cars.
Q Is there a way to output the sound
from an engine to speakers under
the layout, by wireless connection or
Q Can you run direct-current

engines with a Digital Command
Control (DCC) system?
However, the engine’s motor perfor-
mance will be rough, and most locomo-
tive manufacturers don’t recommend it.
other means?
David Rogers, Northport, Maine
Check your system’s user manual.

Rob Stevens, Ocean Park, Wash.
A he dream of surround sound for
model trains started with a irm
A Some DCC systems let you run a

single direct-current locomotive by
setting the cab address to 0 (zero).
Q I’m looking to use live coal loads
in the hopper cars on my HO
layout, but the prepackaged “coal”
called Paciic Fast Mail and its Sound
System. his relied on transponders
installed in model locomotives that
▸▸ More Q&A
For more questions and answers, Steve Otte
watch the video series “Ask MRVP” at
www.ModelRailroaderVideoPlus.com.
carry Peco rail joiners, and I suspect
they would be too tight to fit on Atlas Reader tip
transmitted to a base station that pro- or Walthers track anyway.
duced the sounds. It was an analog sys- Philip Gliebe, Waynesville, Ohio
tem, playing sounds from a bank of
audio cassettes. Some still use the sys-
tem, and you can occasionally ind a
unit for sale on eBay or at swap meets.
A Walthers does, in fact, sell Peco rail
joiners — part number 552-1165.
Peco uses the same size rail joiners for
A similar (but far more modern) sys- their code 70, 75, and 83 rail.
tem is SurroundTraxx, available from I had the same problem with my
SoundTraxx. Like PFM’s Sound System, home layout, which is mostly Peco track
it relies on transponder-equipped loco- with a few pieces from other manufac-
motives to transmit their location on the turers. he solution is simple: solder. You Make herald magnets to keep
layout to the base station. Sounds stored should probably be soldering your rail switch lists handy
digitally on the base station are piped to joints anyway, for electrical integrity.
speakers installed around the layout. Use the larger joiners, align your track Here’s what I use
Broadway Limited Imports recently ends carefully, and solder the joiners to to attach switch lists
announced its new system, called Roll- the turnouts to keep them in place. to my model rail-
ing hunder. his uses a wireless trans- road’s fascia.
mitter to send low bass notes to a
receiver and subwoofer under the layout.
It works with BLI locomotives equipped
Q I was wondering if you folks may
know what color the lighter paint
is on a CITI ES44AC locomotive.
Starting with a
railroad herald lapel
pin, I file off the pins
with Rolling hunder-compatible David Irvin, Shelby, Mont. and use cyanoacry-
Paragon3 decoders. (We reviewed Roll- late adhesive (CA) to
ing hunder in our March 2016 issue.)
A In most photos we ind online of
Citirail locomotives, the light gray
attach button
magnets from a craft store. I attach
Q I recently purchased several Peco

no. 5 and 6 HO code 83 switches
to incorporate in my shelf switching
appears to be either neutral or bluish-
gray, depending on the lighting. If you
can get your hands on it, use Polly Scale
other magnets to the fascia below
each industry spur, car shop,
clean-out track, enginehouse, and
layout. I discovered that the rail joiners New Gravel Gray. But since that paint yard track – everywhere on the
I had been using (Atlas and Walthers line has been discontinued by the manu- layout where one would need to
code 83) are very loose on the Peco facturer, you may be forced to mix a cus- consult their paperwork. Train
switches. It appears that the rail tom color. I’d start with Reefer Gray cut crews can then use the magnets to
height is the same as my existing track about 4:1 with Reefer White to lighten it put their paperwork where they
(Walthers and Atlas), but the rail web up, plus a few drops of Conrail Blue. can see it easily.
and flanges are much thinner. Can you Murray Bouschlicher,
recommend a fix for this? I looked on Send questions and tips to associate editor Iowa City, Iowa
the Walthers website, but they don’t Steven Otte at AskMR@MRmag.com.
New Product WWW.bowser-trains.com

Announcement!!
Executive Line
HO C-636 Locomotives
Ready to Run & Detailed
Features:
Flywheels,
RP-25 wheel flanges,
Kadee metal whisker couplers,
Railroad specific details,
Flashing beacon when appropriate,
Numbered,
With DCC and Sound or DC
DCC/Sound version features LokSound Select decoder. Locos with sound have the
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HERITAGEFLEET
George D. Stock helped pioneer HO scale
the Great Depression, and decided then a coach as a $15 two-car set. He also cat-
to enter the model railroad business as alogued a $13.50 interurban kit, available
the irst to sell HO gauge materials inished for $20. With rising wages, these
across the United States. His HO Dimin- prices were no longer that dear.
utive & Obstinate RR layout was featured During World War II, unable to
on Model Railroader’s April 1934 front obtain war work and turned down by the
cover. Its name was indicative of prob- drat, Stock continued his model railroad
lems experienced by early hobbyists. business. He worked without enough
Allen Rice, as Eric LaNal, began a machinery, space, or manpower, repair-
card-printed freight car line called H. ing 6V, three-pole motors mailed in by
Owen. Stock ofered to make 100 pairs of the dozens from Pittman, Tyler, and
trucks for him with 33" brass wheels on Varney. He would rewind them in
axles produced by John Tyler’s Mantua 5 minutes and re-magnetize them.
Toy & Metal Products Co., a hobby
motor manufacturer since 1926. After the war, ads for Stock’s hobby
Orders came in by the thousands, so shop in Philadelphia ofered only price
Tyler stamped basic truck frames for lists. In 1946, he listed 19 custom steam
them too. Repeat orders led Tyler to enter locomotives, from $50 for an 0-4-0 to
model railroad manufacturing, his irst $100 for a 2-8-8-2, allowing seven to eight
ad appearing in the July 1935 MR. Pitt- months’ delivery. He also advertised cus-
man, with three partners, started pro- tom work for OO and O gauges. In Octo-
ducing 6V, three pole motors, his famed ber 1946, the GG1 kit was $32.50, Lionel
DC-6, based on a similar British design. 2332 tinplate territory; inished, painted,
George D. Stock, an early proponent By 1934, Stock ofered price lists for lettered, and striped, it was $60. A Shore
and retailer of HO scale equipment, car and locomotive parts, blueprint draw- Interurban trolley was also announced.
had his Diminutive & Obstinate RR on ings, British building papers, and custom By 1950, Stock carried seven locomo-
the cover of the fourth issue of Model locomotives and rolling stock from his tive, ive passenger, and 12 freight car
Railroader. To read the story, archive home in Philadelphia. he next year, he lines, while still building custom locomo-
subscribers can go to presented a $20 Pennsylvania RR (PRR) tives. Stock ofered custom-powered and
www.ModelRailroader.com/AllAccess. class E6 4-4-2 Atlantic kit, the irst of its exhibition O gauge models into the 1960s.
kind in HO. It was expensive, considering Ater 52 years in the hobby, Stock, 75,
As a young boy, George Stock badly a typical hobbyist might earn $15 a week. closed his shop Dec. 31, 1980.
wanted a Lionel pre-World War I stan- In 1936, Stock introduced a $20 three-
dard gauge interurban car, imagining a rail twin motor PRR GG1 kit; two rail Besides model railroad equipment,
network of rail lines in his head. But his cost $25. National Model Railroad Asso- Stock crated ine commercial models for
home wasn’t electriied until ater the war, ciation direct-current (DC) standards the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, and
and his father had other ideas, telling him were beginning to inluence manufactur- subway and railway cars for the Budd
he was “too big a boy for those toys.” Al ing, but that would take time. he GG1 Co. in 3 ⁄8" and 1 ⁄2" scales. Stock stands
Pittman, a son of Stock’s school teacher was followed by a PRR class P5a electric foremost in the pantheon of HO pioneers
and later known for his model motors, locomotive. Finished brass and bronze for his many irsts, the kits he ofered,
soon became friends with Stock. models ran $35 to $65 – still expensive. and his famously superb custom work.
On vacation at Pine Beach, N.J., Stock sold Pittman’s permanent mag- He was truly a creative power.
Stock met the Rice family, whose son net DC motor for American Flyer’s HO
Allan Lake Rice became another close Hudson in 1941 and ofered Flyer’s New I want to thank George’s daughter,
friend, later using the pen name Eric York, New Haven & Hartford baggage Nancy Stock Jennings, for material mak-
LaNal. It was a fortuitous friendship of car, itted with multiple-unit trucks, plus ing this column possible.
three who would have wide inluence on
HO scale model railroading.
Returning from a 1929 trip to Eng-
land, Lake brought news of a smaller
16.5mm train gauge: Bing’s OO/HO
4mm models itted with small electric
motors. Inspired, Stock sent of for rails,
joiners, trucks, and four- and six-coupled
mechanisms.
An architectural draftsman, Stock Stock’s company offered an HO scale Pennsylvania RR GG1 kit for $32.50, or
became unemployed in 1930 thanks to assembled, painted, and hand-lettered for $60.

STEPBYSTEP
EAGLE
MOUNTAIN
RAILROAD
Eagle Mountain RR no. 1037 pulls a mixed freight while a truck climbs the mine road on Model Railroader’s 2016 project
railroad. This month, we show how we built the mountain on the mine side of the layout.
Making mountains for MR’s project layout

with plaster gauze on a cardboard web
Mountains are popular features What would a coal-hauling Appala- low cost. he main disadvantage is the
on model railroads. Whether you’re chian layout be without the mountains potential mess of wet plaster. Since our
modeling a speciic prototype that calls of West Virginia? Where’s the drama of workshop has hard-surface loors, and
for mountainous terrain, or if you’re the Denver & Rio Grande Western with- we have a solid tabletop under our
freelancing, mountains show up on a lot out the Rockies? mountain, the mess wasn’t a big issue.
of layouts. So, now that you’ve decided you want Follow along as I take you through
Besides being dramatic, mountains a mountain on your layout, how do you the process, step by step.
can be important design elements. build it? here are many choices, and
hey’re a way to hide track that would they each have their pros and cons. Now on ModelRailroader.com
otherwise have to reappear unrealistic- What we used on the Eagle Mountain
ally ater a turnback curve at the end of RR, Model Railroader’s 2016 project lay- Subscribers can learn more about
the layout. hey can disguise a place out, is a tried-and-true method of plaster the materials used to build Eagle
where the track needs to go through a gauze over a lattice of cardboard strips. Mountain by clicking on the link at
backdrop, and of course, they help set he advantages are quick construc- www.ModelRailroader.com.
the scene. tion, ease of modiication, and relatively
Eric White
Step 1 Preparing the area Back of backdrop
Before I started construction, I made sure the track

that would be hidden by the mountain was finished. In
addition to painting the track, Cody Grivno ballasted the
areas that would be unreachable, yet visible, when the
mountain was finished.
The next step was to cut strips from sheets of card-
board we had in the workshop. I cut with the corruga-
tions, making pieces for the web about 1 ⁄2" to 3 ⁄4" wide. Track painted
To build the cardboard web, which is secured with hot
glue and staples, I needed to have something to secure it
to. I hot-glued wood strips to the backdrop, since I knew it
would be difficult to drive staples into the tempered Backdrop
hardboard. I also glued the strips to the extruded-foam
insulation board layout surface. The wood is a little Wood tacking
grippier than the foam would be. strips
I stapled strips from the edge and the surface of the
layout to the backdrop to start. Then I started weaving
pieces in from the ends. Where they crossed, I stapled
them together for strength. I made the grid about 4" x 4". Stapled joint
I had to finish the tunnel portal and cast and paint a Cardboard web
plaster liner [covered in an upcoming Step by Step
column. – Ed.] before I could complete the web. Once the
portal and liner were installed, I hot-glued the ends of
the web to the plaster castings.
Step 2 A road up the mountain
Roadbed
Webbing cut away
Ste
ep
s lo
pe
Cardboard Ro
ad
supports be
dc
ut
rface
Layout su
To break up the expanse of mountainside, and to add

visual interest, I added a road going from the site of the
ore loader up and over the mountain. The base of the
road is a piece of cardboard. The top is stapled to the
wood strips on the backdrop, and the bottom is hot-glued
to the foam layout base.
In the middle, I made cardboard supports to get the New curve
roadbed to hold the shape I wanted. Once I was finished,
I realized the road was too steep. An advantage of this G
en
construction method is the ease of making changes. t le
rs
I cut out the curve in the road and some of the web- lo
pe
bing around it. I cut a new curve for the roadbed, then
pushed and prodded the cardboard into a more realistic
shape. Once I had the roadbed in a location I liked, I filled
in the areas around it with more webbing strips. My only
losses were a couple inches of cardboard webbing, a few
staples, and the time it took to make the change.

STEPBYSTEP
Step 3 Time to get messy
Wood supports hold web at backdrop
Approximately 4" grid
Tunnel portal
placed temporarily
Old, steep roadbed
Two layers of gauze

Mask under
mountain
Overlap gauze
Plastic bowl
Gauze strips
Track covered
With all the webbing in place, it was time to start An alternative to plaster gauze is paper towels or
applying plaster-impregnated gauze. Since this is messy, newspaper soaked in Hydrocal. The process is similar,
I covered the track with masking tape. I also used pieces but you have to mix a soupy batch of Hydrocal to soak
of paper to protect the areas under the mountain that your paper in. Cut the paper into usable sizes, soak it in
would be accessible through a hatch I made in the fascia. the plaster, and apply the same way as the gauze.
This wasn’t really necessary, but I wanted to keep it as Using a flexible bowl makes cleanup easier. Once the
neat as possible under there. plaster dries, flex the bowl and it’ll flake right off. Don’t
Plaster gauze is easy to work with. We used Woodland rinse the bowl and wash the plaster-laden water down
Scenics plaster gauze, which is a good size for model the drain, unless you enjoy unclogging drains.
railroading. However, I did cut the pieces in half, since I used up the excess plaster by brushing it over the
I was building a relatively small mountain. gauze after it had set up a bit. The steep sides of the
I used a flexible plastic bowl filled with water to soak mountain were covered with plaster rock castings. The
the gauze strips. After dipping the strips in water, I shook gentler slopes were covered with Sculptamold, a papier-
off the excess, then placed the strips over the cardboard mache product. It’s useful for covering stubborn folds in
web. I overlapped the pieces as I went along, and added the gauze material and for blending the rock castings
a second layer before the first had set up. I smoothed the into the surrounding terrain. I’ll describe both processes
gauze as much as possible with my wet hands. in next month’s Step by Step.

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A mix of concrete and wood ties and
varying rail and roadbed heights make
Pelle Søeborg’s HO scale layout look
like a real-life modern-era railroad.
How to model
REALISTIC TRACK
AND ROADBED
Learn an expert modeler’s tricks for making flextrack
and cork look like a real right-of-way
By Pelle Søeborg
Photos by the author
aying track is one of my One major diference between my Painting is the key to realistic
L favorite projects when build-

ing a model railroad. It’s a
relaxing task that I can easily
start and stop, so I can always ind time
new layout and its predecessors is that
the new one is sectional. I want it to be
easy to disassemble should I have to
move. his afected how I installed both
track, and I paint all my track ater it’s
installed. My method of painting and
weathering is easy to master. I use an
airbrush and a combination of paint
to lay track. the roadbed and track. [Pelle described washes and weathering powders.
Recently I’ve been building my new how he built his sectional benchwork in Follow along as I share my favorite
HO scale layout that’s based on the the March 2016 issue. – Ed.] tips for building a good-looking and
Union Paciic RR main line through Although I’ve been tempted to give smooth-running right-of-way. I’ll
the Midwest. Many of the techniques handlaying track a try, I actually think describe how to cut and install cork
outlined in this article are reinements to the lextrack and ready-to-install turn- roadbed, lay lextrack and turnouts, and
those that I developed while building my outs available today look more realistic. provide my simple method for painting
previous UP-themed modern-era model I’ve used ready-to-install track on all my and weathering. Although I’m laying
railroads, including my freelanced model railroads, including the one that HO scale track, these techniques will
HO scale Daneville Subdivision. I’m currently building. apply to any modeling scale.
ROADBED
Joint between sections
Wood blocks
Curve template
A B Track centerline C Track centerlines
1. Preparing the tabletop

I start by drawing the centerlines for I also used templates so that I could since I wasn’t going to use rail joiners
the track and turnouts on the plywood precisely position turnouts. To make a between the tracks of each section. A
tabletop on my layout benchwork. For template, I photographed a turnout, slight misalignment would cause a
straight track, I use a long steel rule. To then printed out the photos full size. derailment. I wanted to spike the track
make it easier to draw smooth curves [Many track manufacturers also offer at these locations directly to the
with easements, I made curve tem- turnout templates as free downloads plywood tabletop, but the two layers
plates from scrap hardboard. The on their websites – Ed.] For added of cork proved too thick. Therefore
minimum radius on my layout is 33". durability I mounted the paper tem- I laminated .080" thick wood strips
For my double-track main line, I draw plates on cardboard. B along the centerlines at the end of
the centerline for the inner track first, The position of the track at the end each section. This provided a secure
since that has the sharpest curve. A of each layout section was crucial, attachment point for the spikes. C
.080" (2mm) .20" (5mm) cork .080"(2mm) cork right-of-way. I then installed the cork
cork base layer for main line for siding roadbed (.20" thick for the main line
and .080" for sidings) on top of the
base layer. My theory was that as long
as the track and roadbed rested on
.5" (12mm) plywood tabletop
something soft and flexible, instead of
directly on hard plywood, the noise
2. A lightweight, sound-deadening layer of wheels rolling over rails would be
On my previous layout, I used a possible and still reduce wheel noise, reduced. Although not as effective as
heavy, automotive sound-deadening so I used two layers of cork instead. the heavy subroadbed on my previous
material as part of the subroadbed. On As shown in the diagram above, layout, the two layers of cork worked
my new layout, I wanted to keep the I used a base layer of .080" thick cork well enough and created much lighter
weight of the benchwork as light as that I cut slightly wider than the layout sections.
Half width
of roadbed
Track centerline
A B
3. Installing two-layer cork roadbed

For roadbed, I use cork sheet rather roadbed and track I used a temporary adhesive. This sealant is commonly
than pre-cut cork strips. These sheets workbench that I made from lumber used between the wood planks of a
are available from model railroad left over from the benchwork. I cut the boat deck. I like this material because
suppliers as well as home improve- cork into strips half the width of the it holds the cork securely in place and
ment and office supply stores. I found roadbed by running a sharp utility remains flexible. [Latex caulk or
the sheets easier to use, since I could knife along the edge of a steel rule. A construction adhesive found at home
easily cut the cork to whatever width To glue the cork to the plywood centers could also be used for this
I needed. While working on the tabletop, I used a marine sealant as an step. – Ed.]. Using a caulk gun, I run

ROADBED (CONT’D)
Track centerline
C D
Transition pieces
Siding
Main line
Main line
E F
Wood block .080" cork
G H Joint between sections
3. Installing two-layer cork roadbed (cont’d)

beads of the adhesive along each side After the base layer was down, layers of .080" cork. The second step
of the track centerline. B I applied the roadbed layer. I cut was one layer of .120" cork. As with the
I laid strips of cork over each bead the cork into strips half the width base layer, I used pushpins to hold the
of adhesive. By laying the strips along of the track. To attach the roadbed, cork roadbed in place until the adhe-
the centerline I could still follow the I used the same adhesive as for the sive dried completely. F
centerline as the joint between the two base layer. Using a caulk gun, I applied It’s important for the roadbed
strips of cork. This would be helpful a bead of adhesive along the joint surface to be as even as possible
during tracklaying. When satisfied with between the base layer strips that before laying track. You could use a
the position of a strip, I used a rolling again followed the track centerline. sanding block or file. I found it easiest
pin to press the cork to the tabletop. C Then I carefully laid the cork roadbed to use a power sander to smooth out
I kept adding cork strips along the strips along the joint and pressed them the stepped transition between the
track centerlines until the roadway was into place with a rolling pin. A steel main line and siding. G
covered with a base layer of .080" cork. rule is useful for aligning strips that The wood blocks at the end of each
Along curves and other locations butt together. E layout section weren’t as thick as the
where the roadbed wasn’t completely The transition between the .20" mainline roadbed. Using the same
straight, I used pushpins to hold the thick mainline roadbed and the .080" adhesive as before, I glued a layer of
cork in place. I then let the adhesive dry siding roadbed was made as two .080" cork on top of the blocks to keep
overnight before removing the pins. D steps. The first step down was two the track at an even height. H

TRACK AND TURNOUTS
Staging tracks
Stock rail Frog
Frog rails removed

Main line Stock rail
Siding A
Gap
Gap
Spur
Siding
1. Modern-era track 2. Remove the frog rail

My main line is Micro Engineering flextrack that repre- When installing turnouts I eliminate the rail joints
sents track laid on concrete ties. As of this writing, no between the frog rails and the straight and diverging routes.
manufacturer makes North American-style turnouts on This technique only works with the same size rail, such as
concrete ties, so my HO turnouts are on wood ties. I’ve seen code 83 track to a code 83 turnout. A
prototype turnouts on concrete ties along the UP main, but On Micro Engineering turnouts, the frog rail is separate
turnouts on wood ties are more common. from the frog. There’s a gap between the two components
When laying track, I start by installing all turnouts and to keep the frog electrically insulated. The rails are held to
other complicated trackwork. Then I cut flextrack to fit the the plastic ties by tabs along the bottom of the rails.
spaces between the turnouts. For each turnout, I carefully removed the frog rails. Then
I use a steel rule to help me lay straight track. I’ll sight I slid the rails of the straight and diverging routes through
down the web of the rail to look for major kinks. I don’t the tabs. I still needed to use rail joiners between the
worry if it’s not pefectly straight. If you look down the rail of stock rails and the outside rail of each route. However,
a prototype track, you’ll notice all sorts of dips and kinks. I think eliminating one set of rail joints makes the turnouts
Most of my “straight” track has a gentle curve or curves look better. B
to it. Track looks a lot more realistic when it isn’t perfectly
parallel to the edge of the fascia.
3. Spike at an angle
Instead of adhesive, I use only spikes to attach the track to
the roadbed. Every 20 ties or so, I drove a spike through the
tie on the outside of each rail. Using curved-tip needlenose
pliers, I grasped the spike by the shank and pushed it
through the tie and the roadbed at an angle. Then I repeated
this step for the other rail. The angled spikes hold the
flextrack to a soft material like cork more securely than if I’d
driven the spikes straight down.

TRACK AND TURNOUTS (CONT’D)
Cut web between ties
Smaller rail soldered to joiner
Out of the box

Widened tie spacing tie spacing
A B Code 70 rail Code 83 rail
4. Vary rail height and tie spacing

For model track, “code” refers to rail spaced farther apart than those on rail heights. Track manufacturers make
height with a larger number referring more heavily trafficked main lines. transition rail joiners for code 83 to
to a higher rail. Depending on the type To model this spacing, I cut the web code 70 or code 70 to code 55 rail.
of track I’m modeling, I use three between the plastic ties on Micro However, I find it easy to use the larger
different rail sizes. Code 83 rail on Engineering code 55 flextrack and slide size rail joiner. After sliding the joiner
concrete ties models the main line, the ties apart along the rails. A on the larger rail, I use pliers to
code 70 on wood ties models sidings, As with the transition from the main squeeze the other end flat. I then place
and code 55 on wood ties models line to siding roadbed, I had to account the smaller rail over the flattened
spurs. Industry spurs often have ties for the transition between the different joiner and solder it in place. B
Cut tie bed in locations shown by X
Ties removed Stock/frog rails

and trimmed
B C
5. Installing a crossover with two turnouts

This crossover was located where removed the frog rails, as outlined in side of the rails. The stock rails have
the main line had a slight curve. tip no. 2 “Remove the frog rail” on feeders that will match the polarity of
However, it’s not enough to merit page 31. B the adjoining mainline rails.
the use of curved turnouts. Instead, After sliding the bare stock rails I also attached a feeder to each of
I modified the two ME no. 6 left-hand into the space left by the removed the metal insulated frogs on the ME
turnouts so they flexed somewhat by frog rails, the crossover didn’t have turnouts. The frogs need to change
cutting the plastic web between the rail joiners between the frogs. I think polarity depending upon how the
ties in the locations shown above. A this method made the crossover look turnouts are aligned to prevent a
Next, I trimmed the diverging route more realistic, and my model trains short circuit. Since I use Tortoise by
of each turnout so that the two straight will roll more smoothly through it. C Circuitron switch motors, this is easy
routes matched the distance between Before spiking down the crossover, to accomplish. I simply attach each
my two mainline tracks. I then I soldered feeder wires to the under- frog wire to the appropriate contact on

Frog
Feeder
Feeder Feeder
Switch rod slot
D E
Styrene fills gap
F G
the switch motor, as described in the with a milling head in my power drill, benchwork by following the included
Tortoise instruction sheet. D which left a smooth 1 ⁄2" wide slot in instruction sheet. F
I had to make a slot in the roadbed the tabletop. I then repeated this The frog on an ME turnouts is
for the actuating rod connected to process for the other turnout and insulated by a gap between the frog
each switch motor. This actuating rod switch motor. E and the adjacent rail. I filled this gap
connects to the turnout’s switch rod I drilled holes through the roadbed with a piece of brown styrene glued in
(or throw bar) that moves the point and tabletop and slid the feeder wires place with cyanoacrylate adhesive
rails. After carefully marking the through. Following the track center- (CA). After the CA dried, I used a
location of the switch rod, I cut away lines, I then spiked the crossover in scalpel to carefully trim the styrene
the roadbed with a hobby knife. place. The turnouts are just flexible flush with the railhead. I think this step
Then I drilled three closely spaced enough to follow the gently curving enhances the appearance of the
holes through the plywood tabletop. main line. I then installed the slow- turnout, especially after the rails
I removed the wood between the holes motion switch motors under the are painted. G
6. Superelevated curves
As on a prototype railroad, I superelevated the mainline
curves on my layout by making the outside rail slightly
Shims
higher than the inside rail. This arrangement makes the train
“lean” into a curve. Unlike the prototype, superelevated
curves can make operation more troublesome on model
track, as the cars can tilt too much and derail.
For my superelevated curves, I used styrene shims
placed under the ties along the outside rail. I started with
.010" shims at the entrance of the curve, then .020" and .030"
shims up to .040" at the apex of the curve. Then I reverse
the heights (.030" to .010") through the curve.
The transition from level to maximum elevation takes
place over a distance of 12 to 15 inches, and I usually
install shims two to three ties apart. However, I don’t glue
the shims to the roadbed. That way it’s easy for me to
adjust the superelevation if any derailment problems arise
during test runs.

TRACK AND TURNOUTS (CONT’D)
Joint between sections
Joint between
sections
Extra spikes
Spikes
B
Metal tab
A C
7. Laying track between layout sections

I cut the track at the joint between Some of my layout sections join at small metal tabs on the outside rails of
layout sections and spike the ends to a curve. When flextrack is cut diago- one section’s track. These tabs then fit
the wood blocks shown on page 30. To nally in the middle of a curve, it’s very over the outside rails of the adjoining
account for expansion and contraction difficult to keep the rails aligned section’s track. I made the tabs by
of the benchwork sections due to between sections. I first tried to hold cutting slices off a metal rail joiner,
humidity changes, I leave a slight gap the ends in place with extra spikes, then soldering it in place. C
between the track ends of each but this proved unreliable. B
adjacent section and don’t use rail Instead, I keep the track aligned
joiners between sections. A between layout sections by attaching
PAINTING AND WEATHERING TRACK
Vacuum
Foam between points
A B
1. Track preparation
My turnouts all rely on the contact Paint dust is an unavoidable part of whenever I used the airbrush. Because
between the point rails and adjacent airbrushing. To suck up most of the dust particles can float around the
stock rails for electrical continuity. To dust I used a clamp to place a vacuum room for quite a while, I let the vacuum
keep these areas paint-free, I placed cleaner hose close to the area where run for 10 minutes after I finished each
scraps of foam between the points. A I worked. I turned on the vacuum painting session. B

PAINTING AND WEATHERING TRACK (CONT’D)
Main line
Siding
Main line
Siding
Siding
A Spur B
2. Applying the base coat

For base coat on the wood ties, Master Flat Gull Gray, Sand, and the railheads. This step can be done
I used a light gray color, such as Model Flat White. A after weathering. However, don’t allow
Master Flat Gull Gray. For the concrete After applying the base coat, I used the paint to harden overnight, or it will
ties, I used a mix of equal parts Model a small chisel to scrape the paint off be much more difficult to remove. B
Siding
Siding
Main
line
Siding
A B
3. Painting rail and ties

For the wood ties, I mixed a paint to the ties with a soft brush. If the color brown mix of two parts Model Master
wash from equal parts Vallejo Cam looks light I’ll add a second coat. A Earth Gray and one part Sand. On the
Black Brown, Gray Green, and Air- Using a fine-tipped brush, I painted concrete-tie track, I also painted the
brush Thinner. I then applied this wash the web of the rail with a grayish- rail clips this color. B
Weathering
powder
Base coat only
Siding
Painted and
Main line weathered
A B
4. Final weathering
After the paint dried, I used a soft they’re already painted with a grayish while the foreground has been painted
brush to apply brown weathering brown wash, described above. A and weathered. Even without ballast,
powder along the rails of the track on Photo B on the right shows two the finished track looks like the real
concrete ties. This weathering step layout sections. The background thing. It doesn’t take much extra effort
isn’t necessary on the wood ties, since section has only the base coat applied, to get great-looking model track.

Bruce Kingsley enjoys adding animation to scenes to bring them to life. By using an Arduino project board, he was able to
add more sophisticated effects, including sound, motion, and programmed lighting sequences.
ANIMATE
STRUCTURES
with microcontrollers
Arduino circuit boards simplify programming effects
By Bruce Kingsley • Photos by the author
WITH THE AVAILABILITY of low- lights, sounds, and igures to a small HO requiring a diferent approach to
cost Arduino microcontrollers, layout scale home. assembling the Branchline Trains
structures can be transformed from To enable layout visitors to see and Laser-Art Structures kit than the one
having simple interior illumination to hear what will be going on in my ani- explained in the kit instructions.
a structure that comes to life. My irst mated house, I made sure to place it on
structure using an Arduino simply the front edge of my layout. Using see- Kit considerations
turned room lights on and of randomly. through windows also required me to I completely assembled, painted, and
For this project, I used an Arduino put much more work into the interior detailed each exterior and interior wall
board to do more by adding animated details than I would customarily do, individually. Basswood strips on the
.010" fiber optic strand
Vector Cut
screen door
Kit walls
Basswood strips
Fig. 2 Screen doors and doorbells.

The front of the house got a new
Fig. 1 Preparing for an interior. Bruce built his HO scale house from a screen door and an illuminated
Branchline Trains Laser-Art Structures kit. He added interior bracing to minimize doorbell button. The doorbell is part of
warping and to support interior walls and floors. the soundtrack in the animation.
interior walls minimize the chance of Wallpaper printed

Second floor in PowerPoint
warping and support loors, ceilings and
interior walls (see fig. 1). Special atten-
tion was made to keep the window glaz-
ing clean. I added a Vector Cut screen
door kit and used an .010" optical iber to
model a lighted doorbell button, shown
in fig. 2. First floor Carpet
Between all the basswood strips
I glued wallpaper printed from my home
computer using PowerPoint sotware’s
built-in patterns. I made some test
photos, and found I needed to turn
down the color saturation on the prints
Tea bag paper drapes
to keep the wallpaper realistic looking. Tile pattern in kitchen
Window drapes were made from tea bag
paper and stained with diluted acrylic Fig. 3 Interior finishes. The walls were covered with wallpaper printed in
paint. hese are shown in fig. 3. PowerPoint. Carpeting was made by painting flattened napkins.
For interior walls, I used cardstock
with printed wallpaper glued to it. For To divide the loors, I made a ceiling/
the carpet, I took a single layer of a paper loor “sandwich” with the LEDs inside, Surface mount LEDs
napkin and used a wallpaper roller to shown in fig. 5 on the next page. he
latten the embossed pattern. I then LEDs will be used as ceiling lights. I used
used lat spray paint to make a realistic cardstock for the ceilings and loors and
carpet mat. For the kitchen loor, glued the LEDs over a small hole using
I printed a simple tile pattern on paper 5-minute epoxy. I painted the surround-
and coated it with cyanoacrylate adhe- ing area black to minimize light penetra-
sive (CA) to give it a linoleum look. tion. I tested to make sure the LEDs were Cathode
operating correctly, and also made sure
Adding lights there was no light leaking around them.
I like to use warm light-emitting I grouped all the wires together
diodes (LEDs). By purchasing strip lights and glued them to the loor at the back
Anode
sold at home centers (See fig. 4), I get a of the house. I used the same process
lifetime supply of surface-mount LEDs, for the lighted doorbell, gluing an LED
already soldered to an adhesive strip, to the back of the optical iber.
simplifying wire hook-ups. On the style For the ceiling lamp ixtures, I used
of light strip I use, each LED cathode, small frosted glass beads with small Fig. 4 Cheap lights. Bruce gets
the negative lead, has its own 30AWG washers for the ixture mount. I used his surface-mount light-emitting
wire, and all anodes, the positive leads, epoxy to glue the lamp ixture to the diodes (LEDs) from light strips he
are tied together to a single wire. ceiling cardstock while the LED was buys at home centers.

Warm white led from Floor carpet made from
Floor carpet made from
illuminated so I could adjust
Figure mounts on
adhesive LED strip painted paper napkin the alignment.
servo output shaft painted paper napkin
Epoxy painted 1⁄8" hole
flat black Floor card stock Mini RC servo motor Styrene tube Floor card stock
Tiny dancer
To animate an HO igure of a woman
dancing, I made a hole in the living
Small 1"
speaker room loor and mounted a servo to the
bottom of the loor (See fig. 6). A servo
No. 2 screw Styrene support is a small motor with a potentiometer to
30 AWG wires Ceiling white Solder wires to pins
to existing card stock “Invite By Voice” control its position.
solder pads Arduino Micro sound board I glued the loor material that was re-
pins cut-off and
Small metal washer Clear frosted bead
Mini USB
epoxied to support Mini USB
moved to the center of the servo, so only
connector
for lamp trim for lampshade connector a small circular piece of carpet rotates.
I glued a igure of a woman dancing to
Fig. 5 Floor sandwich. The ceiling Fig. 6 Arranging components. The the cut-out on top of the servo.
lights are sandwiched between a electronics are mounted to the first
cardstock floor and ceiling. Bruce uses floor. Bruce made a hole in the floor Assembling the house
black paint on the cardstock to prevent above the servo. A dancing woman is With the subassemblies complete,
light leaks. glued to a disk attached to the servo. I assembled the house. I irst completed
the front porch and mounted it to the
front wall. hen using CA, I assembled
Wires down kitchen wall the front wall to the two side walls. he
Ceiling light fixtures CA dries quickly, so I had to make sure
the walls were square.
I slid the irst loor in from the rear
and glued it to the basswood strips, then
glued in the interior walls and added the
irst loor details. I made a miniature TV
with a cool-white LED and glued it in the
living room, making sure it could be
seen from a window.
Servo under
I repeated the process for the second
living room loor, routing the wires down the walls of
the kitchen where they couldn’t be seen,
shown in fig. 7. Finally, the rear wall
was glued on, as well as the remaining
roof and exterior details.
Electronics time
I soldered nine 470Ω, 1 ⁄8 watt resistors
to a small printed-circuit (PC) board,
tying one end of all the resistors together
(see fig. 8). he resistors limit the cur-
Fig. 7 Putting it together. The house is assembled with cyanoacrylate rent to the LEDs.
adhesive. After assembling the front and side walls, Bruce added the floors, then To add a soundtrack, I used a sound
the rear wall once everything was aligned correctly. module I found on www.Amazon.com
called Invite by Voice. It’s capable of
New speaker recording 104 seconds of sound and is
Mini USB connector triggered by an on/of switch.
470Ω resistors
I removed the Invite by Voice circuit
card from its plastic enclosure and
removed the connections to the battery
and speaker. I soldered new wires to a
Switch wires
smaller speaker and wires to the sound
trigger push button, shown in fig. 9.
Wires to lights I made a simple voltage regulator cir-
Invite by Voice board cuit to provide 5V and 12V. he circuit
Printed circuit board
is shown in the schematic in fig 10.
Fig. 8 Resistor mounting. Resistors Fig. 9 Sound considerations. Bruce his would enable a single power source
for the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) removed the Invite by Voice circuit to the house to operate from 5 to 20 volts
were mounted to a printed-circuit board from its enclosure and replaced with reverse power protection, as well
board. Each resistor is attached to the the supplied speaker with a smaller as keeping the servo from making elec-
negative lead, or cathode, of the unit. He also added wires to a switch trical noise that could result in motion
individual LEDs. that triggers the sound. “twitching” and static on the sound
3.3V
5V
VIN
U1 Power supply
U2 U3
Reset D13 PWM LM7805 LM7812
AREF D12 PWM/A11
D11 PWM Voltage Voltage
A0 D10 PWM/A10 regulator 5V regulator 12V D1
A1 D9 PWM/A9 1N4001
A2 D8 PWM/A8 3 Output Input 1 3 Output Input
+
A3 D7 voltage voltage voltage voltage 1
–
A4 D6 PWM/A7 J1
GND
GND
A5 D5 PWM 15-20VDC
D4 PWM/A6 2 2
D3/SCL + C2 + C1
D2/SDA – 100μF – 100μF
Arduino D1/TX 35V 35V
Micro D0/RX
(Rev3)
MOSI
MISO Servo
SCK +
RXLED/SS Pulse
–
GND
Invite by
+ Voice
TRG
–
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 LED5 LED6 LED7 LED8
Optional sound
R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 and motion effects
470Ω 470Ω 470Ω 470Ω 470Ω 470Ω 470Ω 470Ω
Fig. 10 Building circuits. This schematic shows the house circuits and how they connect to the Arduino circuit board.
Bruce built his own power supply, but a commercial supply would also work.
Programming
Invite by Servo connectors
Sound board
▸▸ Materials list
Arduino
MICRO A00053 Arduino micro-
controller
Branchline Trains Laser-Art

Structures
Front porch 625 Finley HO house kit
Horizon Hobby
SM8 super micro servo
Invite By Voice
Resistor board www.invitebyvoice.com
Speaker
Arduino board musical box, push button white
Fig. 11 Putting it all together. All of the electronics were mounted to the RadioShack
bottom of the first floor of the completed house. Bruce painted the bottom of 2710009 470Ω resistors
the floor and inside of the foundation walls black to prevent light leaks. 2760150 multipurpose PC board
2761170 5V regulator
card. Electrical noise can distort the I made a soundtrack that had all 2761171 12V regulator
potentiometer signal for the servo. the sounds, voices, and music divided 2761101 1N4001 micro 1A diode
I soldered all the electronics together into room scenes, like in a play. Using 2721028 100uF 35V electrolytic
and mounted them to the underside of multiple sound efect iles, I created a capacitor
the house (See fig. 11). I made sure the single .wav sound ile edited with a
programming USB connectors faced free, open source program, Audacity Miscellaneous
down so the Arduino and sound card (www.audacityteam.org). he sound ile 28AWG wire
programs could be changed from the synchronized with the house animation SMD3528 Warm-White (2700K)
underside of the layout once the house was then downloaded into the Invite by light-emitting diodes
was installed in a rectangular opening. Voice sound board.
Completed house
What is Arduino?
Official definition: Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based
on easy-to-use hardware and software. It‘s intended for anyone making
interactive projects.
To the model railroader it’s a quick, powerful, and inexpensive computer
on a little board that can emulate many electronic control circuits in a fraction
of the time. With a growing world-wide community of suppliers and users,
you can find almost any solution on the Internet without being a computer or
electronic expert. Mounting hole
The programming software and many example programs can be down-
loaded from the Arduino website (www.arduino.cc) for both Windows and Fig. 12 Final mounting. The
Mac. Using a standard USB cable, the Arduino programming software will completed house is mounted over a
download your software to the Arduino board’s memory and immediately hole in the layout to allow access from
start executing it. Once downloaded, every time the Arduino board is below. Bruce then finished off the
powered on, it will run your program. scenery around the house.
Below is a simple C++ program example that will blink two LEDs wired to
two of an Arduino’s output pins for a railroad crossing signal. The code written Once I liked what I had, I documented
in the setup() function is only executed once when power is applied, and code the time from the beginning of the
written in the loop() function will continually repeat until power is removed. soundtrack to each time I would want an
The comment to the right of the slashes (//) describes the programmed action. animated event to occur. his included
lights, the TV turning on and of, and
void setup() when my animated igure would move.
{
pinMode(13, OUTPUT); // set digital pin 13 as an output. Programming
pinMode(12, OUTPUT); // set digital pin 12 as an output. Knowing I was going to animate
} other structures, I spent a little more
void loop() time writing the Arduino program so it
{ could be used universally following a
digitalWrite(13, HIGH); // turn the right LED on script. (See “What is Arduino?” at let,
digitalWrite(12, LOW); // turn the left LED off for more information.) he script would
delay(1000); // wait for a second handle the efect of lights turning on and
digitalWrite(13, LOW); // turn the right LED off of, TV licker, and servo commands
digitalWrite(12, HIGH); // turn the left LED on based on the time I documented from
delay(1000); // wait for a second the sound ile. I could have many events
} and durations occurring without
complex reprogramming.
With the house all completed and
Arduino Micro output mapping for house effects tested, I mounted it on my layout,
Effect ID Name Digital Pin Type Wire Color shown in fig. 12, and completed the
exterior scenery.
1 Television 13 PWM Brown
2 Doorbell button 8 DIG Red Bruce Kingsley and his wife, Janine,
3 Front porch light 10 PWM Orange live in Yakima, Wash., where he works as
a test manager for an aerospace manufac-
Living room turer. His major model railroading inter-
4 11 PWM Yellow
corner light ests are detailing scenery, structures, and
First floor side making customized weathered locomo-
5 6 PWM Blue
room light tives. Bruce likes to use his engineering
6 Kitchen light 5 PWM Green background in electronics and computers
to create prototypical efects in his layout
Living room
7 11 PWM Violet scenery, and operating his camera-
ceiling light
equipped locomotive through a half scale
Second floor front F7A cab DCC throttle.
8 3 PWM Gray
bedroom
Second floor rear
9
bedroom
4 DIG White Now on ModelRailroader.com
10 Woman servo 9 PWM Gray Readers can view a short video of
Bruce’s animation and listen to the
11 Sound-Box trigger 12 DIG Blue
sound file he created for this project
Arduino pin output configuration at www.ModelRailroader.com.
PWM = Pulse Width Modulation; DIG = Digital Output

Drawings of a steam era
interlocking
tower
It’s winter at Rochester Junction, and a westbound Lehigh Valley passenger train headed by a 4-8-2 is passing the tower in
preparation for a station stop. The time is likely 1935 to 1945. Photographer unknown, Harold W. Russell collection
This Lehigh Valley tower protected a wye and small yard in New York
By Harold Russell • Drawings by the author
T
his Lehigh Valley RR interlocking and Statues magazine, the publication of siding and shingles. hese materials are
tower once sat diagonally across the Anthracite Railroads Historical available from such suppliers as Kappler
from the station at Rochester Society (www.anthraciterailroads.org). Mill & Lumber, Plastruct, and Ever-
Junction, N.Y., adjacent to a wye Since the tower in the photographs green. Grandt Line or Tichy Train Group
that served the branch to Honeoye Falls, looked like the one in the plan, produc- windows and doors can be used.
N.Y. he wye was used to turn the gas- ing the drawings on the next two pages I have not drawn any of the details of
electric car that ran to Rochester. was a simple matter of visiting the site interlocking levers or linkages, because
I had visited this area once before to and measuring the old foundation to get these would vary with the track plan
study and draw the station [published in the dimensions of the Rochester Junc- being served. Certainly, their addition to
the June 1990 Model Railroader], but at tion tower. the scene would greatly enhance the
that time, the tower was already gone. realism a modeler desires.
However, I later acquired more informa- Modeling notes To my knowledge, this tower was
tion about the tower, in the form of some he tower can be easily built in any never modernized with electric switch
old photos and a plan of a similar tower scale from commercially available sty- machines or signals; the “Armstrong”
that was published in Flags, Diamonds, rene or wood, milled to represent the levers remained until abandonment.
A westbound Lehigh Valley 2-8-2 Mikado takes the branch off the main to drop cars in the small yard at Rochester
Junction. The wye to Honeyoye Falls veers off to the right. Photographer unknown, Harold W. Russell collection
ROCHESTER JCT RJ
28'-6"

Drawn for Model Railroader magazine by
HAROLD W. RUSSELL
Magazine purchaser may have photocopies of these
drawings made as an aid to personal model making but
does not have the right to distribute copies of the
drawings to others. Contact Model Railroader regarding 8'-9"
commercial use of these drawings.
Ratio 1:87.1, HO scale

TO CONVERT HO SCALE
DRAWINGS TO YOUR SCALE 4'-3" 6'-6"
COPY AT THESE PERCENTAGES: Privy
N 54.4 percent S 136.1 percent O 181.4 percent
Now on ModelRailroader.com
Registered users of our website can
download these drawings for per-
sonal use. Look under Online Extras
at www.ModelRailroader.com.
Lower window Upper door Upper window Knee brace
Alternate metal roofing
ROCHESTER JCT RJ
6'-0" 19'-6" 53" 8'-0" 11'-6" 39"

A bridge line
in HO scale
A retired railroader
builds his double-deck
dream layout re-creating
mountain railroading
in West Virginia
By Lou Sassi
Photos by the author
1. River Falls & Eastern Electro-
Motive Division GP7 no. 221
leads train No. 117, the
Robertstown Turn, on Larry
Hickman’s 28 x 38-foot HO scale
layout. In the foreground, Alco
RS-3 no. 105 switches the yard.

Sand and
Depot fuel track Starbucke Lumber Co.
Staunton staging (tank cars) lead Western Maryland Low Gap staging
Standard Woodside
Box Co. Tower
Helix
River Falls & to McDermott
(not shown)
Eastern Ry. PulpwoodPerry
Co. WB
HO scale (1:87.1) spur Tower Mill American Dauterman’s
Layout size: 28 x 38 feet 3 Creek Millworks Southern Junkyard
Scale of plan: 3/16" = 1'-0", Oil Co. Woodside
House Depot
24" grid track
Numbered arrows indicate Sand and Andrews Feed
fuel track Henderson & Grain Co.
photo locations EB Tower Coal Co. no. 8
(covered Team
Illustration by Roen Kelly hoppers) track
Durbin Depot 5
Junction Enidicutt Car
Supply Co. cleanout
Hanson Stairs area
Chair Co. Little Creek
Plywood Co.
Upper level Scenery

divider
Thornwood
Yard Window
Window
Lumber Depot
Shavers loading
Fork tower area Enidicutt
Lumber Co.
Robertstown Depot
Black Creek Coal Shop complex C&S Caboose
truck dump with unloading dock building Yard track supply MX
Shavers Castle Rock Tower Huttonsville
Fork Marcum & Packs Coal & 4 Castle Rock Saunders
Rockside Pulpwood Co. Coke Co. Castle Rock passenger shelter Depot Saunders Coal Co.
2
Rockside
Tower
Henderson Coal Co. no. 4 Duckunder Saunders Company D.P. Industries

River Falls & Eastern Ry.
Hyde Western Maryland Store & Supply Co.
KC (New York Central) Find more plans online in the
Baltimore & Ohio ModelRailroader.com Track Plan Database
L
arry Hickman began work on But Larry is quick to credit his wife for seemed to be ample aisle space. When
his dream layout, the 28 x 38- providing the much-needed space for the inished, I realized I didn’t make the
foot HO scale River Falls & River Falls & Eastern. While planning aisles wide enough.”
Eastern, in November 1999. But the two-car detached garage for their With the benchwork installed, Larry
his journey in model railroad- home, Dalene asked the contractor how cut, it, and screwed 1 ⁄8" tempered hard-
ing started decades earlier. he much it would cost to add a second loor. board panels to the walls. Ater patching
retired professional railroader, whose When he quoted the price, she thought for the seams and screw holes, he hand-
father and step-grandfather were also a moment and said, “Go for it. If you think painted the backdrop following instruc-
railroaders, received a Marx layout I’m going to listen to Larry complain for tions in Dave Frary’s book Realistic
when he was 6 years old. he track was the next 20 years about not having a place Model Railroad Scenery (Kalmbach
attached to a 4 x 6 sheet of wood that to model railroad, you’re crazy.” Books, out of print).
conveniently slid under his bed when not
in use. A quick start Prototype knowledge
His interest in trains was further fos- Once the garage was completed, hough Larry admits to “doodling”
tered by a childhood friend. he friend’s Larry and his son installed lighting and the coniguration of some industries
dad was a Greyhound bus driver who ran the necessary wiring. hen Larry and sidings on paper prior to construc-
would return from trips with a new piece built the open-grid benchwork for the tion, he didn’t draw a track plan. Instead,
of Lionel equipment. Larry and his double-deck layout on the loor, hoisted it he thought about what he wanted and
friend would run Lionel trains “for into place, and screwed it to the walls. He built the layout. he track plan incorpo-
hours on end.” added legs to the front of the lower level rates elements of various track arrange-
Fast-forward to married life. When and used wood and steel angle braces to ments he encountered during his
Larry and his wife, Dalene, were irst support the upper level as necessary. railroad career.
married, he dabbled in HOn30. Family “At the time the layout was being hough the track plan is freelanced,
commitments and lack of space and built, there weren’t many articles on how the railroad was inspired by Baltimore &
money led him to dismantle the layout. to build a multi-deck layout,” Larry said. Ohio, Western Maryland, and New York
He parted with all but a few pieces of “Most of it was trial and error. When the Central lines in West Virginia in 1959-60.
scratchbuilt equipment. benchwork was lying on the loor, there Larry selected this two-year window to
To Charleston staging tracks
Baltimore & Ohio B&O Blue Creek staging tracks
Clarksburg staging yard Helix to Robertstown
(not shown)
Red Wing A
Shoe Co.
McDermott
Coal & Coke Co. Depot Kanawha Head
Harsel Co. Diamond
Appalachian
Freight house Tannery Co. Coal Co.
Depot supply stub
stub
Ganes
Team track Passenger Diamond
Team
Baltimore & Ohio depot track McDermott shelter Depot Alexander Coal Co.
Bork Electric Co. B store
Weston C B McMillian
McDermott C Blade Co.
Fuel rack
Supply Co.
Stairs
Yard
1 office
Rock
Lower level Cut KC
Valley
Blackburn Plumbing
View
A Yard
Industrial Sand stub
Lewis County Cold Storage Co.
Cresent Glass Co. dock McDermott Block
Potash stub Coal & Coke Co. station
Hemlock
Seaman Window Co. coke track Tower Depot Duffy
Hemlock
Whitewater Brewery Co. West Virginia Brick &
Aldrich & Homecrest Pulp & Charleston Block Tile Co. Diamond
6 Homecrest Sons Inc. Coal & Fuel Co. Paper Co. Crockers cutoff station River Falls Coal Co.
Murphy
Cartage
Co.
Valley C.J. Burkey Burns & Groghan Depot

Supply Co. Co. Walkersville Furniture Co.
Walkersville Lumber Co. Team track Busler Pallet Co. McCarthy Feed & Grain
▸▸ The layout at a glance
Name: River Falls & Eastern Ry.

Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 28 x 38 feet
Prototype: Freelanced
Locale: West Virginia
Era: 1959 to ‘60
Style: Double-deck
Mainline run: 400 feet
Minimum radius: 24"
Minimum turnout: no. 6
Maximum grade: 21 ⁄2 percent
Benchwork: open grid
Height: 42" (lower level), 65"
(upper level)
Roadbed: Homasote
Track: code 100
Scenery: wire mesh covered with
plaster-impregnated gauze and
Hydrocal-soaked towels
Backdrop: painted tempered
hardboard
2. This view shows Robertstown Yard (left), Huttonsville (middle), and Saunders Control: Digitrax Digital Com-
(far right) on the upper deck. On the lower deck, from left to right, is McDermott, mand Control
Duffy, and Crockers.

3. Hurry up and wait is a common
theme in railroading. In Mill Creek, Va.,
River Falls & Eastern train No. 134
waits at the Mill Street Crossover for
room at the Robertstown Yard.
“eliminate the hassle of dealing with

steam engines and the various structures
necessary to service them.”
Larry’s choice of the Appalachian
locale was inluenced by personal experi-
ences, books, and conversations with
fellow railroaders. Also, he and Dalene
made many ield trips to the region,
wandering the back roads and seeking
out evidence of the various railroads that
operated there. “Ater working on the
railroad for so many years, I’ve found
4. Western Maryland trains can also be found on Larry’s layout. Here, Electro- that all railroads are essentially the same,
Motive Division GP7 no. 22 switches cars at the Castle Rock Coal & Coke Co. as no matter what part of the country
sister Geep no. 29 drifts past on its way to Saunders Mine. they’re in,” Larry said. “he only difer-
Setting the brakes
A red sign and painted rails indicate the location of the handbrake. The brake
can be set or released using a fascia-mounted toggle switch.
Unlike their full-size counterparts,

HO scale freight cars lack brakes.
This proved problematic for mem-
bers of my operating crew. Cars
they’d spot at industrial spurs
located on a grade would roll away
after they were spotted.
To remedy this, I drilled a hole in
the middle of the track where a
handbrake was required. Then I fed a
short length of piano wire through This under-the-layout view shows
the opening. two Tortoise by Circuitron switch
I mounted a Tortoise by Circuitron motors turned on their side. The
switch motor on its side below the L-shaped piano wire is secured to
layout. I bent the piano wire into an the motor with a screw.
“L” shape and secured it to the
switch motor with a screw. When the brake is activated, the
Operators activate the handbrake piano wire catches an axle on the
using a fascia-mounted toggle car and keeps it from rolling away.
switch located near the turnout. – Larry Hickman
ence is that the scenic features surround- mercial molds and real rocks. Larry rather than the building when placing
ing them may vary.” painted the plaster castings with artists’ them into a scene.
colors to match their real counterparts. When possible, Larry also uses
Mountain scenery Larry used acrylic gloss medium and Plexiglas for the sides, backs, and
Appalachia wouldn’t be complete Woodland Scenics E-Z Water to model roofs on buildings. his way he
without mountains. Larry roughed in rivers and creeks. Ater melting the doesn’t have to waste more expensive
the terrain using a wire mesh and E-Z Water pellets, he poured the water- materials for structural features that
crumpled newspaper taped together. making material into place. can’t be seen.
He covered the base materials with Another of Larry’s passions is kit-
towels soaked in Hydrocal. He later Structure showcase bashing. He made the buildings it his
switched to plaster-impregnated gauze, Larry built several of the structures track plan, so it’s not unusual to ind
which wasn’t as messy. Larry painted the for his layout from wood, plastic, plaster, structures with oblong, angled, and
plaster with water-based paints prior to and resin, among other materials. In
adding scenery materials. many instances, he opted for 1 ⁄8" Plexi- Now on ModelRailroader.com
he trees and ground cover are a mix glas, which oten served as the base for
of commercial and natural materials. his structures. If Larry decides to replace Model Railroader subscribers can
Larry used horseweed, which grows wild an industry, he cuts around the base, watch video of Larry Hickman’s HO
near his northwest Ohio home, for trees. removes the building, and assembles a scale River Falls & Eastern in action.
he rock outcroppings are a combina- new structure with the same footprint. Visit www.ModelRailroader.com.
tion of plaster castings made using com- He inds it easier to handle the bases
5. Leased Precision National F units provide a splash of color to train No. 130, seen here entering Robertstown Yard.
Most of Larry’s locomotives were detailed and painted by Dale Devene.
rounded walls. A good example of this is

Situation cards Burns & Groghan Furniture Co., which
consists of seven commercial kits. He
tried to detail the buildings just enough
to get the overall feel of the subject
modeled without going overboard.
“I’m known as the building man,”
Larry said. “he idea of making the lay-
out look like what you see in everyday
life is important. In my opinion, this is
what makes or breaks a layout.”
Motive power and rolling stock

Most of the motive power and rolling
stock is appropriate for the 1959 to ’60
time period Larry models. He runs some
Here’s the situation box and examples of two cards at Shavers Fork Tower. equipment, given to him by friends, in
The drawn cards are returned face up in the right side of the box. schemes outside that two-year window.
Larry weathered his models with
Hotboxes, stuck brakes, and engine failures are just some of the problems water-based paints and weathering
real railroads deal with. To re-create these occurrences on my layout, powders. His years on the railroad
I installed situation boxes. Here’s how they work. taught him many valuable lessons in this
When the caboose clears the interlocking, a card is pulled from the box. aspect of the hobby. “Every freight car is
If there’s a problem, the operator must follow the information on the card. If diferent,” Larry said. “Some cars are
it reads “Highball – No Defects” the train can keep going. weathered and rusted so badly it will not
Once the card is drawn, it’s returned face up on the opposite side of the be long before they meet the scrapper’s
box. For variety, the cards should be changed out between sessions and torch, while others have a modest
shuffled before they’re put in the boxes. amount of rust, grease, dirt, and grime.”
I’ve found that one problem card in every 10 is sufficient. Some operating he layout features Atlas code 100 lex-
sessions may have a problem, while others are situation-free. – L.H. track. here are 185 turnouts, primarily
Peco with a few Atlas. he majority of the
6. Homecrest Yard Job HC1 handles the switching duties at Variety Printing Co. Larry kitbashed the buildings using
structures from various manufacturers.
turnouts are controlled by Tortoise by stopping to inspect everything. As Larry and ask questions,” Larry said. “Many
Circuitron switch motors, while a few, puts it, “she controls the purse strings.” times they know the answers or can
where accessible, are hand-lined with Larry uses Albion Sotware’s ShipIt refer you to someone who is willing
Caboose Industries ground throws. and switch lists for car routing. All trains to help those new to the hobby. In
Larry’s friends Bill McDermott and are run in sequence. he dispatcher addition, join the National Model
Bob Ashcrat helped build and install an works with the two yardmasters via Railroad Association. hey’re a wealth
oblong helix with more than 200 feet of radio, while the train crews use a tele- of information.”
mostly hidden double track. His friends phone blockline to advance their trains.
also helped install the Digitrax Digital hey must stop and call the dispatcher
Command Control system. for instructions before advancing to the
he layout is fully signaled, with stop next block. Trains are dispatched via a
indications showing where operators magnetic board on a block-by-block
must stop at interlockings. Along with basis with verbal permission.
route maps, there are switch panels Larry designed the layout to be a
around the layout to help operators ind teaching tool. Working in train service
the correct turnouts to line. A dispatcher for more than four decades gives Larry
panel is on the irst loor of the garage. insights most modelers don’t have.
When Larry visits other layouts, he
A teaching tool notices in many cases they’re not oper-
he railroad is a coal hauler and bridge ated correctly. He built a railroad to
route. he RF&E and Baltimore & Ohio help teach people about the ins and outs ▸▸ Meet Larry Hickman
trains handle the bulk of the general of prototype operations. He does things
freight business. here are also transfer that most layout owners don’t, such as
jobs, road locals, yard jobs, and enough simulating everyday problems encoun- Larry is a retired professional
through trains to keep the dispatcher, two tered by real railroads with situation railroader. He hired out on the
yardmasters, and 10 operators busy for cards (see “Situation cards,” opposite). Pennsylvania RR in Gibsonburg,
four hours. Each four-hour session is Larry thinks building and operating Ohio, in 1966 and retired from
divided into “tricks” like the prototype. a model railroad should be a learning CSX 41 years later. He and his
A typical session involves 20 to 22 trains. experience. If modelers can’t ind the wife, Dalene, enjoy traveling
Dalene also has her oice car special answers on their own, he encourages and gardening.
travel the railroad once or twice a year, them to ask around. “Find a hobby shop
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Stock boxcar
underframe
Underframe,
Bachmann 29906
Bolster on top
Bolster flush of center sill
with center sill
Fig. 1 The lowdown. A call to

Bachmann simplified the project for
Lou. He ordered new underframes
The difference is obvious between the lowered car with low-profile trucks on the with flush-mounted bolsters so he
right and standard car on the left. Lou Sassi modified the boxcars on his Sandy didn’t have to rebuild the parts that
River & Rangely Lakes On30 layout with inspiration from an old magazine article. came on the cars (right).
proile originals (see fig. 1). One prob-
LOW RIDERS lem encountered when lowering the car is

keeping the couplers at the proper height.
Instead of replacing the original couplers
and coupler boxes with Kadee no. 5s as
on the Sandy River Bob did, I replaced the original couplers

with Kadee no. 27s, which are ofset, mak-
ing the coupler knuckles sit higher.
An additional step in the project is the
installation of a plastic cylindrical spacer
Modifying boxcars to better resemble their between the truck and the underframe.
Although the folks at Bachmann don’t
Maine prototypes was simplified by a parts swap mention this, 10 spacers are included in
each three-pack of underframes.
Ater press-itting a spacer onto the
By Lou Sassi • Photos by the author center of each bolster, I installed the
trucks. his allowed the trucks to rotate
freely. Ater a bit of airbrushing and light
A
n article in an old Narrow Gauge drat-gear boxes and installed Kadee no. 5 weathering, my entire boxcar leet was
and Shortline Gazette inspired couplers in their stead. re-equipped and riding low.
me to try a modiication of the Ater reading the article a few times,
boxcars on my On30 Sandy River & I decided that even though it was a bit Lou Sassi is a frequent contributor to
Rangeley Lakes RR layout. involved and would take a few hours per Model Railroader and its special issues.
he Bachmann boxcars I have on my car to complete the project, the end results
layout ride too high and on the wrong would be worth the efort. A call to Bach- ▸▸ Materials list
style trucks for the SR&RL. Fortunately, mann saved me a bit of work, however.
Bachmann makes a truck (standard I called to see if the replacement
equipment on its pulpwood cars) that’s trucks mentioned in the article were still Bachmann
virtually identical to those used on the available. Ater learning what I wanted 27097 and 27098 On30 boxcar,
Maine two-footer railroads like the to do, one of Bachmann’s phone repre- mineral red or oxide red
SR&RL. hese low-frame archbar trucks sentatives mentioned there was a low- 29904 low frame 4'-1" arch bar
are part 29904. proile underframe compatible with the freight trucks
he article, by Bob Hayden, was in the boxcars that wasn’t available when Bob 29906 and 29907 freight car
May-June 2008 issue of the Gazette. Bob’s did his project. underframe, black or oxide red
technique for altering the boxcars was to I ordered a three pack of low proile
grind away the bolsters and replace them underframes (part 29907 oxide red or Kadee Quality Products Co.
with various thicknesses of styrene strip part 29906 black) and, sure enough, they 27 medium underset shank coupler
stock. He also cut of the Bachmann were direct replacements for the high
BUILDING
FROM MEMORY
Camping along the Chicago & North Western
as a kid inspired this HO layout
By Dave Rickaby • Photos by the author
1. Electro-Motive Division GP7 no. 1518 and SD7 no. 300 are pulling a time freight
through the S curve above Big Piney Lumber on John Mueller’s Northern
Memories model railroad. The HO scale layout is inspired by John’s childhood
memories of camping alongside the Chicago & North Western.
J
ohn Mueller considers himself pulpwood trains streaming past their remembers watching the trains endlessly
lucky to have grown up next to campsites along the Chicago & North travel that oval. When he was around 10
the tracks in Port Washington, Western (C&NW) tracks in places like years old, his mom and dad gave him an
Wis., a Lake Michigan city just Minoqua, Woodruf, and Rhinelander. HO scale Fleischmann train set for
north of Milwaukee. Next to his yard hese experiences let an unforgettable Christmas. He built a small layout for it
was a spur track, which was heaven to a impression on him. in their home, which he says wasn’t
kid who had loved trains as long as he John was introduced to model rail- much by today’s standards.
could remember. roading at an early age. He has memories Fortunately, a family friend named
As he grew older, his family took him of his older brother’s second-hand Lionel Walter Chossek had a huge model rail-
on camping trips to northern Wisconsin. train set, which his dad would set up. road in his basement. He took John
John has vivid memories of endless John was too young to play with it, but under his wing and was never too busy
52"
48"
Big Piney Lumber 2 1 Pulpwood loading Mueller Wood Products
3
Smiley’s Towing Wayside Bait shop Uppanort River Hobo camp
50"
Duckunder Dry 49"

(entrance) creek
Highway 8
Dari-King Gibraltar Girdle

47"
Gas station
Highway 17
4 Side Track Tap
Northern Memories
Woodlander HO scale (1:87.1)
Nauman Chisel Layout size: 10x21 feet plus 13x17 feet
Farm supply Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 24" grid
Two Lakes Numbered arrows indicate photo locations
Eagle Mountain Illustration by Rick Johnson and Roen Kelly
Badger Belmont Label
Outerwear Find more plans online in the
ModelRailroader.com Track Plan Database.
47"
Tabasco
Novelty
Giant Shoe Musky River
Shotzie Brewing
Frehner
Tire Musky Campground
Salvage River Station
Roundhouse
Highway Sam’s
32 Place Motel Highway 32 John models the C&NW in the 1950s
in a freelanced version of northern
Wisconsin. His choice of eras lets him
47" run both steam power and the Electro-
Motive Division F3s, F7, and GP7 diesels
he watched on his camping trips. To
him, irst-generation diesels had so much
Miracle Salve Fireworks stand
character that they were a must for his
railroad. Also appealing about this time
for a “dumb kid” who wanted to come period were the pulpwood gondolas and
over to his house and drool over his lay- the cabooses.
out. Walter’s beautiful layout let an John built his semi-freelanced rail-
indelible impression on the young lad. road around his memories, making sure
to include a campground. Even though
A change in plans he wasn’t modeling the C&NW proto-
John and his wife bought their house typically, he still wanted to evoke the feel
in DeForest, Wis., in 1990. Within six of the Northwoods. He substituted the
months he was hard at work building a town of Woodlander for Rhinelander
layout. It was a slow process at irst, and Two Lakes for hree Lakes. Other
because his newborn baby required northern-sounding landmarks include
much of his attention. But working on the Uppanort River, the Musky River,
the model railroad a little here and there, and the names of actual highways that
2. Alco RS-1 no. 1080 holds onto a he eventually inished it. cut through timber country. Prevalent
gondola as it’s being loaded with his original model railroad occu- along these roadways were small tourist-
pulpwood, while a freight led by pied the present layout’s entrance room trap businesses enticing travelers to stop
Electro-Motive Division SD7 no. 300 is and an adjoining room. As John’s daugh- and buy their wares or take in their
on point of the train to Two Lakes. ter grew, he felt guilty about his layout roadside attractions.
John scratchbuilt the claw for the taking up so much living space, so he
Jordan Models crane. tore down half of the layout and turned Building the line
that space into a rec room for her. Even- Entering the layout, one has to stoop
tually, though, he built an addition on beneath a duckunder. John has used
the back of the house, which gave him foam pipe insulation attached to the bot-
more basement space into which he tom of the support beams to help allevi-
could expand the layout. ate any head-knocking.
▸▸ The layout at a glance
Name: Northern Memories

Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 10 x 21 feet plus 13 x 17 feet
Theme: freelanced, inspired by
Chicago & North Western Ry.
Locale: Northern Wisconsin
Era: early 1950s
Style: around the walls
Mainline run: 190 feet
Minimum radius: 24"
Minimum turnout: Atlas no. 6
(main), no. 4 (yard)
Maximum grade: 3 percent
Benchwork: open grid and
L girder
Height: 47" to 53"
Roadbed: cork
Track: Atlas code 100 flextrack
(main), code 83 (sidings and yards)
Scenery: plaster and Sculptamold
over nylon screen supported by
cardboard webbing
Backdrop: tempered hardboard
Control: NCE Digital Command 3. This overall view of the main layout room shows the pulpwood loading track
Control to the left and the bridge over Uppanort River to the right. The entrance to the
rest of the layout is behind and to the right.
he layout is built around the walls in John weathered his track with Rail- Sculptamold to make his rock work and
adjoining rooms. he track plan mean- road Tie Brown paint and a smattering build up his scenic base, as well.
ders quite a bit; not much of the main of Rust, painting most of the rails by Sometimes Mother Nature provides
line is tangent track. It wanders through hand with a small brush. he rest were the perfect material for landscaping, one
many curves, giving the illusion of a lon- done with a paint marker. of which John came upon by accident –
ger mainline run. Scenic view blocks iso- John attached sheets of tempered tree bark. One day in a landscape shop,
late scenes, keeping the viewer from hardboard to his walls to form his back- he noticed an open bag of large tree
being able to take in too much of the drop. He painted it light blue and dry- bark. It dawned on him that if it were
railroad at once. brushed white paint up from the horizon stacked, it would look like the rocks of
John’s original benchwork in the long to give the impression of wispy clouds. the Wisconsin Dells. He used this
rectangular room is L-girder, while the He also hand-painted the distant hori- method along with broken ceiling tile
layout in the other two rooms was built zon line. For background hills, he used a along the Uppanort River, painting the
on a base of box girders. he layout is lighter green in the mid-ground, fading rocks with earth-toned latex paints.
cantilevered from the walls in the to a greenish-gray for distant hills. He John’s ground cover is foam turf from
entrance room, while the other sections stippled on dark green for the lower tree Woodland Scenics and Scenic Express.
are supported on legs. John enjoys car- line, then added specks of gold to repre- His deciduous trees are from Woodland
pentry and supported his benchwork on sent sunlight. Scenics and Scenic Express SuperTrees,
2 x 4s, resulting in a layout he says is John lights his layout with a combina- while most of his conifers come from
strong enough to polka dance on. tion of luorescent shop lights and incan- Grand Central Gems and Noch. He is
he layout is approximately 400 descent bulbs. he layout is inished with especially proud of his scratchbuilt pine
square feet. Trains traverse a mainline a 1 ⁄8" fascia and matching skirting. trees, which are made from balsa trunks
run of 190 feet, rising from an elevation and caspia branches.
of 47" and topping of at the summit at Scenery On his background ridges and hills,
53", with a maximum grade of 3 percent John built up his landforms by hot- he used the puball method, carpeting
and a minimum radius of 24". gluing cardboard strips together to form the landscape with treetops made of poly
he track on the main line is Atlas a web and attaching them to risers as iber balls dusted with ground foam.
code 100, with Atlas code 83 on the sid- needed. He then attached black nylon
ings and spurs. John uses Atlas code 100 screen directly to the cardboard web- Now on ModelRailroader.com
no. 6 turnouts on the main and no. 4 bing, hot gluing the pieces in place as he
turnouts on some industrial spurs. All went along. On top of this he applied a John has filmed a video of trains
track and turnouts are tacked to cork coating of Hydrocal plaster, followed by running on his layout. Look for the
roadbed. Almost all the turnouts are a coating of molding plaster and topped link in the Online Extras box on
lined by hand with Caboose Industries of with Sculptamold in any areas that www.ModelRailroader.com.
N scale ground throws. needed illing. John started with
realized that choosing an era and region
in which to model narrowed down his
choice of railroads. He then started to
purchase only what he needed to model
his railroad of choice, the Chicago &
North Western.
Today, John would tell anyone just
starting out in the hobby to design their
layout with an era and geographical area
in mind from the beginning. He would
also tell them, though, not to let rigid
adherence to a prototype get in the way
of having fun.
When John comes home from his job,
he doesn’t want to see going down into
his basement as work. To escape into the
world he created gives him a lot of per-
sonal satisfaction. What really gets John
4. Chicago & North Western 2-8-2 Mikado no. 425 pulls a manifest freight passionate about his hobby is to see a
alongside Highway 17. Pulpwood reigns supreme here in Wisconsin’s north realistic train running through a
woods, and gondolas bound for the paper mills are common to most consists. detailed scene he created. Scenery is
important to him because it sets the
Instead of gluing the puballs directly to His igures are primarily from Preiser stage for the layout, and having the right
the scenery, he irst planted twigs to rep- and Woodland Scenics, with a few odd- equipment gives the layout plausibility.
resent trunks and then attached the balls thrown in for good measure. He also feels the hobby involves so
puballs to the tops of these. many diferent facets, from construction
To create his water scenes, John tried Running trains and electrical work to painting and
several diferent materials. On all, he All of John’s cars and locomotives it detailing, that it’s hard to get bored.
started with a plywood base, applied a his modeled era. Most of his rolling stock here’s always something to do, he says.
sealant to prevent warping, then brought are 40-foot cars from Walthers, Accurail, In the future he would like to add more
his scenery down to the water’s edge. He Athearn, Roundhouse, and Kadee. he details and improve on some of the
painted the middle of the rivers black diesel engines on the layout are from scenes he’s already built.
and feathered tan out to the edges before Kato, Stewart, and Walthers. His 2-8-2 John’s layout is now 99 percent com-
pouring his resin. heavy Mikado steam locomotive is from plete. It was open for tours during the
he Uppanort River was made using Broadway Limited Imports. He’s weath- National Model Railroad Association’s
Enviro-Tex Lite, a two-part epoxy. he ered his rolling stock and locomotives 1997 National Convention in Madison.
Musky River on the Woodlander side with an array of chalks, dry pigments, He says he loved having folks come to
was made with Woodland Scenics Real- and a small degree of airbrushing. see his layout and just had a ball.
istic Water, while the same river on the he layout is wired for Digital Com- One of the greatest compliments he
Two Lakes aisle was made with Magic mand Control (DCC). John uses NCE has ever received was when visitors who
Water. Woodland Scenics Realistic Water Pro Cab radio throttles. he three layout came to see the layout would say, “Wow,
was also used to create waves on all three rooms are small enough that he only this looks like Northern Wisconsin, like
bodies of water by simply stippling it on needs a single antenna and no boosters. the real thing!”
with a brush. For the two sections of the Four of his locomotives have sound.
Musky River, John applied layers of Tim- John runs the layout by himself, but ▸▸ Meet John Mueller
berline Pond Scum before pouring the he’d like to get into more prototypical
resin, which really added some depth operations. John is interested in the four-
and murky color. cycle car card and waybill system, which John and his wife, Carla, live in
John built his roadways using foam he thinks will be easy to set up and use. DeForest, Wis., where they raised
core as a base topped by gray illustration He envisions mainline freights, locals, one daughter, Angelica. He has
board. He cut and it the foam core, and and passenger service. worked in sales management for
when he was satisied, used it as a tem- John regrets not including hidden more than three decades and is
plate to cut the illustration board. Before staging when he designed his layout. He’s currently an appliance salesman in
attaching the road material, he used been eyeing the adjacent furnace room, Beaver Dam,
spackling compound to form the shoul- and with his wife’s approval plans to Wis. Besides
ders. Ater the roads were attached, he complete his layout with a staging yard. model railroad-
weathered them with chalks. ing, John enjoys
Several structures and bridges are Lessons learned carpentry,
scratchbuilt, while others are either kit- When John started model railroading planting hostas,
bashed or kit built. John has many laser- 30-plus years ago, he did what many do biking, and
cut buildings from J.L. Innovative De- and bought anything and everything puppeteering for
sign, Bar Mills, and GCLaser. he plastic that looked good to him, ending up with his local church
buildings are primarily from Walthers, a mish-mash of stuf. Ater rambling youth group.
Atlas, and Woodland Scenics. through the hobby for a few years, he
You’re the kid.
A Fine New Book! Welcome to the

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DCCCORNER
The basics of decoder installation
he resistors are soldered to the leads
of the correct function wire – white for
the front light, yellow for the rear light,
and green and violet for the two ditch
lights. hen I soldered all the other wires
to the blue common wire. Be careful to
keep track of all these wires and connect
them to the correct colored wire in the
harness, shown in the table in fig. 1.
I don’t recommend operating multi-
ple bulbs of the same resistor, because if
one bulb fails, the others will receive too
much current and also fail. Likewise,
I don’t wire them in series because it’s
diicult to tell which bulb has failed.
I connected the wiring harness to the
decoder and attached it and the No Halt
capacitor unit to the shell using double-
sided foam tape. I gathered the loose
wires and taped them in out-of-the-way
locations inside the shell (See fig. 2).
Get your motor running. With the

Amtrak General Electric AMD-103 no. 824 heads north through Rockfish, Va., on lights and decoder installed, I removed
Larry Puckett’s HO layout. Larry explains how he added a motor decoder and the metal clip that runs from the top
lights to this classic Athearn “blue-box” locomotive. Larry Puckett photos of the motor to the truck gear towers.
his clip, shown in a photo in the Febru-
Sound decoders are increasingly back to the 1950s served as the basis for ary 2016 DCC Corner column, carries
popular. However, I know there are still a many other manufacturers’ model loco- current from the right rail to the motor.
lot of model railroaders who aren’t inter- motives. For example, I oten replace Next, I gently pushed against the
ested in them. So this month I want to drivetrain components in my Life-Like vinyl rubber motor mounts using a
show you how to do a basic installation of Proto 2000 locomotives with Athearn small lathead screwdriver while wig-
a non-sound Digital Command Control parts. Consequently, there are tens, if not gling the motor itself to ease it out of the
(DCC) decoder, the NCE D13NHJ and its hundreds, of thousands of models based frame. If you look at the bottom of the
No Halt capacitor unit, in Athearn’s on this design. I’ll tell you what’s motor, you’ll see a bronze clip with two
General Electric AMD-103. involved in adding DCC. small prongs sticking out. his part is
As I’ve mentioned previously, the old shown in the March 2016 DCC Corner.
Athearn “blue box” design that dates Let there be lights. he AMD-103 hese prongs connect the motor to the
model has provisions for twin headlights frame completing the electrical circuit.
and ditch lights up front, and a pair of Disabling them is essential to isolating
Fig. 1 Wire harness color codes lights in the rear bulkhead over the the motor.
The functions of the wires on a
door. Fortunately, Miniatronics Micro You have two options, either latten
Digital Command Control decoder
are standardized with correspond-
Miniature 1.2mm diameter, 1.5V bulbs it the prongs using a pair of pliers, or break
ing wire colors. in the headlight holes. I sealed them in them of. I usually just break them of.
place with Testor’s Clear Parts Cement. I removed the bronze clips from the top
Wire color Function he ditch lights, being slightly larger, and bottom of the motor, being careful
Green Output 3 (F1) required Micro Miniature 1.7mm diame- not to lose the springs that hold the
Red Right track ter, 1.5V bulbs. brushes in place.
I soldered an 820Ω resistor to one Using a TCS 6-wire harness (a 4-wire
Orange Motor + wire on each of the smaller bulbs and a harness would work too, but I had the
Blue Common 330Ω resistor to one wire for the larger 6-wire harness on hand), I soldered a
White Headlight (F0 Fwd) ditch light bulbs. he ditch lights wire to each of the bronze clips and
required diferent resistors because they reinstalled them on the motor.
Yellow Rear light (F0 Rev) drew a higher amperage. he instruc- Now let’s deal with getting power
Gray Motor - tions with the NCE decoder have an from the trucks to the decoder. First
Black Left track excellent table of resistor values for vari- I soldered a wire from the harness
ous combinations of bulb amperage and directly to the top of each gear tower.
Violet Output 4 (F2)
track voltage. Once this was done, I carefully removed
▸▸ More DCC
Learn even more by watching the Larry Puckett
video series “DCC Programming” at
www.ModelRailroaderVideoPlus.com.
Headlights
Lighting resistors
NCE No Halt
Ditch lights
6-pin TCS connector
NCE D13NHJ decoder
Backup lights
Fig. 2 Installing electronics. Larry glued the light bulbs into the model’s headlight and ditch light openings. Then he
soldered all the leads and resistors to the wiring harness, and installed the NCE decoder and No Halt capacitor unit.
the sideframe from the let side of each

truck and sanded a clean spot on the side Right side
of the metal truck frame. rail pickup
6-pin TCS
Next I removed any grease and oil connector
with some alcohol on a cotton swab.
Working as quickly as possible to reduce
the chance of melting the plastic compo-
nents on the trucks, I soldered another
wire to each truck frame. Using rosin lux Wires to left side
and pre-tinning both the frame and the of truck frames
wire ends made for faster work. Motor isolated from frame
At this point I had six wires, one
from each motor clip, and one from the Wires to left side of truck frames
opposite sides of each truck, connected
to the wiring harness. If you’re using a Fig. 3 Chassis wiring. Larry soldered wires to the gear towers and to the left
4-wire harness, you can splice the truck sides of the trucks to provide reliable electrical connections to the decoder.
wires from the same side of the locomo-
tive together before connecting them to default value of 3, and customized the lights were on, so I used the type one
the harness. light functions. he NCE instructions option. his requires more complex pro-
With all the motor and truck wires provided excellent examples for programming. First, I set CV122 and CV123
connected to one end of the harness, gramming special efects such as Rule 17 to values of 56 and 60, respectively, for
I connected the male and female ends of dimming and ditch light operations. type one ditch lights. hen I set CV35
the harness and soldered the appropriate I conigured the headlight to operate to 0 so output 3 wouldn’t be controlled
wires on the free end to the matching normally in the forward direction and by F1, and CV36 to 12 to map outputs 3
decoder wires (fig. 3). Again refer to the optionally use function 4 to dim it, by and 4 to F2. Finally, I set CV118 to 20
table in fig. 1. In all cases I protected setting coniguration variable (CV) 120 so the ditch lights would lash for 5 sec-
the joints with heat-shrink tubing. to a value of 32. To have the reverse light onds ater the F2 button is pushed. For-
come on in reverse and go of in fortunately, all of these programming steps
Get with the programming. Having ward, I set CV121 to 2. were provided in the NCE instructions,
completed the installation, I put the shell NCE ofers two types of ditch light making this a quick and easy process,
on the chassis, installed plastic couplers efects. With type one, the ditch lights are and the functions all worked correctly
to prevent shorts, and moved the loco- on whenever the headlight (F0) is on and on the irst try.
motive to a service-mode programming lash when F2 is pressed. With type two, For more tips on soldering and
track. I did a test read of the address to the lights are of until the F2 (horn) but- installing decoders, check out my book
make sure there were no shorts. ton is pressed, at which time they lash. Wiring Your Model Railroad, available at
Proceeding with the programing, In all the photos I’ve seen of these www.KalmbachHobbyStore.com, and
I set a 4-digit address in place of the locomotives, the headlight and ditch visit my website, www.dccguy.com.
PRODUCTREVIEWS
Bachmann E-Z App HO scale Alco RS-3

introduces Bluetooth model train control
The HO scale Alco RS-3 models a Alco RS-3. Introduced in 1950, Alco has a battery box on the running board
workhorse road-switcher and introduces built more than 1,300 RS-3 diesel- behind the cab and the RS-2 has fuel ill-
Bachmann Trains’ new E-Z App touch- electric locomotives for railroads in the ers and gauges on the sides of its cab.
screen train control. Bachmann’s E-Z United States, Canada, and Mexico. he
App product line of locomotives and RS-3 featured Alco’s 1,600-hp 244 prime Mechanism. I removed the couplers,
train sets features Bluetooth-based tech- mover. Although RS-3 production ended plastic fuel tank, and two screws under
nology from BlueRail Trains that lets in the mid-1950s, the Alco road switcher the fuel tank that held the plastic body
modelers run locomotive models using served for decades, and some remain in shell to the die-cast metal chassis.
an Apple iPhone, iPad, or other tourist train service today. he shell, including the running boards
Bluetooth 4-supporting iOS device. he Bachmann model’s dimensions and pilots, could then be easily lited of.
Simple to use without any programming match those of a prototype drawing in he lywheel-equipped motor is
whatsoever, E-Z App control operates on the Model Railroader Cyclopedia: Vol. 2, mounted in the center of the chassis.
direct-current (DC) and Digital Com- Diesel Locomotives (Kalmbach Publish- Driveshats with worm gears transfer
mand Control (DCC) layouts. ing Co., out of print). he arrangement power from the motor to each truck-
of various details, especially access-door mounted gearbox.
louvers, changed over the course of the A printed-circuit board that includes
RS-3 production run. Modelers and rail- the Bluetooth receiver is screwed into a
fans refer to these details as distinct set of additional die-cast metal weights.
“phases,” even though the various here’s no speaker or DCC decoder. A
changes were ongoing. he details on the light-emitting diode at each end of the
Bachmann model, especially the hori- chassis provides illumination for the
zontal louvers on the battery box doors, directional headlights.
correctly model a phase Ib RS-3 that was
produced between 1950 and 1953. E-Z setup and operation. Bluetooth
he molded detail on the model’s is a wireless technology for exchanging
plastic body shell is well deined. he data across short distances and is com-
single-chime air horn is a separate part. monly found in cell phones and related
All handrails are made of scale-proile home electronics. One of my favorite
acetal plastic. On our review sample the things about E-Z App is that because it’s
handrail on the ireman’s side was based on Bluetooth, it doesn’t require a
warped inward. Wi-Fi signal to operate. here’s no need
All the model’s paint features sharp to worry about setting up a Wi-Fi router
color separation. he model is decorated or a separate computer to run a layout.
for Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. he only time you need a connection to
no. 2099. However, this prototype is the Internet is to download the app itself,
The E-Z App touch screen features actually an RS-2, which is nearly identi- which took less than a minute.
controls that are easy to use on an cal to an early production RS-3. he Ater typing “Bachmann E-Z App”
Apple iPad or iPhone. main spotting diferences are the RS-3 into the App Store search box of my
▸▸ More reviews & videos
Dana Kawala
At www.ModelRailroader.com
subscribers can read more than
1,000 previously published reviews and
watch more than 150 exclusive product I appreciated the operation mode ▸▸ Bachmann E-Z App RS-3
demo videos. check boxes. By default this is set to full
speed. Other options are passenger,
switcher, and freight. When freight Price: $239
iPad, I easily found and downloaded the was checked, the top speed was reduced Manufacturer
free app. I then placed the locomotive on from 82 scale mph to a more realistic 60 Bachmann Industries
our layout, turned on power to the rails, scale mph. It’s easy to change this setting 1400 E. Erie Ave.
and clicked on the E-Z app screen icon. on the ly, so when using the RS-3 to Philadelphia, PA 19124
I touched connect next to bachmann work a yard, I could change the setting www.bachmanntrains.com
loco on the screen and was ready to run to switcher and the model would creep Era: 1950 to 1970s
trains. he locomotive name can be easily through the ladder tracks at a prototypi- Road names: Atchison, Topeka &
changed to the road number or anything cally slow speed. Santa Fe Ry.; Boston & Maine;
else the user wants. he range of the Bluetooth signal is Denver & Rio Grande Western;
here are control screens for running impressive. With the RS-3 on the test New York, New Haven & Hartford;
either single or multiple locomotives. track in our workshop, I ran the locomo- Pennsylvania
he control screens are very intuitive, tive from down the hall, which was Features
with a throttle and buttons to trigger about 100 feet away. ▪ All axles powered
efects such as the headlights, horn, and Since the model doesn’t have a DCC ▪ All-wheel electrical pickup
bell. here are also buttons for direction decoder, it can’t be run with a DCC ▪ Can motor with dual
and start up/shut down. throttle. However, the locomotive can be brass flywheels
hrottle control with the E-Z App controlled with a the variable voltage ▪ Directional light-emitting diode
was surprisingly precise for a touch dial of a DC power pack by turning the (LED) headlights
screen. I could use my inger to slide the power pack throttle all the way up and ▪ E-Z Mate Mark II knuckle
throttle up and down. I could also tap lipping the direction switch four times. couplers at correct height
the screen above or below the throttle to here is a delay in the throttle response ▪ Minimum radius: 18"
adjust the speed. Pressing the loco stop time, though, and I found that the loco- ▪ RP-25 contour metal wheels
and the for/rev direction buttons motive ran much more reliably with E-Z in gauge
performed those tasks. App control. ▪ Weight: 10.7 ounces
A quick start guide is included with On our layout and during tests in the ▪ Wireless control with Bluetooth 4
the model. A more extensive user guide workshop, the RS-3 easily negotiated 18" supporting Apple iOS device
is available as a free download at radius curves and no. 5 turnouts without
e-zapptraincontrol.com/user-guide/. losing track power or the E-Z App signal.
he four-axle locomotive has a respect- EZ-App HO scale RS-3
Performance. For E-Z App control, able 2-ounce drawbar pull, which is
2 ounces
the locomotive uses constant voltage equivalent to 28 free-rolling HO scale Drawbar pull
28 HO scale freight cars
to the rails. I ran the RS-3 on a DC freight cars on straight and level track.
Scale speed (E-Z App)
layout with a power pack turned all the
Throttle Scale mph
way up to 14.5V and a DCC layout that Sound and other options. he Start 2
supplied 15V to the rails. he model’s sound efects play through the device 25 percent 23
motor was a bit noisy, but it ran smoothly speaker. he sounds are generic rather 50 percent 64
throughout its speed range. he instruc- than prototype speciic. his was disap- Top 82
tions state not to exceed 18V. pointing, as I would’ve liked to hear the
In the settings menu, I could add distinctive growl of the Alco 244 prime
acceleration and deceleration momen- mover. he engine rpm sounds increase I would like to see an option that looked
tum, but users should take note of the and decrease with the throttle. like a prototypical steam or diesel cab.
instructions, as these values work oppo- In addition to the horn and bell,
site of the momentum coniguration sound efects include the coupler, radia- More to come. In addition to the
variables in DCC. When using the E-Z tor fans, and air compressor. Since the RS-3, Bachmann announced E-Z App-
App control, a higher value indicates less same app is used in a holiday set, an equipped HO scale Electro-Motive Divi-
momentum. he default value is 255, extras screen features a list of Christ- sion FT and GP35 diesels, as well as train
which means the locomotive will stop mas carols that will play as the head- sets featuring these locomotives. As of
instantly. I set both values to 4, which lights lash in time with the music. this writing, an Android version is in
provided for more realistically gradual Although an E-Z App locomotive can development but not yet available.
starts and stops. only be assigned to one smart device at a Although I would’ve preferred more
time, a single smart device can be used prototypical sounds, overall I’m
Now on ModelRailroader.com to control several locomotives simulta- impressed with the E-Z App train
neously. However, there isn’t a provision control system. It’s quick to set up, easy
Subscribers can see a demo of the for consisting locomotives together. to use, and reliable. I look forward to
E-Z App Alco RS-3. Click on Videos at here are fun options for changing seeing further developments in this tech-
www.ModelRailroader.com. the look of the touch screen. All are nology from Bachmann. – Dana Kawala,
reminiscent of a model train power pack. senior editor
PRODUCTREVIEWS
Amtrak’s Cities Sprinter/ACS-64 with

Amfleet I cars debut in N scale from Kato
The first prototype Cities Sprinter Included in Kato’s set, packaged in an Photos of these new locomotives show
locomotives have been on Amtrak prop- attractive bookcase-style box, are four Kato did its homework. From rootop to
erty for little more than two years, and Amleet I passenger cars: three coaches running gear, all the vents, conductors,
now N scale modelers can get their and a cafe car. he prototypes for these insulators, resistor banks, and motion
hands on one from Kato. Also known as 85-foot-long cars were designed to dampers are accounted for. he wheels
the ACS-64, these locomotives will pull replace the equipment Amtrak acquired even have the ventilated disk brake rotor
all non-Acela trains on Amtrak’s electri- from the railroads that opted out of pas- detail of the full-size locomotive.
ied Northeast Corridor. senger service at the debut of the National he conductors and insulators on the
Railroad Passenger Corp. in 1971. roof are brightly colored. hese lexible
The prototype. he Cities Sprinter, or he cars were built by the Budd Co. plastic parts could beneit from some
ACS-64, is an American-built, European- with deliveries beginning in 1975. here detail painting, which would help with
designed replacement for Amtrak’s 30-to- are several seating conigurations, but the apparent chunkiness of the parts. he
40-year-old AEM-7 and much younger, outwardly, there are two variations. he pantographs are made from the same
yet less reliable, HHP-8. he locomotives coaches have windows from end to end, plastic, which is forgiving of typical han-
are based on Siemens’ successful four-axle while the food service cars have a blank dling. Nubs on the pantograph arms keep
Eurosprinter and Vectron electrics. portion in the center of the car. these parts either stowed or raised,
Modiications for North American depending on the operator’s desires.
use include improved crash protection The models. he ACS-64 matches he locomotive paint is smooth and
for the engineer and the ability to run on most of the dimensions in a Siemens opaque, with sharp separations and clear
Amtrak’s three alternating-current cate- technical sheet I downloaded from the lettering and numbering. he only letter-
nary power supplies. company website at www.siemens.com/ ing missing is the tiny instructions
he 64 in the name refers to the max- mobility/locomotives. he overall length printed on the running gear and chassis
imum power output of 6,400 kW, equiv- is about 2 scale feet long over the coupler parts. Detail painting would also add to
alent to 8,600 horsepower. his trans- pulling faces, but this is common on the appearance of the underbody and
lates to a top cruising speed of 125 mph, models, as the couplers are larger than truck detail. he cab side windows don’t
with a lat-out capability for 135 mph. exact scale. Also, Kato equipped the include rearview mirrors.
he locomotive was designed to acceler- locomotive with long-shank, pivoting he all-new Amleet I cars share
ate 18-car trains of Amleet equipment couplers to improve performance on Kato’s attention to detail. he cars match
to 125 mph in about 8 minutes. tight model railroad curves. dimensions published in the 1997 Car
Amfleet I coach Amfleet I coach
ACS-64 Amfleet I coach Amfleet I cafe
Kato’s ACS-64 is sold in a bookcase set with four Amfleet I passenger cars. The three coaches and single cafe car can be
supplemented with two, two-car sets. One has two coaches, and the other a coach and cafe car. Lighting kits are available.

International
Limited Run Model 7600
Vacuum Truck
NEW 1/87th (HO) Scale!
and Locomotive Cyclopedia (Simmons- ▸▸ N scale ACS-64
Boardman). he so-called phase 6 paint
scheme, also known as phase 4b, is evenly
applied with sharp separations between Price: $250; Amfleet I Phase 6
the wide blue band and red and white two-car set A with two coaches or Fully Assembled
pinstripes. An injection point in the Amfleet I Phase 6 two-car set B 4 Versions Available
& Factory
Painted
center of the coach roof let a small mark. with coach and cafe car, $55 each. Zycon Models specializes in HO scale heavy equipment replicas
Unlike the prototype, the couplers are Manufacturer and selling brass & diecast models through Ebay. If you have
railroad brass models, heavy equipment replicas or are interested
truck-mounted. his means the end buf- Kato USA Inc. in selling an estate collection please contact me.
Ebay Seller ID
fer detail is deleted. he trucks have wip- 100 Remington Road Dan Goins
Zycon Models zyconmodels
ers for picking up track power. Modelers Schaumburg, IL 60173 Cell: 214-458-4048 Website: www.zyconmodels.com
Email: dgoins187@aol.com
can install the 11-211 - Interior Lighting www.katousa.com
Kit w/ LED Version 2. To gain interior Era: Feb. 2, 2014, to present,
access, spread the body sides above the locomotive; 2003 to present, rolling
trucks to release the catches and remove stock FIFTEENTH
the loor. he interiors are molded in light Roadname: Amtrak Phase 6,
Annual!
tan plastic. locomotive and rolling stock
he cars weigh 1.1 ounce, .3 ounce Features (locomotive)
lighter than the National Model Railroad ▪ Positionable pantographs
Association recommended practice ▪ Directional headlights
RP-20.1. he blackened metal wheels ▪ Traction tire-equipped
were all in gauge. ▪ Flywheel-equipped motor
▪ Geared to match speed of Kato
Under the shell. Slipping a thumbnail GE P42
under the locomotive shell between the ▪ Weight: 3.6 ounces
silver-painted body and the gray chassis, April 23rd & 24th 2016
I was able to release the body casting
Kato N scale Amtrak ACS-64
from the underframe. A pair of die-cast 6DWXUGD\DPSP
metal weights encloses the lywheel-
equipped motor. Drawbar pull
.96 ounce
12 N scale passenger cars
6XQGD\DPSP
A light board snaps into the top of the

weights and conducts power to the Scale speed (DCC) 6KRSNR+DOO
Speed step Scale mph (Across from Lambeau Field)
motor. Surface-mounted light-emitting 1.5 <1
diodes illuminate the headlights and 3 28 62QHLGD6W
ditch lights at both ends through cast 6 113
plastic light bars. A Train Control 9 187 *UHHQ%D\:,
12 248
Systems K7D4 or Digitrax DN163K4A
drop-in Digital Command Control Dozens of Vendors
decoder will it this locomotive. Hourly Door Prizes
All wheels are powered through the with the layout’s 13" radius minimum Model Judging Contest
universal shats on the ends of the motor. curves, the long overhang of the locomo-
One wheel on each truck has a traction tive meant it just barely cleared the plate Layouts & Exhibits
tire. All other wheels pick up power. girder bridge sides on the span over the Free Train Ride
highway on the layout. 42,000+ square feet of
On the test track. I used a Model I also tested the models on several
Rectiier Corp. Tech4 MRC 200 power pieces of 11" radius Atlas track. he loco-
Nothing but Trains!
pack to test the direct-current perfor- motive and cars had no trouble negotiat-
mance of the locomotive. At 1.5V, the ing the curve, including an S curve, )RU,QIRUPDWLRQ
model started moving at a barely percep- going either forward or backward. he LQIR#WWVJEOOFFRP
tible speed, much less than 1 scale mph. long-shank couplers on the locomotive ZZZWWVJEOOFFRP
At 6V, the ACS-64 averaged 113 scale and the truck-mounted couplers on the
mph, and at 12V, it lived up to its Sprinter passenger cars worked well together to

name, posting a 248 scale mph average, allow operation on the tighter curves.
ǣ
much faster than the prototype. Kato has another inely detailed,
he locomotive’s .96 ounce of draw- smooth-running locomotive in the
bar pull is equivalent to 12 N scale pas- ACS-64. he new Amleet I cars are per-
senger cars on straight and level track. fect for the high-density service ofered
I ran the ACS-64 and Amleet I pas- on Amtrak’s Northeast and Keystone cor-
senger car set on Model Railroader’s 2015 ridors. he appearance and performance
project layout, the N scale Red Oak. of these models make them hard to resist.
Although the models had no trouble – Eric White, associate editor
PRODUCTREVIEWS
Walthers adds intermodal ▸▸ Walthers HO well car
car to HO Proto series Price: $39.98

Manufacturer
A Gunderson rebuilt all-purpose The Walthers model features a one- Wm. K. Walthers Inc.
53-foot well car is the irst intermodal car piece die-cast metal body. Smaller details, 5601 W. Florist Ave.
in the WalthersProto lineup. he model such as the brake hardware, steps, hand Milwaukee, WI 53218
features die-cast metal and plastic con- brake assembly, and drat-gear box covers www.walthers.com
struction, wire grab irons, and etched- are plastic. Era: mid 2000s to present
metal walkways nested in plastic frames. he model’s dimensions closely follow Road names: TTX (DTTX report-
data published in the April 2012 Official ing marks), Florida East Coast
The Gunderson 53-foot well cars Railway Equipment Register. he one dis- (Hurricane herald and reporting
were built in the 1990s as 48-foot cars. As crepancy was the distance over the pulling marks only), and St. Mary’s RR.
40- and 53-foot intermodal containers faces, which was a scale foot too long since Two road numbers per scheme;
grew in popularity during the late 1990s model couplers are typically oversize. also available undecorated
into the 2000s, the need for 48-foot well Our sample is decorated as DTTX Features
cars declined. However, the cars were rela- no. 469543, part of TTX Co.’s GW13SF ▪ 33" metal wheelsets, correctly
tively new and still in good condition. class (car numbers 469216 through gauged
Instead of scrapping them, Gunderson 471999). he paint is smooth and evenly ▪ Factory-installed brake gear and
rebuilt the 48-foot cars into 40- (by remov- applied. All of the printing is crisp, with grab irons
ing eight feet from the middle) and 53-foot the small type legible under magniica- ▪ Proto-Max couplers, body-
(adding 21 ⁄2 feet to each end) cars. tion. he placement of the TTX logo, mounted at correct height
he 53-foot well can handle containers reporting marks, and most stencils ▪ Weight: 4.6 ounces (1.5 ounces
from 20- to 53-feet long; containers rang- match prototype photos of the full-size under National Model Railroad
ing in length from 40- to 53-feet can 469543. A few small stencils are in dif- Association recommended
occupy the top position. he loor design ferent locations than the prototype. practice 20.1)
also accommodates two 28-foot trailers or he Walthers model lacks ith wheel
one trailer up to 57-feet long in the well. hitches, which is accurate for the DTTX
cars. he Florida East Coast and St. he 33" metal wheelsets are correctly
Mary’s Ry. West LLC car should have gauged. he Proto-Max metal couplers
them. Cal-Scale and Details West ofer are mounted at the correct height.
ith wheel hitches. I tested the empty car on our HO
I tested 53-foot containers from a scale Wisconsin & Southern project lay-
variety of manufacturers in the well. out. he car ran smoothly across the
hose from Kato and Walthers, which model railroad, which features no. 5
both measure a scale fraction of an inch turnouts and 30" radius curves.
under 53 scale feet, it in the well easily.
Containers from Atlas and Athearn are a Intermodal trains are a big part of
scale 53 feet long. hough the containers today’s railroad scene from coast to
seat properly, the it is tight. coast. he team at Walthers did a great
job capturing the lines of this contempo-
The empty car weighs 4.6 ounces, rary rebuilt car. Whether running empty
which is 1.5 ounces too light based on or with a container or two, the rebuilt
National Model Railroad Association rec- Gunderson 53-foot all-purpose well car
The die-cast metal well car features ommended practice 20.1. Each Walthers will look right at home on a modern
wire grab irons and etched-metal 53-foot container will add 1.8 ounces to HO scale intermodal train. – Cody Griv-
walkways in plastic frames. the car’s weight. no, associate editor
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PRODUCTREVIEWS
QUICKLOOK
Woodland Scenics N, HO, and O The brick-textured building is
scale Dugan’s Paint Store painted an aged tan, with darker
brown weathering applied by airbrush
Price: N scale, $64.99; HO scale, or drybrush. The weathering on the
$69.99; O scale, $129.99 larger scale buildings blends more
Manufacturer realistically; the brush work on the
Woodland Scenics N scale model looked like random
P.O. Box 98 diagonal streaks. On the other hand,
Linn Creek, MO 65052 the green striped awnings looked the fluorescent white glow of the
www.woodlandscenics.com better on the smaller scale models. interior lighting.
Comments: Woodland Scenics has The models were neatly assembled, Visible through the front windows
been adding factory-assembled and glued securely and with no visible are printed cardstock interiors that
painted plastic structures, pre-wired gaps at the corner seams in any scale. look convincing from most angles
with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to Each interior was lined with black when the interior lighting is on. Light is
take advantage of its Just Plug lighting styrene to prevent any light leaks. With blocked from other windows with
system [see the Just Plug product the exception of one trash can that black styrene. Signs advertising
review in the September 2015 issue came loose from our O scale sample various brands of paint on the win-
of Model Railroader. – Ed.]. The latest during shipping, the details were dows and the outside of the building
release in this series is Dugan’s Paint mounted securely, including the provide plenty of visual interest. A
Store, a two-story downtown store- paint-bucket “Dugans” sign out front. determined modeler could replace
front that would look at home in any Each building came with an electri- these signs and the interior to change
small-town setting. cal lead more than a foot long to the building’s identity.
The structure is available in three connect to a Just Plug power supply or Other buildings in the Just Plug
scales, N, HO, and O. The photo above hub. The N and HO models have one series include an Art Deco theater and
right shows the HO building. Some interior white LED. The O scale model a small depot. I’m looking forward to
details that look fine in N scale seem a has two inside, plus a yellow LED over seeing homes and trackside industries
bit outsized in O scale, like the fire the entryway, giving the impression of added to this product line. – Steven
escape railing and ladder. an incandescent bulb in contrast with Otte, associate editor
QUICKLOOK
Seed Scale Models The instruction sheet states that the
tower and depot kit kit can be built in any scale and is
designed for highly advanced model
Price: $39.95 railroaders who have the time and
Manufacturer patience to construct an accurate
Seed Scale Models model, built board-by-board, from
1027 Mill St. home-grown wood.
El Dorado City, NV 89124 Construction of the depot is broken styrene detail parts as appropriate,
www.seedwoodkits.com into two steps. The first step, as plus paint and clear styrene for
Comments: A new company has outlined in the instructions, explains windows. Suggested tools for the
produced what could be the ultimate how to plant the tree seeds (the month project are hobby knives, saws, scale
structure kit for true hobby craftsmen. of April is suggested for U.S. agricul- rules, and adhesives. Also, the instruc-
Seed Scale Models has released a ture climate zones 3 through 8), tions suggest a slow-release fertilizer
line of multi-scale wood kits containing harvest the saplings three to four years for step one of the project. Note that
the raw material needed to build later, and dry the wood and cut it into pines prefer a more acidic soil.
trackside structures. The new line of scale-sized strip lumber. According to an insert in the
kits include the nos. 001 grain elevator, Step two begins with the black-and- package, Seed Scale Models kits were
002 tower and passenger depot, and white photograph of the tower and inspired by two National Model
003 freight shed. And by raw material, depot, and this section of the instruc- Railroad Association members from
we mean really raw. tions states that advanced modelers the Midwest, who challenged each
We examined the no. 002 tower and “would know what to do next.” other’s scratchbuilding techniques in
passenger depot kit, which includes an Time constraints prevented the an ongoing series of jokes.
undated photograph of a Pennsylvania complete construction of Model Construction of these kits indeed
RR tower and depot in Kendallville, Railroader’s review sample. will keep advanced modelers chal-
Ohio, a brief instruction sheet, and The kit provides only wooden parts; lenged, and that’s no joke. – Neil
pine cones, acorns, and maple seeds. modelers must supply any metal or Besougloff, editor

Take your Layout
Next Level
to
the
To create a more realistic layout, consider
constructing buildings and structures that
are unique for each project. Jeff Wilson
shows you what you’ll need to know about:
• Detailing, painting, and creating signs.
• Making structures appropriate for the era,
railroad, and region.
• Techniques for building plastic and
wood kits, as well as kitbashing
and scratchbuilding.
New from
Jeff
Wilson
#12493 • $21.99
Buy now from your local hobby shop!

P27330
Shop at KalmbachHobbyStore.com
Explore
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P27687
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Jerry Dziedzic
ONOPERATION
It takes more than a rule book
Railroads, like many large organiza-
tions, live by their institutional knowl-
edge. Rare is one that can operate with-
out preserving and handing down its
unwritten, informal practices, no matter
how many laws, regulations, manuals,
and rule books it might produce. Oten,
doing things “by the book” actually
slows work down.
“Whiskers” and “Old head” are slang
terms for a railroader high in seniority.
Both suggest the know-how accumulated
with long experience. A good old head
can work magic, weaving a lowly peddler
toward an early quit through a parade of
opposing fast freights. On the other
hand, a crusty old head might chew two
cigars to tatters complaining about a
less-qualiied greenhorn on his crew.
We’re oten challenged operating on a
layout because we don’t bring years of
day-in, day-out experience to the job. Tom Schmieder, working the Valley Shifter job on Steve King’s N scale layout,
sees it takes more than a rule book to make a good railroader. Jerry Dziedzic photo
Let’s follow a memorable run
I once made on Steve King’s Virginia That’s when I realized how much Convey the essential information,
Midland layout. I was called for No. 302, I needed that old head’s help. Coni- rather than scripting every move. Crews
a third class road local called the Valley dence, to paraphrase Mark Twain, is the want to experience an operating session
Shiter. I’m a boomer, not one of Steve’s feeling you have just before you compre- as active participants, not as bystanders.
regulars. his was the irst time I worked hend the full seriousness of the situation. hose who mark up for demanding jobs
the job. It wasn’t the last time I wished Bishop has a long passing siding and enjoy the challenge of independent
I had an old head working with me. the “doubling track,” a short siding used problem-solving.
Simple setouts and pickups made the in the steam days when doubling to the It’s common for hosts to recruit help-
irst stops at Coalwood and Vals Creek top of the hill was common. Now, it’s a ers. Coach them to be available, though
go smoothly. hen the Shiter went to convenient runaround for the local. It not so helpful as to be sufocating. Hav-
work at Cedar Springs, a puzzle of a became immediately apparent that the ing a helper hovering over one’s shoulder
place. Complicated track arrangements yard blocked the Bishops on the rear end can be uncomfortable. Helpers might be
oten require deliberate choices that an for a reason. One quick runaround move at their best when they’re at a respectful
old head can make without thinking. would put the engine behind the caboose distance, not heard from until you ask.
Stumbling through more than a few and the setouts. Instead, Bishop stale- I use two-man crews on many jobs
unnecessary moves made me start to mated me until Steve mercifully stopped during my own operating sessions. New
sweat. Was that the trainmaster over the clock and ended the session. visitors catch on quickly when I pair
there, peeking around the corner of the them with an old head. No railroad,
depot and scribbling notes? Train- How often have we visited a new lay- Class 1 or short line, sends an untrained
masters, like yardmasters, can turn into out and marked up for a local like 302 employee out on the property. Green-
prickly porcupines with little warning. and its Bishop? Do you know that sink- horns needed lengthy break-in even
Work inally done, 302 hunkered ing feeling of wrestling with the work, when they worked on a ive-man crew.
down at the Springs to meet an overdue the unnerving discomfort of blundering While our operating sessions may be
freight. Still wary of the trainmaster, around, bogging down the session? Give more forgiving of mistakes and delays,
I pondered how to set the train up for its the old heads a voice. hosts work hard to achieve realism and
next stops. One was Bishop, a busy place Help your crews grow whiskers. Post they deserve better.
judging by the number of cars to be suggestions on the fascia at the town or Find ways for your crews to work like
placed there. he yard blocked 302’s industry where they apply. Deliver them old heads. hey’ll remember you for a
Bishops on its hind end. he pickups the in a work message addressed to the crew. thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Shiter had made along the line were Prepare written job descriptions, listing
now ahead of them. I used the wait time towns where stops are made and other Jerry Dziedzic is Model Railroader’s
to drill the train, moving the Bishops to useful information. Add to this special new operations columnist. For more
the head end where they would be easier instructions and important suggestions, about Jerry, read this month’s “From the
to work – or so I thought. or “watch outs,” that apply. Editor” on page 8.
Through It All,
Model Railroader ’s
Been There
Explore every Model Railroader issue from 1934 to present,
including the issues and decades featured below.
For a limited time, you can view the
All-Time Digital Archive FREE for 24 hours!
1960s 1970s 1980s

Color photos Bruce Chubb Model
became was a hobby Railroader
prominent as pioneer with celebrated
the legendary his computer- its 50th
Linn Westcott controlled anniversary
became Sunset Valley with a 262-
magazine editor. Modelers railroad. Model Rectifier Co. page issue. Dynatrol and
of the era yearned for Pacific power packs were a staple of the early digital systems were
Fast Mail’s handmade brass era. Bicentennial paint schemes introduced. Malcolm Furlow
locomotives that were became popular. became a hobby rock star
advertised in with his unique project
the magazine. layouts.
Painted and From Model Rectifier Co.

weathered PFM power pack advertisement
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May 1967,
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P27630
TRACKSIDEPHOTOS

Westbound Burlington Northern train
No. 171 glides through the Feather River
Canyon. Jim Pendley of Ellensburg,
Wash., photographed the action on his
HO scale Western Paciic layout, which
was featured in Great Model Railroads
2009. he lead locomotive is an Athearn
Genesis model, followed by two
Overland brass imports.
Want to see your work

in Trackside Photos?
Trackside Photos is a showcase for
the work of Model Railroader
readers. We encourage contribu-
tions. Send your photos (digital
images 5 megapixels or better) to:
Model Railroader, Trackside
Photos, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha,
WI 53187-1612; or upload them to
http://fileupload.kalmbach.com/
Submission/contribute/. Include
caption information, such as
what’s going on in the picture; the
layout’s scale, era, and locale; and
information about the rolling stock
or structures shown. For a copy of
our photo submission guidelines,
contact associate editor Steven
Otte at 262-796-8776, ext. 370, or
sotte@mrmag.com.
Now on ModelRailroader.com
The photo at left of Jim Pendley's HO
scale Western Pacific layout is this
month's free computer wallpaper.
You can download it from our web-
site, www.ModelRailroader.com.

TRACKSIDEPHOTOS
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Electro-

Motive Division GP20 no. 1107 pulls an
empty from the truck transfer terminal
at Delano, Calif., to return it to Bakers-
ield Yard. he action takes place on
the San Joanquin Valley, Ron Mirro’s
freelanced HO scale version of the Santa
Fe’s Valley Division. he locomotive is a
Proto 2000 by Walthers model. Ron, of
Danbury, Conn., shot the photo.

Amtrak No. 6 glides to a stop at the
Terror Creek depot. Ahead is the inal
climb up the western slope of the Rocky A light dusting of snow sits on tree
Mountains, then it’s all downhill into branches and stone outcroppings as Shay
Denver. Paul Brennecke of Golden, no. 67 crosses the trestle with a short
Colo., took the photo on his N scale freight in tow. Norman Raven from
Grand Road, using sotware for greater Wold Newton, East Yorkshire, U.K.,
ield of focus. he depot is scratchbuilt photographed the scene on his On30
and the enginehouse was kitbashed. Great Western RR. he trees are rubber-
ized horsehair on bamboo skewers. he
snow is baby powder and glitter dust.
Led by California Ry. & Navigation

Co. Consolidation no. 27, the newest
locomotive on the railroad, the late
aternoon freight from Innsmouth
Harbor passes through the redwood for-
est at Big Trees on its way to Dunsmuir.
Håkan Nilsson from Rödeby, Sweden,
kitbashed the engine from a Model
Power shell, Roundhouse chassis, and
Bachmann tender. He also photographed
the scene on his HO scale layout.

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LOCATION: 2182 Burton Lane in Martinsville Plaza.
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission
$2.00, Children under 12 free. Contact Jim Overman, 239- $3.00 adult, $5.00 family. Layouts Z-scale to live steam,
Schedule of Events Rate: $35 per issue (45 word maximum). Ads will 272-6396. Dealers, Clinics, AP Judging, Door Prizes, Good Food.
contain the following information about the event: state, city, Contact Trevor Jones, trevjn@sbcglobal.net or Dan Goins
sponsoring organization and name of event, meet, auction or show, FL, LAKELAND: H.B. Plant Railroad Historical Society santafedangoins@comcast.net
dates, location, times, admission fee, name and/or telephone number Train Show and Swap Meet. NEW LOCATION: Highland Park
and/or email of person to contact for information. Name, daytime Church of the Nazarene: Family Ministries Building, 4730 KY, LOUISVILLE: K & I Model Railroad Club Open House,
telephone number and street address of the person providing the Lakeland Highlands Rd., Zip: 33813. March 19, 2016, 9:00am- April 16-17, 2016, Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm.
information is also required but need not be included in the ad. 3:00pm, Adults $7.00, under 17 free w/adult. Contact: Gilbert
Unless otherwise requested, ads will be published in the issue month HO scale. Free admission. 3713 W. Hwy 146, Buckner, KY at
Thomas, Jr., 863-412-3090, Thomas_12399@msn.com Hwy 393. Hwy 393 north from exit 18 on I-71, right onto Hwy
that the event occurs in. Additional months are available at the $35 per Website: http://173.254.28.63/~hbplantr/
issue fee. Please specify issue date(s). 146. Contact info: www.kandimrr.com
Word Ad Rates; per issue: 1 insertion — $2.03 per word,
6 insertions — $1.89 per word, 12 insertions — $1.77 per word. FL, LARGO: Swap Meet & Open House at the Suncoast MD, ANNAPOLIS: WB&A Chapter Toy Train Show.
$30.00 MINIMUM per ad. To receive the discount you must order and Model Railroad Club. Minreg Hall, 6340 126th Ave. April NEW LOCATION: Annapolis Elks Lodge, 2517 Solomon?s
prepay for all ads at one time. Count all initials, single numbers, groups 23-24, 2016, Saturday 9:00am-3:00pm and Sunday 10:00am- Island Road, Edgewater, MD. SUNDAY, March 20, 2016,
of numbers (i.e. 4-6-0 or K-27), names, address number, street 3:00pm. Admission $7.00, 18 and older. Children 12-17 $2.00,
10:00am-3:00pm. Admission $5.00, children under 12,
number, street name, city, state, zip, phone numbers each as one word. and children 11 and younger are free. Free parking. Visit
scouts in uniform free. All scales, 50+ tables, operating
Example: John A. Jones, 2102 South Post St., Waukesha, WI 53187 h t t p s : // w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / S u n c o a s t M o e l
would count as 10 words. RailroadClub?fref=ts layout, Train Doctor, free appraisals. Free parking. Info:
For MR’s private records, please furnish: a telephone number and, www.wba-tca-eastern.org, dbeadie@verizon.net
when using a P.O. Box in your ad, a street address. Model Railroader FL, PINELLAS PARK: Regal Railways Presents a Model
reserves the right to refuse listing. Train Show & Swap Meet. 7177 58th St. North, Saturday, MI, MT. PLEASANT: 36th Annual Mid-Michigan Model
All Copy: Set in standard 6 point type. First several words only set in April 2, 2016. 9:00am-2:00pm. Adults $5.00. Vendors, Train Show. Finch Fieldhouse on CMU campus. Sunday,
bold face. If possible, ads should be sent typewritten and categorized to videos & operating layout. Serving lunch items. Contact March 20, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: $5.00 adults,
ensure accuracy. Joe: 727-244-1341 or visit www.regalrailways.com for more children under 12 free. Free parking. Vendors, operating lay-
Send your submissions to: Model Railroader — Classifieds outs, door prizes. Contact info: Terry Ewing, 989-777-2046,
21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612 Waukesha, WI 53187-1612 information.
twaineee111@yahoo.com or Chris Klemm, 989-892-5956,
Toll-free (888) 558-1544 Ext. 815 Fax: 1-262-796-0126 E-mail:
onlineclassads@kalmbach.com IA, DAVENPORT: 5th Annual Davenport Model Railroad cjklemm@hotmail.com
All ads must be prepaid and pertain to the subject of model & Memorabilia Swap Meet. Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds,
2815 W. Locust St. Saturday, April 30, 2016. 9:30am-4:00pm. MI, MUSKEGON: Muskegon Railroad Historical Society
railroading. Spring Model Train and Hobby Show. Onboard LST 393
Admission: $4.00. Tables $18.00. All scales, operating lay-
outs, food available, free parking. This is Iowa?s Largest Train Veteran?s Museum Ship, 560 Mart Street, Muskegon, MI
Note to Readers: Show dates, times and locations sometimes change.
Confirm the details before driving any distance. Show. Info: 563-391-6431, 8:00-10:00pm 49440. Sunday, April 24, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission
$5.00; children under 5 free. Operating layouts, free parking,
IL, GREENVILLE: American Heritage Railroad Train tour the authentic WW2 ship! See www.mrhs-online.org.
Show: @ American Farm Heritage Museum I-70 @ IL Rt. Contact Mike Wood 231-670-0751.
Schedule of Events 127 (Exit #45). Saturday, June 11, 2016, 10:00am-4:00pm.
Admission: $4.00, under 12 FREE. Train ride with paid admis- MI, WYOMING: Grand River Valley Railroad Club Train
sion. Operating layouts. Dealers welcome $15.00 per table. Show. Home School Building, 5625 Burlingame Ave., Zip:
CA, SIMI VALLEY: Swap Meet, Santa Susana Railroad Contact Jim @ 217-825-6230. 49509. April 9, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission $5.00,
Historical Society, Santa Susana Park, 6503 Katherine Rd., 12 and under free. Dealer tables $16.00. Operating layouts,
March 19, 2016, 7:00am-10:00am. $2.00 donation, kids under IL, JOLIET: Will County Model Railroad Club Swap Meet all gauges. Free parking. Door prizes. Lunch available.
12 free. All scales, equipment, scenery, books and photos. & Open House. Stone City VFW. 124 Stone City Drive. Contact Ken Skopp, 616-667-9680, kwskopp@gmail.com
For vendor table availability contact Dave, 661-753-6006 or Saturday, April 16, 2016, 9:00am-2:00pm. Admission $3.00 http://grandrivervalleyrrc.org
e-mail events@santasusannadepot.org per person, children under 12 free. Dealers Welcome.
Contact: Len Seivert, 815-485-8977 or visit: www.wcmrra.org MN, ST. CLOUD: Granite City Train Show and Sale.
CT, WALLINGFORD: The Mark T. Sheehan High School National Guard Armory, 1710 Veteran?s Drive. Saturday,
8th Annual Model Train Show. 142 Hope Hill Road. April, IL, LOMBARD Chicago O Scale Meet (2-Rail), Westin April 9, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. $6.00, 10/under free. Buy/
3, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. Layouts, vendors, ride-on-train, Lombard Yorktown Center, 70 Yorktown Center.We?ve
sell model/toy trains, books, videos, railroad collectibles.
food, door prizes. Adults $6.00, 5-17 $1.00, under 5 free. Flat moved into April for 2016! April 1-3, 2016. Friday dealer set-
up, show open to public Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm, Sunday Operating displays. Win a LIONEL train set or FSM struc-
surface, no stairs. Contact Phyllis Drescher: 203-265-0223 ture kit. 320-255-0033; edwardolson@cloudnet.com or
or e-mail: jpdrescher@comcast.net 9:00am-2:00pm. Largest dedicated O Scale show out there.
$20.00 entire weekend. Info: Melissa 630-745-7600 or www.GraniteCityTrainShow.com
FL, DELAND: 55th Florida Railfair. Volusia County www.marchmeet.net
MN, WOODBURY: Newport Model RR Club Flea Market
Fairgrounds (Tommy Lawrence Arena), 3150 E. New York & Train Show. Woodbury High School, 2665 Woodlane Drive.
IL, SPRINGFIELD: Springfield Railroad Society Annual
Ave. (SR 44 and I-4). Saturday, April 9, 2016, 9:00am- Train Fair. Orr Building on the State Fairgrounds. Sunday, April 16, 2016, 9:00am-2:00pm. Admission $5.00; Under
4:00pm. Adults $7.00 (under 12 free). Operating layouts. March 13, 2016, 10:00am-4:00pm. Early Bird shopping 12 free. Future Shows: October 15, 2016. Club Address:
Miller, 3106 N. Rochester St., Arlington, VA 22213. 704-536- starts at 9:00am. Free parking. Largest show in down- Newport Train Club, PO Box 0061, St. Paul Park, MN 55071.
2954. E-mail: rrshows@aol.com state Illinois! For info call Mike at 217-306-8427 or visit Contact: Ed, 651-233-3310
www.springfieldtrainfair.com
FL, ENGLEWOOD: Regal Railways presents Model MO, JOPLIN: Museum Complex Train Show and Swap
Railroad Show & Swap Meet. Elks Lodge, 401 N. Indiana IL, URBANA: Midwest Central RR Club 35th Annual Train Meet. In Schifferdecker Park, 7th Street & Schifferdecker
Ave. Saturday, April 30, 2016, 9:00am-2:00pm. Adults $5.00. Show. Urbana Lincoln Square Village, 100 High St. in down- between the golf course and pool. Saturday, March 26, 2016,
Vendors, videos and operating layout. Contact Joe @ 727- town Urbana. April 2-3, 2016, Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm 9:00am-3:00pm. $3.00 adult, under 12 free. Rick Gardner,
244-1341 or visit www.regalrailways.com for more informa- and Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm. No Admission, selling trade, 11486 County Lane 214, Oronogo, MO 64855; 417-673-4888
tion. operating layouts. Contact Rick, 217-552-6514 or e-mail rickgardner4449@gmail.com

NC, WILMINGTON; 1st Annual Coastal Carolina Trainfest. ALWAYS BUYING N Scale Collections- Kato, Atlas, Wanted-O Scale
Coastline Conference Center, 501 Nutt St., Zip: 28401. April Micro-Trains, Custom Painted, Brass or Plastic. Quality Items
23-24, 2016, Saturday 10:00am-5;00pm and Sunday 10:00am- Wanted- Over $1,000,000 Available. Please call Dan Toll- ATSF PS PULLMANS: 8 sect-2 DBR-2 Compt, 8 sect-5
4;00pm. Adults $10,00, 16 and under free w/adult. 15 layouts, Free at: 1-877-227-5557 or 352-292-4116. Mail your list to: DBR and 10 sect-4 Rmts. Sold at various times by Boxcar
clinics, displays, vendors, children?s activities, door prizes Dan Glasure, PO Box 755, Ocklawaha, FL 32183 or E-Mail: Ken, Golden Gate, Pecos River Brass and Exacta. Need pass
and raffles. Visit: www.coastalcarolinatrainfest.org Dan@DansTrainDepot.com & diesel decals for CB&Q and RI. No calls. Jim Seacrest, PO
Box 6397, Lincoln, NE 68506-0397.
OH, BUCYRUS: Bucyrus Model Railroad Assoc. Train BUYING N scale train collections, large or small. Call Tom
Show & Swap Meet. Crawford County Fairgrounds, 610 630-443-9137. FERRIS LOCOMOTIVES (Scale Model Railways
Whetstone St. Saturday, April 9, 2016, 10:00am-4:00pm. - Huntington, Indiana) H.E. Beeson, 248-624-5751,
Adults $5.00, children 12 and under free. Club layout open, CANADIAN TRAIN COLLECTIONS AND
videos, memorabilia, model train parts. Food by Katering dtiman@aol.com
Kountry Style. Contact: Dave Moore 419-462-5035. ESTATES: Buying entire collections anywhere in Canada
or the USA. Brass, plastic, engines, cars, buildings, memo- QUALITY O SCALE FRT & PASS TRAINS mid-50’s
OH, CLEVELAND: All Gauge Model Train and Toy Show. rabilia - everything! Call Don toll-free 1-877-955-7245. E-mail: prototype. Joe Fischer hvywt pass consists and cars. CN
Strongsville Holiday Inn, Rt. 82 and Rt. 71. Saturday, May trainsandsuch@telus.net steam era. Pass decals midwest (Chicago). What have you?
14, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission $6.00, under 10 Full Want List for SSAE. No calls. Jim Seacrest, PO Box
free. 150+ tables. Free parking. Call Ray Diersing, 330-405- 6397, Lincoln, NE 68506-0397.
1425 for tables or e-mail MACSIR@aol.com Sponsored by For Sale-HO Scale
Cuyahoga Valley S Gauge Assoc.
50 YEARS HO TRAINS and accessories, Call Jim Fogg, Wanted-O Tinplate
OH, COLUMBUS: The 8th Ohio N Scale Weekend, 608-835-2657. BUYING O and Standard gauge collections. Lionel, Flyer
?For N-Scalers by N-Scalers? Franklin County Fairgrounds,
and all others. Call Tom 630-443-9137
Hilliard, Ohio. Presented by Central Ohio N-Trak. May ATHEARN PARTS- Closing out. All engine shells $4.00
14-15, 2016, Saturday, 10:00am-5:00pm and Sunday 9:00am- each. All freight shells $1.00 - $2.00 each. Many other parts
3:00pm. Set-up Friday May 13th, 1:00pm-8:00pm. Event
registration $10.00. Event info www.centralohiontrak.org or
50-60% off retail. Call RJ Rennie, 440-234-7186. 197 Best
St., Berea, OH 44017.
For Sale - Miscellaneous
e-mail ohionscaleweekend@yahoo.com
EMBROIDERED RAILROAD PATCHES, 1,000
OH, COLUMBUS: 59th Buckeye Model Trains & Railroad COMPLETE HO MODEL RAILROAD located in mobile designs. Catalog $5.00. The Patch King, PO Box 145, York
home, 15 x 66, in Pittsburgh, PA area. Double track mainline Harbor, ME 03911.
Artifacts Show. Ohio Expo Center (Lausche Bldg.) 717 East
17th Ave. Saturday, April 16, 2016, 9:00am-4:00pm. Adults on two separate but integrated railroads. Over 100 turn-
$7.00 (under 12 free) Operating layouts. 300+ tables. Miller, outs, professionally sceniced, NCE DCC. Trailer movable. TREES! Unique Evergreen Trees and Kits. Realistic
3106 N. Rochester St., Arlington, VA 22213. 703-536-2954. $25,500.00. feypgh@aol.com for pictures. 412-243-5698. and Fun. Save Time & Money. Handcrafted in Oregon.
E-mail: rrshows@aol.com www.coastmans.com Mr. Rasmussen 360-820-3553.
HAG, MÄRKLIN, TRIX, FLEISCHMANN and other
OH, MANSFIELD: Firelands Model Train and Toy Show European brands at very competitive prices. World class
sponsored by: Firelands Society of Model Railroaders. repair facility. E-Shopping fast, convenient, secure, reliable! Wanted - Miscellaneous
Richland County Fairgrounds, 750 N. Home Rd. Saturday, Please visit us on the web at www.helmutshobbies.com
April 30, 2016, 10:00am-4:00pm. Adults $5.00, active mili- Helmuts Hobby Specialties, 83 Brookshire Dr., Warrenton, ALL TRAIN COLLECTORS & MODELERS- We
tary and 18 and under free. 150+ tables, operating layouts. VA 20186. 540-349–4910. need more trains to supply our ever expanding group of
Contact: Rick, 419-318-0980. Map at: www.fsomr.com interested buyers. We buy HO & N Scale Trains - Brass,
MARKLIN (incl.) Ontario Northlander, HAG, Kato, Proto. Marklin, Rivarossi, Atlas, Kato, MicroTrains, etc. as well as
OH, SPRINGFIELD: Springfield Area Model Railroaders DIECAST VEHICLES (larger scales), Solido, Corgy, Dinky, better trains in all scales. We also purchase store inven-
Model Train Show and Flea Market. Clark County Fairgrounds, Britains, Ertl. 817-656-3394. tories. We also can auction your trains with rates starting
I-70, Exit 59. April 3, 2016, 11:00am-4:00pm. $5.00, under 12 as low as 15%. We travel extensively all over the US and
free. Robert D. Chaffin, Jr., 2706 Lagonda Ave., Springfield, PREOWNEDTRAINS.COM For preowned and used Canada. Send us your list today or for more information
OH 45503, 937-399-6647 model trains. Large selection, all scales. World wide shipping. see www.trainz.com/sell Trainz, 2740 Faith Industrial Dr.,
Buford, GA 30518. 866-285-5840, Scott@trainz.com Fax:
PA, HAWLEY: Model Train Show & Sale. Hawley Fire 866-935-9504
Department, 17 Columbus Ave. Sunday, April 24, 2016,
9:00am-3:00pm. Admission $3.00, under 12 free with adult.
For Sale-HO & N Scale MODEL AUTOMOBILE AND TRUCK KITS WANT-
Bill Delling, 618 Fern St., Hawley, PA 18428, 570-226-3206. GOT DIRTY TRACK? HO & N scale track clean- ED- unbuilt or built, any size collection. Fred Sterns,
ers. Made in USA. Dealer inquiries welcome. 48 Standish, Buffalo, NY 14216. 716-838-6797. email:
PA, LEESPORT: RCT&HS Scale Model and Toy Train Show, www.StealthTrackCleaner.com 616-784-4104 fsterns@aol.com
Leesport Farmer?s Market banquet hall, 312 Gernant?s
Church Road. April 3, 2016, 9:00am-1:00pm. For information, WWW.AZTECTRAINS.COM Track cleaning cars from Z
contact Tom Brown, 717-279-6783 (8:00am-8:00pm) or e-mail
mjtsbrown@comcast.net
to G. Phone: 775-883-3327; Fax: 775-883-3357 Photos, Prints, Slides
DUPLICATE SLIDES FOR SALE produced by Al Chione
PA, MONACA: Beaver County Model RR Spring Train Wanted-HO Scale in 80s & 90s. DRGW SG, NG, RGS. Large SSAE with
Show & Sale. Center Stage, 1495 Old Brodhead Road. 4oz Postage for free list. J. Sees, 3935 S. Trapani Dr., St.
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 10:00am-3:00pm. Adults $5.00, #1 A+ ESTATE BUYER OF ALL TRAIN ESTATES- Augustine, FL 32092
under 12 free. Sponsored by Beaver County Model RR & Brass Pieces & Collections wants your material. Including
Historical Society. Contact: Walt Steiner 724-843-3783 or
www.bcmrr.railfan.net or beaverctymrr@gmail.com all types of Brass, old trains, kits, plastic, diecast, buildings,
etc.- we buy it all. Buildings and estates included. We seek Custom Painting & Building
SC, COLUMBIA: Columbia Model Train Show. National better items for personal collections. Call us before you sell
for our offer as we pay the highest prices. Call Don Black toll ABSOLUTELY THE BEST PROFESSIONAL custom
Guard Armory, 1225 Bluff Road. Saturday, March 12, 2016, model railroad services. www.hobbybuilder01.com E-mail:
9:00am-3:00pm. Admission $5.00, under 12 FREE. Contact free 1-866-462-7277. Don Black, 119 Bernhurst Road, New
Bern, NC 28560. E-mail don@donblack.com hobbybuilder01@yahoo.com 978-868-2900, West Palm
Todd at 843-307-8674, www.SouthCarolinaTradeShows.com Beach, Florida
TX, NEW BRAUNFELS: 29th Annual Model Railroad $1,000,000 CASH AVAILABLE- For your collection!
Jamboree. New Braunfels Civic Center, 390 S. Seguin Brass, Plastic, Memorabilia, we buy it all. Call us 352-292- CUSTOM BUILDING & PAINTING, kit building, kit-
Ave. April 9-10, 2016. Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm, Sunday 4116 or mail your list to: BRASSTRAINS.COM, 10515 SE bashing & scratchbuilding. Locomotives, rolling stock, struc-
10:00am-4:00pm. Adults (over 14) $8.00, children (5-14) tures & more. 12 Penny Lane, Newark, DE 19702, 302-229-
115th Ave., Ocala, FL 34472. E-mail: dan@brasstrains.com
$2.00. 300+ vendor tables, layouts including Legos, 6010, www.tmbcustommodels.com
silent auction, refreshments, museum open house. Info: A FAMILY-OWNED COMPANY, Irek’s Toys and Trains, CUSTOM LAYOUT BUILDING. Fine scale custom layout
www.nbrrm.org Jim Edmondson 830-629-2071. purchases trains of all types from brass to plastic. We building. Specializing in prototype modeling. Layout Design.
also offer a competitive consignment option. No collec- The Shelf Layouts Company, Inc. www.shelflayouts.com
UT, OGDEN: 27th Annual Hostlers Model Railroad Festival. tion too small or large. Estate specialists. A leader in
Historic Union Station, 25th St. & Wall Ave., March 4-5-6, 301-404-8164.
model train sales. Fast, Easy, Professional and Friendly
2016, Friday 3:30pm-8:30pm, Saturday 9:00am-5:30pm and service guaranteed. Willing to travel. Call, write, fax or e-mail.
Sunday 9:30am-3:30pm. Admission $6.00, 12 and under free. CUSTOM PAINTING DIESELS, steam, roll-
Layouts all scales, many vendors, Biggest train show in the Ask for Chris, 972-675-8697. Fax: 972-767-4785. E-mail: ing stock. All gauges N-G. Over 25 years experience.
West. Information: 801-394-4952, www.hostlers.info thetrainguys@gmail.com or write to 120 East FM 544, Suite Your equipment or ours. Call for prices! 716-649-4686 or
72 #328, Murphy, TX 75094. bobscustoms2@verizon.net
WA, TACOMA: Tacoma Northwestern Model Railroad Club
Show & Swap Meet. Pacific Lutheran Univeristy, Olson Hall, A FATHER & SON TEAM are looking for large high-quality LAYOUT DESIGN SERVICE. Have a case of design-
12180 Park Ave. South, Zip: 98447. April 2-3, 2016, Saturday Brass & Plastic Collections. We buy your entire collection, ers block? I can help. Completed packages include CAD
9:00am-4:00pm; Sunday 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission $7.00, not just the cream. Over $1,000,000 Available. Many items drawings, track quantities, dimensions, specifications, and
$3.00 under 12. Scouts in uniform free. Portion of proceeds bought are used for personal layout. Call Dan Toll-free follow up support during construction. www.shelflayouts.com
to Boy Scouts. Contact: petermcoulton@gmail.com 206-550- at: 1-877-227-5557 or 352-292-4116 or Mail a List to: Dan 301-404-8164
4583, www.tnwmrr.org Glasure, 10515 SE 115th Ave., Ocala, FL 34472 or E-Mail:
Dan@DansTrainDepot.com MODEL RAILROADS 6X12 TO 4X6. Custom built in
WI, LA CROSSE: La Crosse & Three Rivers Railroad Vermont. Delivery within 200 miles from 05255. Call John,
Club?s 35th Annual Model Railroad Show. La Crosse Center, BRASS PASSENGER CARS; Craftsman’s kits; LIRR 802-774-8412, www.modelrailroadsbyjohn.com
2nd and Pearl St. March 12-13, 2016. Saturday 9:00am- brass and plastic. Challenger Broadway Limited and
5:00pm, Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm. Adults $7.00, $6.50 with Challenger NP Cars. Please call Bob 212-874-6569 or e-mail
non-perishable food item, children 11 and under free w/adult.
Marilyn Klawitter, 507-894-4787.
grandt7@yahoo.com Books and Magazines
BUYING HO train collections, large or small. Also brass. 1985 TO 2015. Complete sets: MR, RMC, Trains &
Call Tom 630-443-9137. R&R. As new, in slip cases. Complete only. $25K. Contact:
Schedule of Events CANADIAN TRAIN COLLECTIONS AND
w.kolbeck@comcast.net
MODEL RAILROAD HOW TO BOOKS. TRACK
ESTATES: Buying entire collections anywhere in Canada
Wanted-N Scale or the USA. Brass, plastic, engines, cars, buildings, memo- PLAN BOOKS. How To Build A Switching Layout. How
rabilia - everything! Call Don toll-free 1-877-955-7245. E-mail: To Design A Switching Layout. 8 Realistic Track Plans For
#1 ESTATE BUYER OF N SCALE COLLECTIONS! Switching Layouts. Details at www.shelflayouts.com
We buy all makes and types - including Brass & European! trainsandsuch@telus.net
Even Nn3! Call us TOLL FREE: 1-866-462-7277. Don
N&W JAWN HENRY TUBINE C & O M1 Turbine. THINNING RR BOOK COLLECTION. Many out of
Black 119 Bernhurst Road, New Bern, NC 28560. E-mail: print titles. SSAE for list. J. Sees, 3935 S. Trapani Dr., St.
don@donblack.com UP ‘No 80’ 3 Unit Turbine. Please contact: B. Dawson, Augustine, FL 32092
Higher Kilnhurst Farmhouse, Kilnhurst Road, Todmorden,
A FAMILY-OWNED COMPANY, Irek’s Toys and Trains, Lancashire, United Kingdom, OL14 6AX Phone No. 01706-
purchases trains of all types from brass to plastic. We 813066 Business Opportunities
also offer a competitive consignment option. No collec-
tion too small or large. Estate specialists. A leader in WANTED HO BACHMANN SCENIC CLASSICS HELP WANTED Hiring Apprentice Model Railroad
model train sales. Fast, Easy, Professional and Friendly cemetery and old time station, original boxes. Rapper corner Modeler/Builder. Position requires the ability to travel out of
service guaranteed. Willing to travel. Call, write, fax or e-mail. art schoolground. Model Power F9 Rock SD35, Rock Pamco state 3-4 times per year (more if desired). No professional
Ask for Chris, 972-675-8697. Fax: 972-767-4785. E-mail: Rail Classics 1988, 89, 90, 91 Atlas Station Lamps. Overland experience needed, will train person with right attitude... just
thetrainguys@gmail.com or write to 120 East FM 544, Suite DL103, R144 Whitcomb, Rivarossi, 900 S. Highland Ave., Apt a passion for building model railroads. Send contact info and
72 #328, Murphy, TX 75094. 3, Fullerton, CA 92832 skill level to MikeShampine@gmail.com

ALABAMA - ILLINOIS LEADING MODEL RETAILERS COLORADO • Denver FLORIDA • Sarasota
Trains, trains, trains.
Retail Directory spaces are sold on a year’s basis at $654 per year (payable in advance) or at $60 per month Since 1938! All scales & gauges. Open daily. Model railroading at its best.
(billed to established accounts for one year minimum); also for six months at $353 (payable in advance). Ads will See all this & more in our on-line catalog. Visit us in the store or
be set in standard listing typography. All insertions must be consecutive and may be invoiced if you have credit http://www.caboosehobbies.com on the Web at www.gcmrr.com
Open Mon-Fri 10-6. Sat 10-5.
established with us. No mention of mail order business permitted. CLOSING DATES are listed in the “Schedule CABOOSE HOBBIES, INC. GULF COAST MODEL RAILROAD, INC.
of Events” section. For more information call 1-888-558-1544, ext. 815. 500 S. Broadway 303-777-6766 3222 Clark Rd. 941-923-9303
ALABAMA • Anniston CALIFORNIA • Costa Mesa CONNECTICUT • Canaan FLORIDA • Tampa Bay - Pinellas Park
Northeast Alabama’s Largest! 2600 sq. ft. Showroom. Lionel & MTH Dealer
All Scales - All Major Brands Lionel, AF, LGB, HO, N, & Z Gauge. Mainly model railroading. NEW, USED, BUY/SELL * All Gauges Z thru G
Tues - Fri 10-6; Sat 9-3 New, used, & collectibles. All scales. Over 6,000 Parts. Repair Services. Trains,
E-mail: modelcitymodels@nti.net Buy, sell, trade & repair. www.berkshirehillshobby.com Track, Sets, Scenic Supplies. Tues - Sat 10-6
www.modelcitymodels.com Tue - Fri 12-7, Sat 9-5, Sun 11-3. Tues - Fri 11-6, Sat & Sun 10-5. www.zitniktrains.com
MODEL CITY MODELS THE TRAIN CROSSING BERKSHIRE HILLS HOBBY SUPPLY ZITNIK TRAINS
2750 Pelham Rd. South #9 256-435-0095 1089-C Baker Street 714-549-1596 93 Main St. (Rt. 44) 860-824-0527 5193 73rd Ave. N. 727-201-9668
ALABAMA • Enterprise CALIFORNIA • Hemet CONNECTICUT • Cos Cob FLORIDA • Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater/PP
Southern Alabama’s largest train store. The last decent place in Florida not
MTH & Lionel authorized dealer. N, HO, HOn3, We carry Lionel, MTH, HO, N, Atlas, Walthers, HO, N, Lionel. Lionel authorized dealer endorsed by Mickey Mouse. Huge inventory
O & G scales. Mon - Sat 10A to 4P Ross switches, Gargraves & Peco. & repair. Plastic, wood kits, rockets, in all gauges. Great store, come see!
highcountryhobbies@gmail.com 45’ long in-store layout. Open 7 days. tools, structural & diorama supplies. Daily 10-6, Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5
www.highcountryhobbies.com www.dynamichobbies.net Special orders welcome. www.hrtrains.com
HIGH COUNTRY HOBBIES DYNAMIC HOBBIES ANN’S HOBBY CENTER H & R TRAINS, INC.
206 South Main St. 334-489-4558 811 East Florida Avenue 951-925-9331 405 E. Putnam Avenue 203-869-0969 6901 US Hwy. 19 N, Pinellas Park 727-526-4682
ALASKA • Anchorage CALIFORNIA • Hollister CONNECTICUT • Manchester GEORGIA • Atlanta (Lilburn)
www.anchoragehouseofhobbies.com Model planes, car, ships & figures. Model train All scales Z, N, HO, O, O-27, G, #1, MTH, HO, Atlas, Bachmann, MTH
Alaska’s best hobby supplier since 1964. scales: Z, N, HO, O & G. Paints, tools. R/C & Lionel, Märklin, LGB, Walthers, Aristo, Trix,etc. Complete scenery supplies.
Two stories, 6,300sf, 1st floor all R/C, parts, incl. service. Craft & educational kits, Digital Sales-Install. Large operating layouts. Operating HO layout and 400 sq. ft. layout.
2nd floor general hobbies, plastics, trains, supplies, products. ESU Lok Sound Dealer - Mon-Wed 10-6 Th-Fri 10-9 Sat-Sun 10-6 HUGE selection in a 11,000 sq. ft. store.
slot cars, telescopes & more! clinics available. Tue - Sat 11-6; Sun 12-4 www.timemachinehobby.com www.legacystation.com 800-964-8724
ANCHORAGE HOUSE OF HOBBIES B.C.T. HOBBY & CRAFTS Time Machine Hobby - New England Hobby Supply LEGACY STATION TRAINS
2803 Spenard Rd. 907-277-7778 201-C McCray St. 831-635-0537 71 Hilliard St. 860-646-0610/Fax-645-0504 4153 Lawrenceville Hwy., #12 770-339-7780
ARIZONA • Apache Junction CALIFORNIA • Lodi CONNECTICUT • Winsted GEORGIA • Atlanta (Riverdale)
Z - N - HO - HOn3 - O27 - On30 A hobby shop for modelers by modelers. Atlanta's Finest Shop for serious modelers!
New Store! Arizona’s premier hobby shop. Locos - Rolling Stock - Digital - Structures From hard to find to latest & greatest. Quality items in all scales at fair prices.
Full scale, all service hobby shop. Trains, Landscaping Material & more. Free classes & clinics / multi scales. Service - Repairs. Over 34 years of quality
planes, cars, boats and R/C. Special orders. www.Rogersrailroadjunction.com Large store of quality products @ fair prices. service. Close to all Interstate Hwys.
Open Mon - Sat See website for virtual tour. Friendly service: www.rrhobbysupply.com 8-min. from Atlanta Airport. Tue-Sat 10-5:30
OBIES TRAINS ROGER’S RAILROAD JUNCTION RR MODEL & HOBBY SUPPLY RIVERDALE STATION
2114 West Apache Trail #11 480-203-1796 105 S. Sacramento St. 209-334-5623 100 Whiting Street 860-379-3383 6632 Hwy. 85, Riverdale Plaza 770-991-6085
ARIZONA • Avondale CALIFORNIA • Pasadena CONNECTICUT • Wolcott GEORGIA • Braselton
DCC Systems, Decoders, Layout Supplies Model rail specialists since 1951. Exclusively brass models. One of the Bargains Galore!
Professional Installations G to Z scales LGB, Lionel, O, S, On3, HO, HOn3, N, Z. largest selections in the country. All scales. Located 1/2 mile off I-85 exit 129.
Mon - Fri 8:00-5:00, Sat 8:00-Noon Complete stock of brass imports, new & used. Buy, consign, trade - entire collections bought. Featuring HO, O, toys and die cast items from
Online Store: LitchfieldStation.com Books, tools, structures, detail parts. Mon - Fri 8 -5 Trainz.com
E-mail: Sales@LitchfieldStation.com Open 7 days. www.thewhistlestop.com www.thecaboose.com Hours: Mon - Sat 10-6, Sun 1-5
LITCHFIELD STATION THE ORIGINAL WHISTLE STOP INC THE CABOOSE ANTIQUE MALL TRAINS
1412 N. Central Ave., Ste. D 623-298-7355 2490 E. Colorado Blvd. 626-796-7791 5 Mohawk Drive 203-879-9797 5134 Georgia 53 706-654-3693
ARIZONA • Glendale CALIFORNIA • Roseville (Sacramento) DELAWARE • Ocean View GEORGIA • Buford (Atlanta)
Exclusively model trains since 1989. No sales tax at the Delaware seashore. Quality, Selection & Service.
Full line of HO scale trains. Athearn, Kato, MDC, Lionel, Atlas, LGB, Lionel new & used . . . . also Atlas, Bachmann, Discount pricing in all scales.
New and used and repair. Mårklin, Brass Imports, books, detail parts. MTH. We buy used trains. Auth. Lionel repairs. Mon - Sat 11-6, Sun 1-6
Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat 10-5; Tues 10-4 Everyday low prices. Open 7 days. Large inventory of used HO trains. Across from NS Mainline in Downtown Buford
www.hobobillstrainhousellc.com www.rrhobbies.com Open Tues - Sat 11-4:30, Closed Sun & Mon Web store at: www.trainmastermodels.com
HOBO BILL’S TRAIN HOUSE RAILROAD HOBBIES SEASIDE HOBBIES TRAINMASTER MODELS
7021 North 57th Dr. 623-939-0981 119 Vernon St. 916-782-6067 15 Daisey Ave. 302-539-1601 601 East Main St. 678-546-3600
ARIZONA • Phoenix CALIFORNIA • San Diego (La Mesa) FLORIDA • Cape Canaveral ILLINOIS • Antioch
Exclusively trains. Craft kits, Exclusively model trains & slot cars. Lionel
Come and see our NEW store! detail parts, scratch supplies, books. Lionel, American Flyer, MTH value-added dealer & Lionel repair. Trains &
Tues - Fri 10-5:30, Sat 9-5, Sun 1-4 Ride the trolley to Reed's. Trains bought and sold accessories discounted. Kato, Atlas, Micro-
Shop online at www.aawtrains.com Open Mon through Sat 10-6; Sun 12-4 www.traincity.com Trains, MTH, LGB & Walthers. Call for hours.
www.reeds-hobbies.com www.choochooauctions.com www.antiochmodeltrains.com
AN AFFAIR WITH TRAINS REED’S HOBBY SHOP TRAIN CITY, INC. - CHARLES SIEGEL ANTIOCH MODEL TRAINS & HOBBY
301 W. Deer Valley Road 623-434-6778 8039 La Mesa Blvd. 619-464-1672 387 Imperial Blvd., Ste. 2 321-799-4005 924 Main St. 847-395-5025
ARIZONA • Phoenix CALIFORNIA • San Mateo FLORIDA • Ft. Myers ILLINOIS • Burbank
Come visit our new store!
Narrow gauge almost exclusively. Lionel, Märklin, HO scale N, HO, O, G scale model railroading. Specializing in HO.
On3 - Sn3 - HOn3 - On30. Domestic and imported trains Paint, tools, scenery, accessories, One of the most complete exclusive model
Kits, parts, brass & books. Mon - Sat 9:30-6; Sun 11-5 & plastic models. railroad shops in the midwest.
Mon-Fri 8-12, 1-5, Sat 8-12. www.talbotstoyland.com Mon - Sat 10:00am-6:00pm. Closed Sun.
CORONADO SCALE MODELS TALBOT’S HOBBIES METRO TRAINS & HOBBIES THE GOLDEN SPIKE TRAIN SHOP
1544 E. Cypress St. 602-254-9656 445 South “B” Street 650-931-8110 12951 Metro Parkway 239-332-0422 6357 W. 79th Street 708-598-3114
ARIZONA • Tempe CALIFORNIA • Santa Clara FLORIDA • Lantana (West Palm area) ILLINOIS • Des Plaines
Family owned, full service. Special orders 100% trains. Discount prices. Super selection. N, HO, S, O, G Std. & Narrow gauge too.
welcomed. Athearn, Lionel, Bachmann, Monday 9:30am-3:00pm Full line Hobby Shop specializing in Trains. Lots of scratchbuilding parts and stuff too.
Digitrax & Soundtraxx dealer. Plastic models, Tuesday - Saturday 9:30am-6:00pm Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4 Brass, books & DVDs. Close to O'Hare.
books, magazines, paints, building materials, Closed Sunday www.depothobbyshop.com M, T, W, F 10-6; Th 10-8; Sat 9:30-5; Sun 11-5
scenery, & more. Free classes and clinics. Dennis Cole E-mail: dcole4449@att.net 1/2 mile east of I-95 exit #61. Web Store: www.desplaineshobbies.com
HOBBY DEPOT THE TRAIN SHOP THE DEPOT HOBBY SHOP DES PLAINES HOBBIES
216 W. Southern Ave. 480-968-1880 1829 Pruneridge Ave. 408-296-1050 518 W. Lantana Rd. 561-585-1982 1524 Lee St. (Mannheim Rd.) 847-297-2118
ARKANSAS • Jacksonville CALIFORNIA • Santa Rosa FLORIDA • Miami ILLINOIS • Downers Grove
Headquarters for scale hobbies. Models;
N-HO-O trains; tools; paint, etc. HO and N Scale is our specialty. We sell new Shop "Warehouse Style" for Z to G. HO and N Scale Model Trains and Accessories
Discounts & special orders. and vintage. Factory-trained DCC installation. MTH, Lionel, Kato, LGB, Broadway Ltd., Two Blocks South of Metra Station
Open 10-6, closed Sundays and Wednesdays. Model trains is all we do. Atlas, Peco, Walthers at discount prices. at Maple Ave.
www.railandspruehobbies.com Mon - Fri 10-6, Sat 10-4 Open Tues - Sat 10-4, Closed Sun & Mon www.timberlinetrainshop.com
RAIL & SPRUE HOBBIES POGGIES TRAINS READY TO ROLL TIMBERLINE TRAIN SHOP, LTD.
1200 John Harden Dr. 501-982-6836 100 Foley Street 707-545-7643 831 N.W. 143rd Street 305-688-8868 5228 Main St 630-324-6136
CALIFORNIA • Atascadero CALIFORNIA • Tehachapi FLORIDA • Ocala ILLINOIS • Elgin
All scales G to Z. Special orders welcome.
Midway LA & SF. US 101-US 41, easy access. Visit us and the Tehachapi Loop HO, N trains & accessories HO & N Scale
Open Tuesday - Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-5 N thru G - Also Trains with History Visa, MC, AX, Discover Scratch building supplies, paints, tools and
E-mail Anita at: cctrainsa@hotmail.com Mon -Sat 9:30-5 (closed Tue & Wed), Sun 11-4 Open Mon - Fri 10-5:30, Sat 9-4 much more. We special order. Digitrax dealer.
Web site: www.centralcoasttrains.com www.trainsetc.biz or trainsetc@sbcglobal.net Call for Sunday hours. www.bgtrainworld.com
CENTRAL COAST TRAINS TRAINS, ETC. ROB'S HOBBY WORLD B & G TRAIN WORLD
7600 El Camino Real # 3 805-466-1391 114 W. Tehachapi Blvd. 661-822-7777 8585 SW Hwy. 200 352-854-2799 829 Walnut Ave. 847-888-2646
CALIFORNIA • Bellflower CALIFORNIA • Westminster (Orange Co.) FLORIDA • Orlando ILLINOIS • Geneseo
Friendly Hobby Store Now Open! One of Florida's largest model train & hobby Scale Trains, Models & Hobby Supplies
We carry N, HO, HOn3, S, Sn3. RailMaster, World Famous shops. All scales. Specializing in Midwest Roads
Athearn, Tangent & more. DCC: Digitrax, Model/Toy Trains Only Authorized Lionel & MTH service station. Mon- Visit Our Website or Call for
Soundtraxx, dealer. Special Orders Welcomed! 7,000 sq. ft. Super Center Thu 9-7:30, Fri 9-9, Sat 9-6. New Location and Hours
www.railmasterhobbies.com www.arniestrains.com 20 min. from Disney. GRHOBBIES.COM
RAILMASTER HOBBIES ARNIE’S MODEL TRAINS COLONIAL PHOTO & HOBBY, INC. GREEN RIVER HOBBIES
9812 Belmont St. 562-867-5627 6452 Industry Way 714-893-1015 634 North Mills 407-841-1485 119 W. Exchange St. 309-944-2620
RETAIL DIRECTORY
CALIFORNIA • Burbank CALIFORNIA • Yuba City FLORIDA • Pensacola ILLINOIS • Marion

All scales G through N, collectibles old & new. A full service model train store. Large Competitive prices, friendly service.
Authorized LGB, Lionel, MTH & Märklin dealer. inventory, HO, N, O & O27 Tinplate. All makes & models, trains & accessories Full-Line Hobby Shop.
One of the most complete train stores in Books, videos, collector & gift items. Z - G. Lionel, Micro-Train, MTH Dealer HO & N scale locomotives, scenery,
So. Calif. UPS worldwide shipper. Repair service. We buy old toy trains. www.trainsbyjohnson.com plastic models, R/C, tools, paints, and more.
Visit our website at www.trainshack.com www.westerndepot.com Old Palafox St. at 10 Mile Rd. Open Tue - Fri 1:30-6:30pm, Sat 10am-4pm
THE TRAIN SHACK THE WESTERN DEPOT TRAINS BY JOHNSON CHUCK’S DEPOT
1030 N. Hollywood Way 800-572-9929 1650 Sierra Ave. #203 530-673-6776 10412 N. Palafox Hwy. 850-478-8584 1913 W. Rendelman St. P/F 618-993-9179
CALIFORNIA • Concord COLORADO • Colorado Springs FLORIDA • Port Orange (Daytona Beach) ILLINOIS • Maryville
Largest selection in the East Bay. 93 foot HO New and used brass, Southern Colorado's Your Southern Connection for Quality Large 60’ x 70’ customer operated DCC HO
layout. Buy - sell - trade - consign - repairs - oldest, largest, and most complete train store. Products! Featuring O, HO, N, Woodland layout. Located 17 miles from St. Louis near
detail parts in all scales. Lionel. All gauges. Authorized Lionel Scenics. MTH MegaStation & National Service I-70/I-55 exit 15B. For shop hours/maps
Discount prices & friendly service. and MTH sales and service. Center. Breyer Horses. Mon - Fri 9:30-5; pictures, layout construction times, train
Website: www.just-trains.com www.CustomRailwaySupply.com Sat 9:30-4. www.roundhousesouth.com running see www.k-10smodeltrains.com
JUST TRAINS CUSTOM RAILWAY SUPPLY ROUNDHOUSE SOUTH K-10'S MODEL TRAINS
5650 Imhoff Dr. 925-685-6566 1015 Garden of the Gods Rd., #150 719-634-4616 4611 S. Ridgewood Ave. 386-304-7003 19 Schiber Court 618-288-9720

ILLINOIS - OREGON
ILLINOIS • Mundelein MASSACHUSETTS • Ashburnham NEBRASKA • Omaha NEW YORK • Mineola L.I.
Specializing in trains, HO, N, O, G, Lionel. Specializing in New England road names, Trains & supplies for all scales Z-G. We are Since 1949. Long Island’s largest full-line
Books and videos. Northern IL railfan HO/N Scale. Micro-Trains, Walthers, Horizon. DCC ready & installation service available. hobby superstore. 10,000 sq. ft. Featuring
headquarters. Closed Monday. Please call for Special orders discounted. Tu & Th 10-4, Wed Service work, repairs, technical support. MTH, Lionel, Marklin HO and Z, HO and N
other hours. Fax 847-949-8687. & Fri 11-6, Sat 10-6 www.halfpricehobby.com Family owned since 1938. Mon-Fri 8:00-5:30; scales. Books, detail parts and much more.
ronhobby@aol.com service@halfpricehobby.com and Sat 10:00-5:00 www.houseoftrains.com www.willishobbies.com
RON'S MUNDELEIN HOBBIES SHEPAUG RAILROAD COMPANY HOUSE OF TRAINS WILLIS HOBBIES INC
431 N. Lake St. (Rt. 45) 847-949-8680 23 Westminster St. 978-537-2277 8106 Maple St. 402-934-RAIL (7245) 300 Willis Ave. 516-746-3944
ILLINOIS • Springfield MASSACHUSETTS • Duxbury NEVADA • Las Vegas NEW YORK • Smithtown
HO / G / N. G - 1 - O - S - HO - N - Z While in Las Vegas, O, HO, & N gauges.
Special orders / discount prices. Buy - Sell - Trade - New - Used - Repairs check out our train selection. All major lines carried.
Display layouts / clinics / assistance. Märklin Dealer Close to the Las Vegas strip. We are model railroaders.
Call for hours. Wednesday - Sunday 11-6 Hours: Mon - Fri 10-7, Sat 10-6, Sun Noon-5.
CASTLE TRAINS & TREASURES DUXBURY GREEN, INC. HOBBYTOWN USA 3 GUY'S HOBBIES
4782 Old Jacksonville Rd. 217-793-0407 382 Kingstown Way (Rt. 53) 781-585-2164 4590 W. Sahara Ave., #103 702-889-9554 10 Lawrence Ave. 631-265-8303
INDIANA • Bremen MICHIGAN • Bridgeport NEVADA • Las Vegas NEW YORK • Syracuse (East)
Scales Z to G. All at discount prices. 100% scale model railroading. HO, S, O, N.
Small town, Large shop, O, HO & N scales. Am. Models, Aristo, Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann, Electric trains & accessories Northeastern, New England, Canadian
Discounts. Three operating O, HO & N layouts. Con-Cor, IHC, USA, Kadee, Kato, N, HO, S, O specialists. Exclusive; Northeast Modeler,
Large selection- since 1961. K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Walthers, LGB, HLW. Lionel/American Flyer Dealer West Shore Line kits. Closed Mon. Call for free
Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri 10-6; Sat 10-4. www.jvrailroad.com map & hours. www.centralhobby.com
BREMEN HOBBIES JUNCTION VALLEY RR HOBBY SHOP TRAIN EXCHANGE CENTRAL HOBBY SUPPLY
308 N. Bowen Ave., SR 331 574-546-3807 7065 Dixie Hwy. 989-777-3480 6008 Boulder Hwy. 702-456-8766 102 Walter Dr. 315-437-6630
INDIANA • Dyer MICHIGAN • Flint NEVADA • Las Vegas NEW YORK • Wellsville
N, HO & O, DCC & Digitax Dealer. Atlas, G (LGB & 1:20,3), O (Lionel & MTH), On30, HO, O, HO & N. Weaver, Atlas, Athearn, MDC &
Athearn, BLI & Walthers. Plastics, modeling N, & Z. Locos,cars, figures, buildings, track, Big selection of HO, N and Lionel O Gauge Walthers. Start-to-finish railroad supplies.
supplies & detail parts. Special orders. kits, scenery supplies, details, books & videos. trains. Only 7 miles west of the Las Vegas Magazines, Craftsman kits & Kadee.
Competitive prices. Mon - Fri 10-6; Sat 10-5; Digitrax Dealer. Repair service. VISA/MC. strip. www.westsidetrainslv.com Old local lines like W.A.G., Erie & E.L.
Sun 11-3. www.parklanehobbiesonline.com Mon-Fri 10-8, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5 Tues. - Fri. 12-5, Sat. 10-3.
PARK LANE HOBBIES RIDERS HOBBY SHOP WESTSIDE TRAINS EAST DYKE DEPOT
1080 Joliet St. (US 30) 219-322-1123 2061 S Linden Rd 810-720-2500 2960 S. Durango #117 702-254-9475 332 E. Dyke St.(Rt. 417E) 585-593-0005
INDIANA • Indianapolis MICHIGAN • Fraser NEW HAMPSHIRE • Hampton Falls NORTH CAROLINA • Arden
Bachmann- HO-50+ new engines/500+ rolling HO, N, Model Trains and accessories.
stock including Thomas- N scale/50+ new Full line hobby shop. HO - N - O & accessories. Broadway Limited, Kato, Walthers,
engines/300+ rolling stock- On30/70+ engines Open Mon - Fri 10 -8, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5 Carrying Atlas, Athearn, Digitrax, Atlas, Athearn, and more.
100+ rolling stock- 400+ used O27 pieces- www.pdhobbyshop.com MTH-RailKing, Lionel, Williams Mon - Fri 9:00am-5:00pm Order by phone 24
1,000+ acc. Open every day but Xmas, 11-6 Open 7 days a week 10-5. hours. www.factorydirecttrains.com
SANFORD & SON TRAIN YARD P & D HOBBY SHOP BRENTWOOD ANTIQUES FACTORY DIRECT TRAINS
3444 North Shadeland Ave. 317-748-3337 31280 Groesbeck Hwy. 586-296-6116 106 Lafayette Rd. (Rt. 1) 603-929-1441 7 Glenn Bridge Rd., Ste. B 800-990-3381
INDIANA • Indianapolis MICHIGAN • Grand Rapids NEW HAMPSHIRE • Intervale NORTH CAROLINA • Raleigh/Wake Forest
Trains are our only business! HO, N, O27. LGB, O (Lionel, MTH & Scale), HO, N & Z Authorized Digitrax, Soundtraxx, Walthers,
Brass, books, magazines, detail parts, paints & Locos, cars, figures, buildings, track, tools, Z, N, HO, O, G, LGB, Märklin. Bowser dealer. DCC experts. Installation &
accessories. 1 block West of kits, scenery supplies, details, books, videos. Hobby Shop, Museum. Service. Computerized customer order
Shadeland Ave. on Washington St. Digitrax Dealer. Repair service VISA/MC 16,000 square feet. tracking. “Sharing the joy of model railroading”
Mon-Sat 10:30-6. www.waynestrains.biz Open Mon - Fri 10-8 & Sat 10-7 www.hartmannrr.com www.trainbuddy.com
TRAIN CENTRAL RIDER’S HOBBY SHOP HARTMANN MODEL RAILROAD, LTD. TRAIN BUDDY™ PRODUCTS
6742 E. Washington (U.S. 40) 317-375-0832 2055 28th Street SE 616-247-9933 15 Town Hall Rd 603-356-9922 / 9933 1200 Jenkins Rd. 919-562-4378
INDIANA • Lafayette MICHIGAN • Leslie NEW JERSEY • Cedar Grove NORTH CAROLINA • Spencer
New location. You have to see it to believe it. Michigan’s Largest N Scale Dealer. Celebrating our 33rd Anniversary 1979-2013. Across from NC Trans Museum. Big selection
Color photos, rolling stock, structures, Tue - Thur 1-9. Fri & Sat* 1-5. Authorized Märklin Digital Dealer. Lionel of trains in all scales, Digitrax Dealer, RR
detail parts; HO, HOn3, O, N scales. *Closed Saturdays Memorial to Labor Day. Station & V.A.D. LGB Train Stop. videos/books & children’s toys Tue-Sat: 10
Monday - Friday 12-5; Sat 10-5. We also carry Z, HO & G Scales. O, O-27, HO, N & Z scale. -5:30. www.littlechoochooshop.com
Evenings by appointment. www.ggtrains.com We sell the best & service the rest. or info@littlechoochooshop.com
HAWKINS RAIL SERVICES G&G TRAINS TONY'S TRAIN TOWN LITTLE CHOO CHOO SHOP, INC.
3501 Union St., Suite 6 765-742-5577 1800 Baseline Road 517-589-5977 575 Pompton Ave. 973-857-2337 500 S. Salisbury Av. 704-637-8717/800-334-2466
IOWA • Urbandale MICHIGAN • Saginaw NEW JERSEY • Kenvil NORTH CAROLINA • Wilson
N, HO, & O Personalized Customer Service! Complete stock HO, N, O, G. Discounts.
Lionel, MTH, Atlas Trains & Accessories N to G Full service hobbies, a full line of HO layout display. I-95 Exit 119, east on US
Exit #129 I-80/I-35, 2 miles south Authorized Lionel/K-Line, MTH, DIGITRAX HO, N, 3-Rail, military, cars, boats, 264, 4 miles to exit 42, right on Downing Street
Iowa’s premier Model Railroad store Sales & Service - over 12,000 parts planes, dollhouses, scratchbuilding and go to first light.
Open 7 days a week. www.traindoctor.com supplies, plus details-details-details! Tues. - Sat. 10 a.m. -6 p.m.
HOBBY HAVEN BRASSEUR ELECTRIC TRAINS KENVIL HOBBIES THE ANTIQUE BARN TRAIN SHOP
2575 86th Street 515-276-8785 410 Court St. 989-793-4753 590 Rt. 46 973-584-1188 2810 Forest Hills Rd. SW 252-237-6778
KANSAS • Overland Park (KC Area) MICHIGAN • Traverse City NEW JERSEY • Mountain Lakes OHIO • Alliance
O, S. HO, N, Z & G Scale
Lionel, MTH, A/F, Marklin, LGB & more! Let your imagination run wild! One of northern NJ's largest train stores. Auth. New and used trains of all scales. Custom
New, Used & Vintage. Extensive scenery line. Z to G, Lionel, scenery, tools, Lionel sales, service, and parts. Old painting, full service repair department.
Repair, custom work & layouts. structures, scratchbuilding supplies, Lionel trains bought and sold. LGB, Atlas, Life- Tue, Thu, Fri 12-8pm, Sat 10-3pm.
www.fredstrainshop.com special orders, ships, armor, cars, more... Like, MDK. Auth. Walther's dealer. www.alliancelink.com/robstrains
FRED’S TRAIN SHOP TRAINS & THINGS HOBBIES THE TRAIN STATION ROB'S TRAINS
7327 West 80th St. 913-383-3500 210 East Front St. 231-947-1353 Romaine Road 973-263-1979 333 E. Main St. 330-823-7222
MAINE • Falmouth MICHIGAN • Troy NEW JERSEY • Piscataway OHIO • Columbus
HO scale model trains. Custom paint, struc- FORMERLY MERRI-SEVEN • NEW LOCATION Serving hobbyists since 1933.
ture building, scenery, parts, tools, DCC, N. E. All scales Z thru G, new and used Large selection of HO, N, S & O scale
RRs our specialty. Located on Rt. 1 between Complete selection of RR equipment/supplies Railroad books - complete repair service All scales: N, HO, LGB
Portland & Freeport. Mon - Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4 BUY • SELL • REPAIR • PARTS Mon., Tues. & Thurs. 10am-6pm, www.hobbylandstores.com
www.mainemodelworks.com Tues - Fri 11-7, Sat. 11-6 Sat. 10am-5pm, Wed. & Fri. 10am-9pm.
MAINE MODELWORKS EMPIRE TRAINS & HOBBIES THE MODEL RAILROAD SHOP, INC. HOBBYLAND
417 US Route 1 207-781-8300 3278 Rochester Rd. 248-680-6500 Vail Ave. & New Market Rd. 732-968-5696 206 Graceland Blvd. 614-888-7500
MAINE • York MICHIGAN • Wyoming NEW JERSEY • Point Pleasant Beach OHIO • Columbus
A Complete Model Railroad Store • Over 600 Exclusively trains.
Model trains & slot cars. Most scales available. HO, N and Marx bought and sold. Engines in Stock N• HO • O DCC/DCS/TMCC LGB, Lionel, O, HO, N scales.
Accessories & services. New, pre-owned & American Flyer and Lionel also. Authorized MTH & LIONEL Dealer. Walthers • Books, Thomas, videos.
vintage. Working layout! Open 7 days 10-5 Tuesday thru Friday 12-6, Saturday 10-5. Atlas • Atlas O. Sun - Thur 10-6, Fri - Sat 10-8 Mon - Thur 10-6, Fri 10-8, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5
www.yorkvillagemarketplace.com Other hours available by appt. Please call. www.thetrainroomnj.com www.trainstationohio.com
YORK VILLAGE MARKETPLACE HOBBY RECYCLING THE TRAIN ROOM THE TRAIN STATION
891 U.S. Route 1 207-363-4830 2313 Lee St. SW 616-257-7155 715 Arnold Ave. 732-892-5145 4430 Indianola Ave. 614-262-9056
MARYLAND • Annapolis MISSOURI • Branson/Hollister NEW JERSEY • Somerville OHIO • Mansfield
If we don't have it, we'll get it! LGB, Woodland The Ozarks' full-line hobby center Full line all scales N thru G. Full line hobby shop since 1977.
Scenics, Walthers Dealer, Aristo, N-G scale trains & building accessories Specializing in service. Z through G scales.
Delton, Pola, Lionel, Bachmann, Mon - Sat 9am-5pm, Closed Sun Tues to Fri 11 am - 7 pm; Authorized Lionel service station.
Spectrum, Proto 2000. Mon - Sat 10-6. E-mail: bransonhobbyctr@aol.com Sat 11 am - 5 pm; Sun 12 pm - 4 pm Thomas the Tank and Brio.
Full line Kalmbach! starhobby1@msn.com www.bransonhobbycenter.com www.biglittle.com Fax # 908-685-8894 Open Mon-Sat 10-5, Fri 'til 6:30.
STAR HOBBY BRANSON HOBBY CENTER THE BIG LITTLE RAILROAD SHOP JOHN’S HOBBY SHOP
1564 Whitehall Rd. 410-349-4290/4291 251 Saint James St. 417-335-6624 63 W. Main St. 908-685-8892 15 N. Main St. (on the Square) 419-526-4426
MARYLAND • Baltimore/Cockeysville MISSOURI • St. Louis NEW JERSEY • Westmont OREGON • Beaverton
Model RR headquarters since 1913.
Excellent selection HO & N equipment & Full line electric train store - N, HO, O & G Athearn, Atlas, Bowser, Walthers. Complete full line service hobby shop.
accessories; Lionel. All at disc. prices. All major lines including Lionel, Kato, Walthers Structures, books. Z, N, HO, O, Lionel, and LGB.
Mon - Fri 10-5; Sat 9-5. & Bachmann. We provide service and repair. Exclusively trains since 1955. Open Mon - Fri 10-8, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5.
www.modeltrainstuff.com Open 7 days a week. HO and N.
M.B. KLEIN HOBBYTOWN USA SATTLER’S HOBBY SHOP TAMMIE’S HOBBIES
RETAIL DIRECTORY
243 Cockeysville Rd., Ste. A 410-229-9995 15037 Manchester Rd. 636-394-0177 14 Haddon Ave. 856-854-7136 12024 SW Canyon Rd. 503-644-4535
MARYLAND • Mt. Airy MONTANA • Billings NEW YORK • Horseheads OREGON • Eugene
For all your model railroad needs. Sales & Model railroading headquarters for the Complete HO & N for beginners, experts. O-27
service since 1910. Authorized Lionel value Northern Rockies. HO, HOn3 & N scale. Kits, N, HO, O, & G scales. and G too. We carry all major brands.
added dealer, service station #20. parts, tools, books. Tues-Fri 10-5:30; Sat 10-4. Authorized Lionel dealer. Scratchbuilding supplies, books, tools. Big RC
American Flyer, MTH sales and service. Closed Sun & Mon. trains28@bresnan.net www.wholesaletrains.com selection, planes, boats, cars.
www.traindepotatmtairy.com www.jimsjunction.com Open Mon - Sat 9-6, Friday to 7.
TRAIN DEPOT JIM'S JUNCTION LANTZ HOBBY SHOP EUGENE TOY & HOBBY
1 S. Main St. 301-607-8155 811-B 16th St. West 406-259-5354 3312 S. Main St. 607-215-0019 32 East 11th Ave. 541-344-2117
MARYLAND • Sykesville NEBRASKA • Deshler NEW YORK • Hurley OREGON • Portland
Central Maryland’s best kept secret - a family Largest HO/N scale inventory from Denver to Trains- Z, N, HO, S, O, G scale, models,
friendly model train shop that specializes in Chicago. Stop in and say WOW! All major rockets, hobby supplies. Lionel & MTH HO, N, Z, Lionel, DCC, brass
HO & N Scale at very generous discounts. brands plus books, videos, tools & scenery. authorized dealer. 4 working layouts. Repairs, Reservation discounts, new, used,
Please call for hours or visit us at Mon-Fri 10-6, Weekend hours vary- call buy/sell. Open 7 days. An old fashioned Consignments, 16 minutes from Airport
www.themoosecaboose.com ahead! www.springcreekmodeltrains.com general store. www.hurleycountrystore.biz www.hobbysmith.com
THE MOOSE CABOOSE SPRING CREEK MODEL TRAINS, HURLEY COUNTRY STORE INC THE HOBBY SMITH
1341 W. Liberty Rd. 410-795-4610 304 E. Bryson Ave. 402-365-7628 2 Wamsley Pl. (Old Hurley) 845-338-4843 1809 NE Cesar Chavez Blvd. 503-284-1912

OREGON - SWITZERLAND OREGON • Portland TENNESSEE • Knoxville VIRGINIA/MARYLAND • Chantilly, VA CANADA–ON • Dundas
Your complete model railroad store. Located in Knoxville’s premier shopping Full service storefront & online store. All makes Your full line hobby shop. Open 7 days a
Gauges Z through G. destination. We are the area’s most diverse & scales. New/used trains sales, service, repair week. N, HO, AF, Lionel, LGB. Scenery and
Mon - Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5, Closed Sunday hobby store with a large selection of HO, N, & upgrades. Retail Store - www.traindepot.biz scratchbuilding supplies. Walthers dealer,
www.wsor.com and O. Open 7 days a week. Authorized Lionel Service Station & Digitrax Kato products. Special orders welcome!
Turkey Creek Area. dealer. Online Sales Visit www.JTTrains.com E-mail us at: sales@dundasvalleyhobby.ca
WHISTLE STOP TRAINS HOBBYTOWN USA TRAIN DEPOT DUNDAS VALLEY HOBBY
11724 SE Division St. 503-761-1822 11145 Turkey Dr. 865-675-1975 13944 Willard Rd., Suite I 703-953-3767 15 Cootes Dr. 905-628-9156
PENNSYLVANIA • Blue Ridge Summit TENNESSEE • Wartrace WASHINGTON • Burien (Seattle) CANADA–ON • Fergus
The Exclusive model railroad store. Located next to CSX Nashville-Chattanooga New location - downtown Burien. Model Trains for Beginners to the Experts.
From N to G, we stock it all. mainline 10 min. off I-24 exit #97. Model Close to SEA-TAC airport - short drive from Buy, Sell, Trade, Repair.
OPEN 7 days a week. railroad supplies, operating HO, O & N scale downtown Seattle. New & vintage electric HO, N, O/O27, S, G.
Only minutes from Frederick, MD. trains, railroadiana, collectibles. Wed-Sat 10-5; trains in all scales. Tue-Sat 11-6 Come See Our Trains.
www.mainlinehobby.net Sun 1-5 www.dixieflyertrains.com www.electrictrainshop.com www.2bintrains.on.ca
MAINLINE HOBBY SUPPLY THE DIXIE FLYER THE ELECTRIC TRAIN SHOP 2B IN TRAINS
15066 Buchanan Trail E. 717-794-2860 98 Main St. 1-800-465-0448 625 SW 152nd St. 206-244-7077 6168 Road 29 519-787-3280
PENNSYLVANIA • Bristol TEXAS • Athens WASHINGTON • Kirkland CANADA–ON • London
Specializing in HO, HOn3 & Brass Lionel, American Flyer, LGB, HO, N. Complete Canadian trains & more N, HO, G,
We carry most major brands and accessories Blackstone• Tsunami • InterMountain • Kadee Buy, sell, and repair. Athearn, Hornby, Peco, Walthers. Special
for N - G gauge. SELL - BUY - REPAIR Digitrax Dealer • Walthers • Coach Yard Supplying all your railroading needs. orders, plastics, parts, supplies, books, DVD’s.
March - Sept. W - F 11-8; Sat 11-7; Sun 11-6 Decoder installs & custom painting. Open Mon-Sat. Mon - Fri 10-6, Sat 9-5. sales@rrhobby.ca
www.trainpops.com trainpopsattic@gmail.com jack@harrishobbies.com www.harrishobbies.com www.eastsidetrains.com www.rrhobby.ca
TRAINPOPS ATTIC HARRIS HOBBIES EASTSIDE TRAINS, INC. BROUGHDALE HOBBY
315 Mill St. 215-788-2014 9323 CR 1127 903-489-2646 217 Central Way 425-828-4098 1444 Glenora Drive 519-434-0600
PENNSYLVANIA • Broomall TEXAS • Corpus Christi/Portland WASHINGTON • Spokane CANADA–ON • Mississauga
Lionel, American Flyer, LGB-Aristo. HO, N, O and G scale. New and used trains. 6,000 sq. ft. All Trains!
HO, N, ON30, RMT. Standard O & S gauges Radio control planes, boats and cars. 100% trains. Premier Selection & Service!
bought, sold & traded. Auth. service center. Plastic kits, rockets - all at discount prices. Open Monday-Friday 10am - 6pm. In store clinics and layouts!
Mon, Wed, Fri 10-9, Tue & Thu 10-7, Sat 10-5 Thur & Fri 3pm-6pm, Sat noon-6pm, Always open Saturday 10 - 5. Railfan Headquarters! Quick special orders!
www.nstrains.com Sun 2-5pm and also by appointment. Closed Sunday & holidays. www.cvrco.com
NICHOLAS SMITH TRAINS JIM’S HOBBIES SUNSET JUNCTION MODEL TRAINS CREDIT VALLEY RAILWAY COMPANY, LTD
2343 West Chester Pike 610-353-8585 207 7th St. (Portland) 361-229-0229 419 E. Sprague Ave 888-838-2379 2900 Argentia Rd. Unit #24 1-800-464-1730
PENNSYLVANIA • Duncansville (Altoona) TEXAS • Dallas WASHINGTON • Tacoma CANADA–ON • Mount Forest
Everything in the store is discounted. Trains, Official Lionel Layout Builder Since 2001 Lionel, LGB, HO, N, G 45 Min North of Guelph. Fax# 519-323-3809.
models, R/C, rockets, and pinewood derby. Traingineer shop/showroom includes; Athearn, Bachmann, Walthers, Micro-Trains Authorized Lionel value added dealer.
Email: littlejuniatariver@aol.com Store Custom Layouts, Modulars, Model Stations, Books, paints, supplies, Thomas One of Canada’s largest lionel retailers
Hours: Tues - Fri 10am-6pm; Bridge Kits...come see...there’s always See our website! www.tacoma-trains.com MTH, K-Line & more. Full line HO dealer.
Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 12pm-4pm. something new!!! www.TrainWorxStore.com Mon - Sat 10-6 (Sun 11-4 Nov-Jan) www.tctrainscanada.com Closed Monday.
HOLIDAY HOBBIES TW TRAINWORX TACOMA TRAINS THE TRAIN CELLAR
1205 Plank Road 814-696-3533 2808 McGowan St. 877-881-4997 3813 North 26th St. 253-756-7517 130 Main Street North 519-323-3935
PENNSYLVANIA • Gettysburg TEXAS • Dallas (Addison) WISCONSIN • Bay View (Milwaukee) CANADA–ON • Ottawa (Vanier)
Everything for the model railroader.
Huge selection of brass locos. Complete stock Great discounts on thousands of G to Z scale Specializing in HO, N, Books, DVD’s, DCC. One of Canada's leading model shops.
N & HO gauge. Daily 10-5, Sun 12-5. items. NCE & Digitrax dealer. Special Orders Welcome. Discount Prices. Complete selection of HO & N gauge.
E-mail tghbyshp1@comcast.net Monday - Saturday 10-6. Tue-Wed 11-5, Thur 11-6, Fri 11-5, Sat 9:30-3 Friendly knowledgeable staff.
www.gilbertshobbies.net www.southsidetrains.com Free Parking. On parle Francais.
TOMMY GILBERT’S DISCOUNT MODEL TRAINS SOUTH SIDE TRAINS HOBBY HOUSE, LTD.
346 E. Water Street 717-337-1992 4641 Ratliff Lane 972-931-8135 3979 S. Howell Ave. 414-482-1566 80 Montreal Road 613-749-5245
PENNSYLVANIA • Jeannette TEXAS • Fort Worth WISCONSIN • Green Bay CANADA–ON • Paris
Trains exclusively. Lionel, MTH, HO & N. HO, N, Z scale trains. Craftsman kits,
Supplies and accessories at discount prices. scenery, paints, tools, accessories. Exclusively trains, specializing in DCC, N, Full line hobby shop. Large stock N, HO.
Open daily 9:30-5, Mon & Fri 9:30-7, Sat 9-4. Plastic models & books. All at discount prices. G, & HO. DCC installation and award winning Special orders weekly, all scales.
Closed Tue. Expanded hours Nov.and Dec. Special orders welcome. Hours: Tues, Wed & custom painting and building available. All accessories, scenery and supplies.
www.needztrains.com Fri 3-6,Thu 3-7, Sat 9-4:30, & by appt. WWW.ENGINEHOUSESERVICES.COM www.parisjunctionhobbies.com
NIEDZALKOSKI’S TRAIN SHOP HOBBY WORLD ENGINEHOUSE SERVICES, LLC PARIS JUNCTION HOBBIES
214 South 4th Street 724-523-8035 5658 Westcreek Dr., Ste. 500 817-263-5750 2737 N. Packerland Dr. 2H 920-490-4839 300 Grand River St. N. 519-442-5800
PENNSYLVANIA • Landisville (Lancaster) TEXAS • Ft. Worth (N. Richland Hills) WISCONSIN • Milwaukee CANADA–ON • Toronto (Markham)
Model Trains New & Used Craftsman kits, Details/Tools.
Supplies, Paint, Tools DCC sales and installation. Exclusively Model Railroading since 1932. North American Train Specialists since 1962
Rockets, Slot Cars, Lionel/MTH Trains Tues - Fri 11:30-6:00; Sat 10:00-6:00; One-stop shopping from Z to G. HO, N, O, G and DCC
Tue - Thur 10-6, Fri 10-7, Sat 10-4 Closed Sun & Mon 800-487-2467 walthers.com Railfanning beside CNR Mainline
We buy train collections large & small www.angelohobbies.com Closed Mondays www.georgestrains.com
COOLTRAINS HOBBIES ANGELO HOBBIES WALTHERS SHOWROOM GEORGE’S TRAINS LTD.
106 W. Main Street 717-898-7119 5600 Rufe Snow, Suite 106 817-428-0190 5619 W. Florist Avenue 414-461-1050 550 Alden Rd., Unit 101 905-470-6200
PENNSYLVANIA • Lansdale TEXAS • Houston WISCONSIN • Monroe CANADA–ON • Windsor
Exclusively Trains HO & N, Lionel trains. Model Railroading since 1970.
Specializing in DCC Complete line of plastic kits, military and N & HO scale trains & accessories, Operational in-store layout.
NCE • Digitrax • Tsunami • ESU architecture supplies. plastic kits. Books, videos & tools. HO & N trains, bits & pieces.
www.linsjunction.com Open Mon - Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm Summer hours: Tues - Sat 10-5 "Simplified Wiring & Trackwork"
linsjunction@comcast.net www.gandgmodelshop.com Winters: Add Sun 12-4 by Fred Stainer.
LIN'S JUNCTION G & G MODEL SHOP THE HOBBY DEPOT WINDSOR HOBBIES LTD.
128 S. Line St. 215-412-7711 2522 Times Blvd. 713-529-7752 835 17th St. 608-325-5107 3895 Tecumseh Rd. East 519-945-5471
PENNSYLVANIA • Montoursville TEXAS • Houston WISCONSIN • Waukesha (Pewaukee) GERMANY • Kaarst
All trains, all scales. Magazines, Books, Vid- Märklin • Lionel • MTH • AF • LGB • Z to G Europe’s best known address for US
Mon - Fri 9-5:30, Sat 9-5 eos, Repairs, Brass, Consignments. Discount • buildings • scenery • detail parts • books • Railroads. We carry N, HO & G scale for all
Extended weekday & Sun hours in Nov. & Dec. program, will ship. papabenstrains@gmail.com scratchbuilding supplies • special orders • road names, Atlas to Walthers.
E-mail: emrrs@chilitech.net M,Tu,Th & F 10-6; W 10-7; Sat 10-5; Sun 12-5 NMRA discounts • Mon-Fri 11-8 • Sat 10-5. Mon-Fri 10-6:30, Sat 10-2.
www.englishsmodelrailroad.com Major Credit Cards. www.papabens.com Sun 12-5. www.hiawathahobbies.com Overseas orders with VS & MC
ENGLISH'S MODEL RAILROAD SUPPLY PAPA BEN'S TRAIN PLACE JETCO’S HIAWATHA HOBBIES ALL AMERICAN TRAINS
201 Streibeigh Lane 570-368-2516 4007-E Bellaire Blvd. 713-523-5600 2026 Silvernail Rd. 262-544-4131 www.aat-net.de E-mail: info@aat-net.de
PENNSYLVANIA • Philadelphia (Feasterville) TEXAS • Irving (Dallas Area) CANADA–AB • Calgary JAPAN - TOKYO • Setagaya-Ku
U/C and R/C planes. HO, N trains. HO & N North American / Japanese models
Lionel, American Flyer, LGB, MTH, Marklin, RR & aviation magazines and books. All Scales, New & Used, Brass, We ship from Japan.
Bachmann, Williams. HO, N & Z. We buy, sell Scale plastic kits, balsa wood. Lionel, Collectibles, Books and more! Hand craft weathered freight cars
& repair. Mon-Fri 12-8; Sat 10-5 Mon 1-6, Tue-Wed 12-6, Thur-Fri 10:30-7, www.trainsandsuch.com Kato / Tomix Japanese models
www.JoesTrainStation.com Sat 10:30-6. www.malhobby.com Japanese trains books & DVDs
JOE’S TRAIN STATION M-A-L HOBBY SHOP TRAINS AND SUCH TRAINWAVE
21 East Street Rd. 215-322-5182 108 S. Lee Street 972-438-9233 6043 Centre Street SW 403-277-7226 www.trainwave.net
PENNSYLVANIA • Strasburg TEXAS • San Antonio CANADA–AB • Edmonton SWITZERLAND • Kilchberg, Zurich
From trains to diecast to scenery, everything Model railroading our specialty. UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT!
for the layout builder. Open 7 days a week. Märklin, G, HO, N, O, Z. Everything for model railroading. Specializing in American models since 1977.
N, HO, O, Lionel, LGB. Superdetailing parts galore. Most quality lines in completeness. Huge selection of consignment brass models.
Buy, sell, trade used trains. Books, structures, figures and tools. Hobby tools. Special orders. Open Sat 13.00-17.00. Fax: 044-715-3660.
Located adjacent to the Choo Choo Barn. Tuesday - Saturday 10am-6pm E-mail: rhs1@telus.net Web: www.trainmaster.ch
STRASBURG TRAIN SHOP DIBBLE'S HOBBIES ROUNDHOUSE SALES TRAINMASTER BY WERNER MEER
Route 741 East 717-687-0464 1029 Donaldson Ave. 210-735-7721 9518 - 87th Street NW 780-430-9072 3 Hochweidstrasse 011-41-44-715-3666
RHODE ISLAND • Warwick VERMONT • Rutland CANADA–BC • Kamloops
HO trains & acces., detail parts, plastic & Model trains in G, O, S, HO, N, Z
craftsperson kits. Hobby supplies, tools.
Tu-Fri 12-8, Sat 10-6 (Sun Nov-Jan 12-5)
Exclusively Model Railroading. Most major
lines. Brass, custom painted models.
Old toy trains, railway antiques, art, books,
DVDs, souvenirs and Thomas too. Run your Retail Directory
Closed Mon. 1/2mi.W. of airport. Competitive prices. Personal service. Canadian road names a specialty.
E-mail: aahobbies@gmail.com
A. A. HOBBIES, INC.
Open by appt. Eves 6-10, Sat 10-10.
THE STEAM SHACK
www.kellyskaboose.ca
KELLY’S KABOOSE, THE RAILWAY STORE
ad in the next issue of
655 Jefferson Blvd. 401-737-7111 14 Engrem Avenue 802-775-2736 634 Victoria Street 250-377-8510
Model Railroader!
RETAIL DIRECTORY
SOUTH CAROLINA • Greenville VIRGINIA • Ashland (Richmond) CANADA–BC • Langley (VAN)

Model Trains Only - ALL AT DISCOUNT OPEN 7 DAYS M-SAT: 10-7; SUN: 11-4 Specializing in European Model Trains, Mårk-
PRICES! 130,000+ Items in all scales available Authorized Dealer Most Brands G,O,HO,N. lin, Roco, LGB, Carrera, Brawa, Fleischmann &
online 24/7 at: www.BlueRidgeHobbies.com New&Vintage, Repairs, Spec. Order, Layaway. more. Huge selection of trains, kits, & access.
Retail Store features HO, N and O. RAILFANS!!! 60 trains pass our store daily. HO-N-Z-1-G Scales. Mon-Fri 9-4:30 Sat 10-2.
Open Tue, Wed & Fri 9:00am-1:00pm
BLUE RIDGE HOBBIES
I-95 Exit 92B West 1.2 mi to Tracks.
TINY TIM’S TOYS & TRAINS
www.EuroRailHobbies.com
EURO RAIL HOBBIES & MORE INC
Call 888-558-1544,
2327 N. Pleasantburg Dr., Ste. H 800-988-2125 104 S. Railway Ave. 804-368-0063 1526 232nd St. 866-799-6098
ext. 815 for more information.
SOUTH CAROLINA • West Columbia VIRGINIA • Roanoke CANADA–BC • Vancouver
Large selection of model RR supplies includ-
All scales, all major brands of Lionel, LGB, G, AF, HO, N & MTH ing Min. by Eric, Athearn/MDC, Atlas, Peco,
model railroad equipment. Buy, sell, trade, repair. Shinohara, Rapido, SoundTraxx, brass, etc.
We buy & sell used Lionel trains. Mon-Fri 10-6; Sat 10-5 Special orders. www.central-hobbies.com
Open daily 10-6. Closed Sun. Two minutes off Exit 146 on I-81. Open 11-6, Friday til 9. Closed Sundays.
NEW BROOKLAND RR & HOBBY SHOP RAIL YARD HOBBY SHOP CENTRAL HOBBIES
405 State Street 803-791-3958 7547 Williamson Rd. 540-362-1714 2825 Grandview Hwy. 604-431-0771

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Tips and tricks
DISPLAYADINDEX using paint
We believe that our readers are as important as our advertisers. If you do not receive your merchandise or a Associate editor Cody Grivno
reply from an advertiser within a reasonable period, please contact us. Provide details about what you ordered
and the amount you paid. If no action is obtained after we forward your complaint to the advertiser, we will not shows you how to weather an
accept further advertising from them. Model Railroader magazine, 21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187 N scale Union Pacific SD40-2
using acrylic paints; contributing
2B In Trains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 IHC Hobby Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Presbyterian Senior Living. . . . . . . . 15
editor Pelle Søeborg shares his
A-Line/Arrow Hobby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Kadee Quality Products. . . . . . . . . . . 14 Railfare DC Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 methods for painting and detail-
Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc. . . . . . . 5 Kam Konnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Railmaster Hobbies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 ing structure kits for his new
Axian Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Kato USA, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 SBS4DCC.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Midwestern layout, and more!
Azatrax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Magnificent Trains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
ScaleTrains.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bachmann Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . .23
Bar Mills Scale Model Works . . . . . . 3
Mainline Hobby Supply . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Mianne Benchworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Showcase Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Serving the South
Blair Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Micro Engineering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Sievers Benchwork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 in N scale
Signature Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Scratchbuilt trees, realistic track
Bowser Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Micro-Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-21
Broadway Limited Imports. . . . . . . . . 3 Model Railroad Industrials . . . . . . . . 52 Smith Southwest Model Rail . . . . . . . 7 design, and train-sequence oper-
Caboose Hobbies. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 59 Model Railroader All Access . . . . . . 77 SoundTraxx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 ation characterize this Southern
The Coach Yard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Ry.-inspired, “proto-freelanced”
Cadrail / Sandia Software. . . . . . . . . 13 Model Railroader Books . . . 69, 71, 78
layout, built by a real railroader.
Chooch Enterprises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Model Railroader Digital . . . . . . . . . . 67 Titletown Train Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Circuitron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Model Railroader Video Plus . . . . . . 76 Tony’s Train Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
CMW Holdings Ltd/Classic Metal . 14 Model Railroader Video Plus DVD 69 Train Collectors Association . . . . . . . 3
And more:
Visit a U.S. layout in Costa Rica
Custom Model Railroads. . . . . . . . . . . 3 Model Rectifier Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Train Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
CVP Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Modelers Marketplace. . . . . . . .78-80 Trains & Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 A track plan that features a port
Decoder Installation Services. . . . . 52 Mokelumne River Models. . . . . . . . . 52
Train World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Digitrax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Mount Blue Model Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Build a DCC testing station
Trainsetsonly.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Evan Designs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 National Train Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Grandt Line Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 NCE Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Great Midwest Train Show. . . . . . . . 15
Great Train Expo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Nicholas Smith Trains . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
P & D Hobby Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Woodland Scenics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
World’s Greatest Hobby . . . . . . . . . . 15
Subscribe
Greenberg Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Halfpricehobby.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PECO Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Pine Bluff Convention & Visitor . . . 27
Xuron Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Z Stuff for Trains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
today!
Hawkins Rail Services . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Pre-Size Model Specialties . . . . . . . 52 Zycon Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
1-800-533-6644
The Display Advertiser Index is provided as a service to Model Railroader magazine readers.
The magazine is not responsible for omissions or for typographical errors in names or page numbers.
Tony Koester
TRAINSOFTHOUGHT
Lineside
details
A 2-10-2 lopes across the mid-American prairie trailing a string of empty gondolas on Frank Hodina’s proto-freelanced
Chicago & Illinois Western, which has obvious ties to the Chicago & Illinois Midland. Frank Hodina photo
One of the nicer results of the trend like the deep scenes that a tabletop things the rest of us typically overlook.
toward prototype-based modeling is layout required. he lack of scenic depth Note, for example, the leaning telegraph
we’re all learning more about how things is easily ofset with photo backdrops, poles in the above photo. hey’re not that
were done. Along the way, we’re also available from several suppliers as well as way because Frank is a sloppy modeler.
developing more practical, realistic ways from your own camera and printer. I’ll let him explain:
to model everyday “hardware.” Take the his approach reduces the task of “Prototype poles might have been
fence lines and telegraph poles that oten building a medium to large home layout driven in straight, but over time they
line the right-of-way, for example. to a practical project. Rather than tend to lean in the direction perpendicu-
modeling sweeping vistas of mountain lar to the slope. here’s a small cut here,
Many of us grew up in the era when ranges or crop ields, we can model only so I leaned the poles toward the track.
we got, or wished we got, a train set for the 100 feet or so between the fences that And once a pole starts leaning, the
Christmas. Layout number 1 was likely line the right-of-way. hat translates to weight of the wires tends to pull the pole
an oval on the living room loor. 7½" in N, 14" in HO, and about 24" in O. over more. It’s why retaining walls have
Layout number 2 wasn’t much more Our plans to cut that 4 x 8 sheet into tie-backs into the soil: to keep them from
sophisticated: an oval of sectional track strips are already paying dividends! tipping over.”
on a sheet of plywood atop sawhorses. Note, too, that the poles cast no shad-
he good ol’ 4 x 8 is still a popular But with such a narrow strip of land ows on the backdrop.
avenue into the hobby of model railroad- to scenic, we need to understand what
ing, but it has some substantial draw- we’d expect to ind there. Oten, fences Another lesson from this photo:
backs. For starters, it eats up a lot of loor lined the right-of-way. In the time when Simple is good. Very good. Since we’re
space, especially when you realize that telegraph and telephone communica- invariably short of space, we tend to
three, or possibly all four sides of the tions were the norm, there were pole want to cram everything we feel we need
resulting layout have to be set away from lines along one side of the railroad. And into the space we have, rather than judi-
the room walls to allow access to all of it. don’t forget the drainage ditches than ciously editing out everything except the
So we’ve learned to cut the plywood paralleled both sides of the roadbed. essential elements.
into 8-foot lengths that are 24", 16", 12", One scenic bugaboo we have to deal Frank is modeling the latlands of
or even 8" wide, and to erect them as with when modeling on narrow shelves Illinois with nary a major hill, let alone a
shelves along one, two, three, or all four is shadows. he more of the scene that mountain range, to break the monotony.
sides of the railroad room. Supporting we can include in the photo backdrop, But that very monotony can be spelled
them on store-bought bookcases makes the better. Frank Hodina, one of the “realism.” His railroad looks like it
the job go quickly. master modelers who creates patterns for should, and it shouldn’t look like the
resin models (www.resincarworks.com), mountain-climbing Rio Grande.
It’s not long before we realize that avoided shadows by gluing his fence hat’s an important lesson from bas-
we’ve just saved ourselves a lot of work, (made from fabric) to the backdrop. ing even a freelanced railroad more
time, and cost. hose narrow shelves Frank has a degree in railroad engi- closely on a prototype: It may not be
don’t eat up ground-covering materials neering, so he tends to notice and model spectacular, but it will look the part.
Co f
nt r o l O n / O f
ng
Co
mi
nt
ro
m
lB i
rightness / D
MRC Invents Radio Control
ting
Light Genie,™ and Railroad
Aut
h
om
ig
at lL
Lighting is Forever Changed. ic S
equentia
Controllability: Get Creative with:

Palm-size transmitter and receiver • police car flashers,
control 12 light outputs and deliver • ambulance “cherry “ lights
more than 20 different lighting • roadside flares, airport runways
effects ... and a wireless RC range • flickering campfires, arc-welding
s
of 90' puts an end to being tethered vignettes
Co
ht
nt ig
r ol
to a switch machine. If you can imagine it, you can control Flashing L
Control on-off. Control brightness/ it with Light Genie.
dimming. …and it's Easy.
plus • Works with all model railroads.
• flickering, flashing, strobe • Compatible with virtually every
• beacon, fire-effect flickering brand of lighting accessory
• alternating flashing lights, • Uses LED or incandescent bulbs
sequential lighting • As your layout grows, run multiple
iver
for Light Genies simultaneously

(Item #025000)
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• buildings, street lamps

Re
• 3-way traffic lights 4

2.
GH an
• flashing railroad signals & more. ZW te
i r e l e s s Re mo
Get Genie details and see the video at www.modelrectifier.com
ENJOY RAILROADING MORE.

EASILY.

2016-04 Model Railroader Magazine

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PUT A DCC DECODER in an old Athearn diesel p.

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