Everything on model trains, model railroads, model railways, locomotives, model train layouts, scenery, wiring, DCC and more. Enjoy the world's best hobby... model railroading!
POLL RESULTS – Do you ever read the comments, or add a comment, under postings on this blog?
422 readers voted in our last poll which asked: Do you ever read the comments, or add a comment, under postings on this blog?
Results were as follows:
YES – I usually read the comments, but haven’t posted a comment yet (69%)
YES – I usually read the comments, and have also posted a comment(s) (14%)
NO – I’ll leave it for other model railroaders to read or post comments (8%)
NO – but now I know, so will read and/or post comments in the future (5%)
NO – I didn’t know I could read or post comments on this blog (4%)
So, the invitation goes out to everyone to get involved and post your comments. This blog is for everyone in the hobby regardless of the scale you work in, your railroading brand preferences, or whether you prefer DC or DCC.
This blog has the highest readership of any railroading blog on the internet (with thousands of visitors every week), so there will be plenty of other readers who share your particular interests in the hobby.
How to Make Space For More Track in Rail Yards
With prudent use of available space, a model railroader can sometimes find room to add more track.
The solution can be as simple as replacing large foreground buildings with ‘low relief’ buildings positioned along the background. So, instead of the buildings being somewhere between 4 to 8 inches in depth, the background buildings need only be 1 to 2 inches thick. They will still look like real full-depth buildings, especially with the careful placement of support scenery props like trees, weeds, background sky and hills.
Done well, the scene can give the illusion it stretches far off into the distance, making the layout appear to be considerable larger than it actually is in reality.
Using Staging Yards For Train Storage
Jim asks readers:
“I am looking for fiddle yards (staging yards) that use cassettes for storage of rolling stock instead of loops, traverser’s and sector plates. Can any one help telling me where to get drawings/plans or the like?”
POLL RESULTS: Will you use the free online model railroad calculators at modelbuildings.org?
Our last poll asked readers: Will you use the free online model railroad calculators at http://www.modelbuildings.org/free-calculator-tools.html?
The results were:
>> YES – they will be handy (77%)
>> NO – I don’t need to calculate anything on my railroad (9%)
>> NO – I prefer doing formulas and math equations (3%)
>> I don’t have a layout yet (11%)
Total Votes – 286
How to Read and Post Comments on this Blog
For those who don’t already know, it is easy to read the comments and answers to questions posted on this blog. It is also easy to add your own comments or answers to questions. You don’t need to register, but to maintain a high standard; ALL COMMENTS ARE VETTED BY THE BLOG MODERATOR PRIOR TO PUBLICATION. This to ensure relevance, and to eliminate the kind of SPAM and ABUSE that is unfortunately so prevalent on the net.
To Read or Add Comments
Just click on the blue wording under any posting to read or add comments. If no one has already posted a comment, the wording will read “CLICK TO ADD A COMMENT”. If comments have already been posted the wording will read “1 comment”, “4 comments”, to indicate how many comments have already been published.
The Blog Moderator receives all comments and will publish them if they are relevant, well thought out, and free from SPAM or ABUSE. This can happen within minutes, or at least within 12 hours (depending on the time zones).
How to Post a Question
There is always a link in the right hand column where readers can post questions for others in the hobby to answer. To be approved for publication by the Blog Moderator, a question needs to be well thought out and provide enough information, so that other readers can provide quality helpful answers. The old saying “Garbage In – Garbage Out” applies. The best questions usually get the best answers! Questions are usually published on the blog within 12-72 hours after approval.
How To Fix Train Malfunction
Vince asks readers:
“My O27 locomotive moves along the track in some area’s fine, but then it slows down and stops. Would the problem be the tracks or the transformer? These trains are from the 1950’s and haven’t been used in decades.”
At Last! Monster-Value Packs of Model Railroad Buildings Released… Save almost 80%!
The feedback on the “photo-realistic” high quality of the downloadable model buildings has been excellent, and many who have never constructed this type of building before have been more than impressed. It’s been very encouraging. Thank you. I lot of intricate detailing has gone into designing each building to achieve the natural aged appearance complete with rust marks, peeling paintwork, moldy concrete etc.
There have also been several requests for bigger pack offers with more buildings at discounted prices, so 3 MONSTER-VALUE packs are available today at http://www.modelbuildings.org/monster-value-pack-save.html
5 FREE Scale Calculators For Model Railroaders To Use and Share With Friends
There are now 5 FREE model railroad calculators for you to use at http://www.modelbuildings.org/free-calculator-tools.html
1. Scale Convertor Calculator
2. Scale-To-Scale Conversion
3. Track Grade Convertor
4. Helix Design Convertor
5. Scale Speed Convertor
Try them out – they are free to use. You are welcome share the link with your friends in the hobby on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google Plus, and by email etc.
NOW AVAILABLE! 12 Model Buildings for O SCALE (YES…O SCALE), HO, OO, Z and N Scale Model Railroads
There have been several requests for some downloadable buildings to be made available in O scale, so 12 designs (already available in other scales) have been adapted for O scale enthusiasts. Trust me; it wasn’t an easy or inexpensive job, as a lot of work was required to retain the HIGH QUALITY photo realistic effects, so the buildings could be safely enlarged to O scale without losing clarity. The designs were also specially adapted to print in both A4 size [letter size] and in A3 size [tabloid size].
Although it would be good to make the whole range available in O scale, the cost and time factor is prohibitive at this stage. So, this is a test market to see how much demand there is for O scale buildings of this kind. Depending on the response, more buildings will hopefully become available in future months.
The designs are now available in O scale at http://www.oscalebuildings.com or for HO, N, Z, and OO scale at http://www.modelbuildings.org/low-relief-buildings-G.html
The buildings can be easily constructed using corflute to make them very strong.
POLL RESULTS: When do you spend most time working on your layout?
Our last poll of model railroaders asked: When do you spend most time working on your layout?
Since posting the question a few days ago, about 11,000 people visited this blog and 528 people voted.
Here’s what they said:
– Throughout the year (seasons make no difference) (48%)
– During the colder months (27%)
– During the warmer months (5%)
– I don’t have a layout yet (20%)
So the time of the year doesn’t make much difference for about half of us, with most others favoring the colder months.
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION
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