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!
New OO Layout With Suburban Railway Station
Chris has a question for readers:
“I am about to build a unit of our local suburban railway station,and have reasonable dimensions of buildings etc. but I am finding it difficult to transfer these to OO scale can anyone help? Thank you.”
Comment below.
Add Better Functionality To Model Railroad With Tortoise Motors
The tortoise is constructed with a precision gear drive mechanism which is coupled to a low-current motor to stall out safely avoiding coil burnouts and cut-off contacts.
Tortoise motors are slow motion motors that will deliver realistic slow motion movements for your locomotives and their patented technology avoids burning out of the layout. The tortoise motor is an essential accessory in your railway layout if you want to achieve realistic slow motion movement. The gear drive mechanism of a tortoise motor puts less stress on your locomotive’s engine and can prolong the lifespan of your model railroad network with minimum maintenance.
The Tortoise motor is designed to be mounted below a model train layout with a spring wire transmitting linear movement through the layout baseboard and the roadbed to a turnout throw-bar. Your turnouts need to be inspected for free points movement and there needs to be a clear area below the layout so you can mount the machine.
The Tortoise motor is very versatile when mounting it, however it should be noted that when a turnout binds it will not switch smoothly. You will need to make a small hole (or slot) directly below the throw-bar. This hole is usually positioned between the rails, however is could be outside the rails if you prefer. The hole size of should be twice the total turn-out throw (a 1/4-inch size in HO). Also, you will need to drill a small hole in the throw-bar so your spring-wire to get through.
There may already be a rivet in the turnout throw-bar for this purpose. If your turnout already in place, you can drill a tiny (.032 inch to .040 inch) pilot hole in the center of the throw-bar. Also drill through your roadbed and the baseboard. Then calculate the combined thickness of your roadbed and baseboard before marking your 1/4 inch bit with some tape (or you could use a drill stop). The next step is to use your pilot hole as your guide to drill up through the baseboard and your roadbed. Take care not to break through and damage your throw-bar. You may need to bend the throw-bar away slightly from your roadbed to avoid damage. The last step is to remove any leftover roadbed (use a hobby knife) and then clean up the hole.
How To Get A Good Solder Joint For Your Model Rail?
Andrew sent in this hobby tip:
“Perfecting your soldering skill is essential to own a stunning model rail network because spotless work not only looks good but also provides adequate grip and a flawless running platform for your engines and cars. You need a 100W gun and resistance soldering tools for the jobs such as installing etched metal kits while rosin core solder will help you to do a fantastic job. You also need a sanding block to clean the parts before the solder job and the joints must be cleaned after the job as well.It works for me.”
Poll Results: How complete is your model railroad?
574 model railroaders responded to our last poll which asked: How complete is your model railroad?
Results were as follows:
I haven’t started yet (17%, 100 Votes)
5% finished (I’ve just started) (17%, 98 Votes)
15% finished (13%, 72 Votes)
25% finished (15%, 88 Votes)
50% finished (19%, 111 Votes)
80% finished (15%, 88 Votes)
100% finished (4%, 17 Votes)
Know Your Railroad
John has kindly sent in this follow-up to his earlier article:
We who engage in The World’s Greatest Hobby have a distinct advantage over those who don’t indulge in running model trains – we CAN have our cake and eat it too! Those of us who model trains do not have to go by a specific means of making our railroad. We can follow a prototype, develop our own railroad, have a large or small or in-between layout, or cross eras, as long as it is enjoyable to build and run.
To give an example, my main interest is in the initial locomotive roster of Conrail (Consolidated Rail), which in the spring of 1976 took over Penn Central (New York Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, New Haven), Erie Lackawanna (Delaware Lackawanna & Western, Erie Railroad), the Reading, Lehigh Valley, Central of New Jersey, and several other smaller railroads. Needless to say, Conrail had a lot of equipment to sort through, and some of the locomotives either ran for a few years and then were sold off or scrapped. For example, Conrail inherited a bunch of EMD F7 A-units, but only one was repainted in Conrail blue. The others kept their own road colors (weathered as they were) with a Conrail stencil over them. The successful GG-1 electric was another locomotive to bite the dust, as Conrail de-electrified after a few years. Conrail was eventually merged into CSX and Norfolk Southern in 1999, and some ex-Conrail locos are still running today.
It takes a lot of referencing to choose which locomotives to use on a layout from the initial Conrail roster, and to do this, two free websites online are very helpful, to say the least. One is the Conrail Cyclopedia, a tremendous work where a lot of information is available. The other is The Diesel Shop, which gives the rosters of many railroads, including “Fallen Flags” where one can cross-reference a particular locomotive to see where from where it originated. This site also has the production numbers of various locomotive builders.
As can be seen, a lot of study is necessary to develop an accurate locomotive roster for early Conrail, but it is time well-spent if this is where your interest lies. To give another example, it would be “wrong” for initial Conrail to have an Erie locomotive on the roster, because the Erie and the DLW combined in 1960 to form Erie Lackawanna. By the time of Conrail 16 years later, the Erie locomotive would have been given an EL paint job.
I once saw a layout where a train ran through numerous animal parks, separated by dividers, and went from dinosaurs to wild animals of today. Very unrealistic for sure, but very effective for the owner. So is it “wrong” to run an Erie locomotive on a set-up where the names and types of locomotives are not of any consequence? No way! How a layout is made is of importance for your enjoyment, and any way you want it is right way, as long as the trains keep running. That’s the beauty of this hobby!
Getting Started In Model Trains
Those new to this wonderful hobby of model trains often get disheartened because things seem too difficult and everyone in the hobby (except them), already seems to understand the technical jargon. For a beginner to model trains it can seem like having to learn a foreign language, so many simply lose interest and give up in the early stages.
Unfortunately this is a shame and is not good for the hobby in general going forward. After all, the more people involved in the hobby, the more likely manufacturers will be to bring out new product ranges at competitive prices. If fewer new people join the hobby, then product ranges will diminish over time and prices will increase.So, it is really in everyone’s best interest to help and encourage beginners to get started. That is precisely what I try to do with this free model train blog. It is even better when experienced model railroaders chip in with answers to questions and submit useful articles for publication.
There are more helpful ideas to build your model train layout without making mistakes at the online Model Train Club.
Using Piano Wire For oo Gauge Points
Have has a question for experienced model rail buffs:
“I am trying to operate some 00 points with piano wire but I do not know how to get the wire from under the table through it and a right angle to operate the point?”
Comment below.
MTH Model Trains
Herb wants to hear from others in the hobby:
“I’ve begun to upgrade to sound on my engines. My 1st was a MTH SD70ACe which I ran for about 15 minutes and the main board shorted out. After about 4 months and several hundred bucks I’m now running it. I bought a twin to it and ran it for about 2 months and it developed a short. I’ve sent it to MTH for repairs. I pre-ordered a MTH SD35 back in April and MTH still hasn’t delivered it to the seller. What’s up with MTH? I’ve always heard they are the state of the art? Any opinions?”
HO Engine Monkey Motion
Roger asks:
“I have an HO gauge English (name of Company) 0-4-0 Yardbird Switcher engine similar to those used on the Pennsylvania R.R. I purchased it in the 1950’s. I need a monkey motion for the driver setup. This was sold separately when the model was produced. If anyone knows where I can get one I would appreciated the information.”
Comment below.
N Scale Trestle Building
Mark has a question for N scale model train enthusiasts:
“In n scale, there are pre-made trestles for sale, but I am interested in customizing and scratch building trestles and bridges for accurate historic representation. Is there a source for n gauge trestle structural elements? Plastruct seems to have mainly HO materials.”
Comment below.
027 Gauge Track Power
Gregg has a question for experienced model railroaders and asks:
“I run a 027 gauge track about 6 feet by 6 feet. One the one corner I have my transformer hooked up. For some reason, at the opposite corner, my train slows down. This has been an issue for a few years now. One of my coworkers told me to make sure I take a pair of needle nose pliers and tighten the part where the two pieces of track connect. Frustrated in PA. Any thought and thanks in advance.”
Comment below.
Marklin Power Supplies
Derik has an electrical question for readers:
“I have two HO Marklin power supplies that does not work. Can somebody give me drawings or explanation of how to repair them please . The latest one that doesn’t want to work is 6631 Schalter T25/E?”
Derik will need to be aware that any comments made by readers on this blog are personal opinions only, and he should seek proper advice from an experienced electrician if he is in any doubt regarding electrical safety.
Converting N Scale to HO Scale
Hamhari has a question for readers:
“Hello model railroaders. I have a question about a plan I have in mind. It is an N scale plan but I want to build it in HO. I was told that I would have to double the diameters of the curves (12 in N to 24 in HO). When I went to another website I can never get a straight answer from people there. They told me that I would have to double the size of the benchwork from 4×8 to 8×16. Is that true? It looks like the others would have told me that in the first place. Thanks!!”
Comment below.
N Scale Suppliers
Richard is seeking advice from others in the hobby regarding online purchasing of model railroad supplies:
“When I got the itch again (my last Model Railroad some 50 years ago), I wanted to go for N Scale and still do. However, here in Cape Town South Africa, there are only two Model Railroad suppliers and neither have much N Scale items. To be exact, the one has none, while the other (a much larger supplier/retailer) has only one Start Up Kit, one Locomotive and a set of passengers. N Scale is not very popular in South Africa, HO being the most popular.
I am a bit wary about Online Purchasing, being bitten a few times before. Can you suggest a good and safe N Scale supplier who has a good range of locomotives, cars, accessories, etc? Also some info on shipping costs. The web sites I have visited so far seem to cater for the USA with no mention of shipping costs to, in this case, South Africa.”
Add your suggestions (comments) below.
POLL RESULTS: How much time per week do you spend working on, or operating, your model train layout?
654 model railroaders voted in our last poll which asked: How much time per week do you spend working on, or operating, your model train layout?
Results were as follows:
- Up to 5 hours (38%)
- 5 to 15 hours (26%)
- 15 to 30 hours (6%)
- 30 + hours (2%)
- I don’t have a layout yet (28%)
An Overview of Digital Command Control
Even though many of us a reasonably experienced in the hobby, getting started can be confusing. Beginners hear all kinds of new terms and have a lot to learn. This steep learning curve can be intimidating and will put many off venturing further into the hobby. This is why it is so important we all help and encourage others.
DCC or Digital Command Control uses rails to send digital commands to the locomotives in such a way that multiple locomotives are independently controlled within the same block. A DCC system consists of the following components.
Command Station – controls all other parts of the DCC and determines the type of throttle controls that can be incorporated.
Throttle or Cab – acts as hub of the whole system, primarily used for controlling the train.
Booster – amplifies command signals so that enough power is generated for operating the tracks.
Power Supply – supplies power to the entire model as an AC transformer or DC power source.
Decoder – incorporated into each locomotive to provide power to the track, only when it has been addressed.
For lots more information of DCC operation check out the members area inside the Model Train Club. New content is added every month.
For Beginners – Curved Track For Your Railroad
Regular contributor John has once again supplied a wonderfully informative article for publication. On behalf of all readers I would like to thank John for the excellent contribution he is making to the hobby. I know it is really appreciated.
No matter what size model railroad you have or are building, it’s important to have the right curved track for the kind of locomotives you may own. Just like making sure all the track is kink-free with clean rails, using the correct curves can make your train run realistically as long as the track is clear. On the other hand, a locomotive running on too-small curves can not only look bad, but can cause derailments and collisions if the operator is not careful.
A real railroad uses easements to bring a train into a turn, meaning that the track has the largest curve at its starting points and gradually goes into smaller curves between these points. Easements can be used and look great on model railroads, but take up a lot of space on smaller projects.
As related to diesels, a four-axle locomotive, such as an ALCO RS and C-400 series, the EMD F or GP, and the GE B-series, are usually shorter than the six-axle locomotives like the ALCO C-600 series, the EMD SD, or the GE C-units. For N-Scale railroads, the minimum curve to use is the 9-3/4” Radius, which can handle a four-axle locomotive pretty well. Six-axle locomotives will run on 9-3/4” curved track, but look and run better on a minimum 11” Radius to handle the longer diesels. In HO, which is almost twice the size of N, the minimum track curves should be 18” Radius for four-axle diesels and 22” Radius for six-axle diesels.
If you run a train with passenger cars on your railroad, use the largest curves possible. Passenger cars can be longer than freight cars, and need the larger curves to make turns. Also use this principle if you model the modern era, because some of today’s huge engines and bigger freight cars need the larger radii.
A problem arises when modeling a smaller railroad. The plywood boards in home improvement stores are usually cut to a 4×8-foot size, or in half to 4×2. These sizes do not support the larger curves. A 22” Radius (HO) on a 4×8 or 11” Radius (N) on a 2×4 can fit on the plywood, but the track is too close to the edge. Get around this by using smaller curved track and go with four-axle diesels.
Comment below.
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