A reader has submitted this question:

“I am having trouble in getting the passenger cars of a Harry Potter train set to go around a tight corner. How to I do this, so the cars will not hit the side of the mountain or de-rail? My layout is 30″ wide by 8′ long and the turns a very tight. Hope this is ok. It was hard to put this down in only one question.Thanks, Pamela”

Pamela, there is a section on “clearances”in the Model Train Help ebook. You will find this helpful in solving the problem.

Other readers are welcome to contribute there ideas.

Here is your chance to contribute a suggestion or two.

Can a model railroading enthusiast in the USA help Hettie?

MY NAME IS HETTIE AND WE LIVE IS SOUTH AFRICA.

WE ARE BUSY BUILDING A HO SCALE MODEL RAILROAD AND LOVING IT.

IN JANUARY \FEBRUARY 2007 WE WILL BE VISITING LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK AND ATLANTA. WE PLAN TO SEE THE TRAIN SHOWS IS LOUISVILLE AND ATLANTA. I AM REALLY STRUGGLING TO FIND WHERE WE CAN GO ON A STEAM TRIP IN THAT AREAS. I DO REALISE THAT IT IS IN WINTER THAT WE WILL BE THERE, BUT ANY NICE…EVEN A DIESEL TRIP WILL DO.

WE ARE ALSO INTERESTED TO SEE DIFFERENT LAYOUTS OF ENTHUSIASTIC MODEL BUILDERS IN THE STATE.

Can you help Hettie?

Membership groups to join in Michigan and Minnesota include:

Michigan:

Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club, Ford Model Railroad Club Dearborn, Glancy Trains Modular Club Birmingham, Grand Rapids Model Railroad Historical Society, Gratiot Valley Railroad Club Mt. Clemens, Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society Kalamazoo, Lansing Model Railroad Club Lansing, LanNTrak Lansing & Livingston County Michigan NTrak Model Railroad Club, Michigan Small Scale Live Steamers Lake Orion. Northern Michigan Railroad Club, Peninsular Modular Railroad Club (PMRC) Battle Creek – Kalamazoo, Rails On Wheels HO Modular Model Railroad Club Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County, Raisin Valley Model Railroad Club Blissfield, Riverbend Model Railroad Club Hudsonville, Society Of N-Scalers Royal Oak, South Oakland County Model Railroad Club Hazel Park, Stoney Creek Model Railroad Club Rochester, Tri county model railroad club Saginaw, West Michigan Chapter of the Train Collectors Association Grand Rapids, Western Michigan Railroad Club Grand Rapids.

Minnesota:

Crow River Junction Model Railroad Club Monticello, The G Whiz Gang The G Whiz Gang of Minnesota, Luce Line RR Club Inc. Hutchinson, Minnesota Central Model Railway Club, Minnesota Free-Mo Modellers Twin Cities, St. James Model Railroad Club, Twin City Model Railroad Museum, Railroad Club at the University of Minnesota Minneapolis, West Side Lumber Co Rochester, Winona Railroad Club Winona.

Membership groups to join in Maryland and Massachusetts include:

Maryland

Baltimore Society of Model Engineers Baltimore, Baltimore Area N-Trak Club (BANTRAK) Baltimore, Chesapeake & Allegheny Live Steamers Baltimore, Four County Society of Engineers, Frederick County Society of Model Engineers Frederick, Gaithersburg Model Railroad Society Gaithersburg, Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum Hagerstown, Maryland Central Model Railroad Club Rockville, Mason-Dixon Large Scale Railroad Society, Inc. Bel Air, Severna Park Model Railroad Club, Sykesville and Patapsco Railway, Inc. Sykesville, Triangle & Western Model RR Club Baltimore.

Massachusetts

Amherst Railway Society Inc. Warren, Bay State Society of Model Engineers Roslindale, Nashua Valley Railroad Association, Middlesex Central Railroad Club Westford, Northeast NTRAK Wilmington, North Shore Model Railroad Club Wakefield, Pepperell Siding Model RR Club Pepperell, South Shore Model Railroad Club Hingham, Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT, Waushakum Live Steamers, Worcester Model Railroaders Club.

Membership groups to join in Louisiana And Maine include:

Louisiana
Arklatex Modular Club, Baton Rouge Model Railroads Baton Rouge, Crescent City Model Railroad Club Metairie, Cresent City S-Gaugers, New Orleans, Midsouth Railroad Club Baton Rouge.

Maine
Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club Inc. East Orland, Great Falls Model Railroad Club Lewiston, Maine Track N-Scale modular group in Southern Maine, Portland Terminal Modular Model Railroad Club Scarborough.

Membership groups to join in Kansas And Kentucky include:

Kansas
Northeast Kansas Railroaders Atchison, Topeka Model Railroaders, Inc. Topeka, KS.

Kentucky
K&I Model Railroad Club, Radcliff Model Railroad Association Radcliff, The shOw Modular Model Railroad Club Bowling Green, KY.

Membership groups to join in Indiana and Iowa include:

Indiana
Big Train Engineers Model Railroad Club Of Indiana Indianapolis, Columbus Area Railroad Club Columbus, Indiana Live Steamers Martinsville, Naptown & White River Model Railroad Club Indianapolis, Purdue Railroad Club, Ridge Model Railroaders Griffith, St Joseph Valley Railroad Club Mishawaka, Union Station Railroaders Association Indianapolis, IN.

Iowa
Cedar Valley “O” Scale Modelers Cedar Falls, Central Iowa Railroad Club Des Moines, Iowa State Railroad Club Ames, IA.

Membership groups to join in Idaho And Illinois include:

Idaho –

Eagle Rock Railroad Historical Society Idaho Falls, Pocatello Model Railroad & Historical Society Pocatello, Rocky Mountain Hi-Railers.

Illinois –

Chicago Big Train Operators Chicago – Illinois, Chicagoland Area Garden Railway Society Chicago, Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club Chicago, Elmhurst Model Railroad Club Elmhurst, Fox Valley O Scalers Elgin, Illinois Live Steamers, Illinois Tech Model Railroad Club Chicago, Lake Shore Model Railroad Association Chicago, Little “Q” Model Railroad Club Aurora, Midwest ‘N’ Pioneer Model Railroad Club, Mississippi Valley N Scalers St. Louis, Northwest N-Trak An N Scale, Northwest Trainmasters Model Railroad Club, Oak Park Society of Model Engineers (OPSME) Oak Park, Salt Creek Model Railroad Club West Chicago, Stateline S Gaugers Rockford, Will County Model railroad association Joliet, IL.

Here is a list of groups in Delaware, Georgia and Hawaii –

Delaware: Nordel Model Railroad Club

Georgia: Flint River Model Railroad Club Albany, Metro Atlanta N-Scalers Atlanta, Middle Georgia Model Railroad Club Warner Robins, North Georgia Modurail Atlanta, North Georgia LEGO Train Club, Northwest Georgia NTRAK Kennesaw, GA.

Hawaii: Oahu Model Railroad Society.

For details on individual groups visit http://www.model-railroad-resources.com

This model railroading blog looks at a variety of topics of interest model railroaders and train enthusiasts.

Model railroaders will know the frustration of derailments and accidents that happen with model train sets. However, train accidents on real-sized prototype train tracks are far more serious and, sadly, cause tragedy and mayhem. In this series we look at some of the more serious train accidents from history.

May 22, 1915

A passenger train collides with a troop train in Gretna, Scotland, killing 227.

December 12, 1917

543 die when a troop train derails near entrance of Mount Cenis tunnel in Modane, France.

This model train set blog looks at a variety of topics of interest to model railroaders and train enthusiasts.

As model railroaders we can get frustrated with derailments and accidents that happen with our model train sets. Sadly, train accidents on real-sized prototype train tracks are far more serious and cause tragedy and mayhem. In this series we look at some of the more serious train accidents from history.

June 4, 1989

Leaking gas from a liquefied gas pipeline engulfed two Trans-Siberian Railroad trains. The huge explosion happened in a crowded rail station outside the Central Asian city of Ufa in the former Soviet Union. It engulfed two passenger trains and killed 575 people.

The Great Depression exacts a heavy toll on the railroad industry, forcing substantial segments of the railroading industry into bankruptcy. Besides facing competition from one another, the railroads had new competition in the form of automobiles, trucks, and buses.

As the Great Depression settled over the United States after 1930, the railroads had already lost half of their passenger business. A similar decline in railroad freight traffic from which the rail lines realized most of their revenue made a bad situation even worse.

The Rocket was designed and built by George Stephenson of the Liverpool and Manchester railway in 1829. A common misconception is that the Rocket was the first steam locomotive. Truth is; the first steam locomotive to run on tracks was built by Richard Trevithick 25 years earlier, however it was not a financial success.

In 1829 Stephenson’s Rocket won a competition for locomotive power at the Rainhill Trials on the Manchester & Liverpool Railway. All the other competitors broke down so a true result is a bit hard to tell; however in winning Rocket did fulfill the key requirement of the contest that a full simulated 56 mile (90-km) round trip under load be completed with satisfactory fuel consumption.

However, the Rocket’s major claim to fame is that it was the first ‘modern’ locomotive, because it introduced several innovations that were used on almost every steam locomotive built since. George Stephenson had built steam locomotives before 1829. The Rocket was in some ways an evolution, not a revolution.

Rocket used a multi-tubular boiler. This resulted in more efficient and effective heat transfer between the exhaust gases and the water. Previous boilers consisted of a single pipe surrounded by water. The Rocket also used a blastpipe for the first time. This used the blast of exhaust steam to induce a partial vacuum to pull air through the fire.

Stephenson’s Rocket was capable of hauling a coach filled with passengers at 24 mph (39 km/hr). It pulled a load of three times its own weight at the rate of 12.5 mph (20 km/hr). The Rocket could haul 12.75 tons at 14 mph. It set a world speed record of 35 mph.

The Rocket still exists and can be seen in the Science Museum, London. There is also a replica in the National Rail Collection at York.

On April 6, 1917, the United States entered World War I, and very soon the nation’s railroads proved inadequate to the task of supplying the nation’s war effort. The federal government seizes control of the railroads for the duration of World War I.

The backdrop to this is that the railroads were experiencing one of the most difficult financial periods in their history; costs (especially wages) were rising, taxes had been raised, yet the rates the railroads could charge were defined by law and remained static.

By the time the railroads were returned to private ownership in 1920, they are in seriously run-down condition and in need of substantial maintenance and improvement.

The United States Railroad Administration was the name given to the nationalised US railroad system between 1917 and 1920. It was possibly the largest American experiment with nationalisation, and was undertaken against a background of war emergency.

1862

President Abraham Lincoln signs the Pacific Railroad Act for the construction of the transcontinental railroad that will ultimately link California with the rest of the nation.

1865

The “golden age” of railroads begins. For nearly half a century, no other mode of transportation challenges railroads. During these years, the rail network grows from 35,000 to a peak of 254,000 miles in 1916.

1869

Officials and workers of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railways met on Promontory Summit (May 10 1869), in Utah Territory to drive in the Golden Spike. This spike symbolized completion of the first transcontinental railroad, an event which joined the nation from coast to coast and reduced a journey of four or more months to just one week.

The hobby of model railroading can be enthralling, time consuming, at times frustrating and also extremely rewarding. To limit frustrations it is essential not to skimp on the essentials, like a decent locomotive and a good power pack.

You don’t have to spend megabucks but you do need to get something that will meet your needs and be functional. You can always add to your train layout or upgrade as you become more involved in the hobby of model railroading. So, it’s not a problem if you can’t afford the state of the art stuff from day one.

How much money to spend is really up to the individual. Some people are happy to just stick with a basic model railroad layout, whilst many model railroaders spend thousands of dollars a year on their model railroading hobby and derive thousands of hours of pleasure and satisfaction in return.

Although this is not a complete list, below is a selection of model railroading clubs in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado:

Alabama
Azalea City Model Railroaders, Bay Area Rail Roaders, Central Alabama Model Rail Road Club, Coosa Valley Model Railroad Alub, Welcome to the Redstone Model Railroad Club, Southeast Alabama Model Railroad Club, South West Alabama Railroad Modelers, The Wrecking Crew.

Alaska
Alaska Live Steamers.

Arkansas
Central AR Model Railroad Club, Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway.

Arizona
Arizona & Southwest Model RR Society and Tucson Ntrak, Cochise & Western, Flagstaff Model Railroad Club, Grand Canyon State Model Railroaders, Maricopa Live Steamers, Ponderosa North Model Railroad Club, Scottsdale Model Railroad Club, Southern Arizona Society of Model Engineers, Sun’N’Sand Model Railroad Club, Thunderbird Model Railroad Club.

Colorado
Boulder Model Railroad Club, Coal Creek & Southern Ry, Denver Garden Railway Society, Denver HO Gauge Club, Golden, Denver N Scale Model Railroad Club, Estes Valley Model Railroaders, Longmont Area Railroad Modelers, Pikes Peak ‘N’ Gineers, Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.