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!
A Versatile Clay For Model Railroad Scenery
I don’t generally promote particular brands or products, but this is product I have used with success. Das is a cold-cure modelling clay ideal for constructing the base for groundwork e.g. indoor floors, areas of outside land etc. It is also useful for constructing buildings and structures. No baking is needed (it air dries), it is easy to smooth, and can be painted (it comes in white or a terracotta color). White is probably best if you are going to paint it in light color shades.
I would be interesting to hear what other products people use, and what uses they have for Das or other clay products. As I said at the beginning, I am not here to push any one brand over another, so if you can suggest something better I would be interested in your comments.
Add your comment below.
DCC Compatible Vs Electrically Controlled Model Railroads
Sam sent in these thoughts:
“Many people erroneously believe that electrically controlled model railroad networks can’t provide speed control, backward and forward movement and many other sophisticated controls that DCC compatible model railroads have but this assumption is very wrong. If it is so, why are some of the best laid layouts these days controlled with DCC? The answer is simple; setting up electrical layouts with complex setups and sophisticated operational setups is a task that consumes several hours and massive technical skills. DCC on the other hand is easy and can be setup effortlessly although it is a little expensive.”
Tips For Soldering Track
The techniques used for achieving good looking and reliable solder joints are not difficult to master. Yes, it will require some practice, but anyone can do it.
There key points for creating high quality solder joints on track are:
1. Keep your works surfaces and tools clean.
2. Use acid based solder paste flux.
3. Purchase a good quality soldering iron (with a replaceable tip). A small diameter solder – a .020 inch or smaller works best.
5. For soldering track a 35W to 45W pencil type iron works well.
POLL RESULTS: What Type Of Railroad Do You Operate?
Our recent poll asked model railroaders: What type of railroad do you prefer to model, a prototypical railroad that exists (has existed), or a fictional railroad that you (or someone else) has created?
Hundreds responded and the results were as follows:
– Fictional (71%)
– Prototypical (29%)
The Factors that Determine the Operational Capacity of a Railroad
Smooth operation is critical for the efficiency and profitability of real railroads. Applying these techniques can also make the hobby of model railroading even more enjoyable.
Article supplied courtesy of the online Model Train Club.
Whether you are operating your model railroad just casually for fun, or whether you are trying to replicate actual operations of a real railroad, there are various factors to consider. After all, there is no point in just having trains backed-up with nowhere to go. A real railroad would come to a standstill (and soon go broke) without properly managed train operations. Even on a model railroad, complete disorder and confusion and quickly develop without properly organized train movements. Factors to take into account include:
Line Capacity:
- – the number of tracks available
- – the geography, gradients (mountains), number of bridges, tunnels etc.
- – the mix of trains (passenger, freight etc) – schedules, type of service
- – the number and the horsepower of loco’s – train length and weight
- – the type and the spacing of the control system
- – the number, the spacing, and the length of sidings
- – the operating and maintenance plans – type of signals, spacing etc.
Yard Capacity:
- – the space available – total acreage (or square footage on a model layout)
- – the number of tracks
- – container storage slots
Equipment Capacity:
- – locomotives
- – cars
- – containers/trailers
Crew Capacity:
- – yard crews
- – maintenance crews
- – crew rosters
Although most railroads would like to operate at 100% capacity (to maximize profits), it is not usually feasible or economic to do so. A target of 70% to 80% is usually more realistic. In fact; industry practices generally require standards to ensure fluidity of operations and to avoid major operational issues at track choke-points.
Various factors can influence efficiency and the practicality of running a line at full capacity including:
- – Maintenance – railway lines need maintenance from time to time which can delay schedules
- – Traffic volumes will vary throughout the day
- – Weather can cause disruptions, damage, as well as cause unexpected and compounding delays across a railroad
To try and increase the operational capacity above an effective level can be problematic. It could be achieved by deferring maintenance, but this could affect future capacity if there is a signal breakdown or derailment that could have been prevented with regular maintenance. It could reduce the railroad’s ability to react to a situation and/or increase the recovery time following a delay or stoppage. This could affect reliability, customer satisfaction, and potentially impact the profitability and reputation of the railroad.
Efficient train operation therefore needs to (among other things) :
- – Identify timetable/schedule conflicts or potential delays
- – Manage time-distance and time-space between trains
- – Manage train priorities, schedules, train size and type, power, direction, connections, drop-offs and pick-ups
- – Identify potential slots where new services could be added
- – Strategically plan and schedule track and signal maintenance (apply/remove speed restrictions)
- – Manage resources – personal (crews), and trains (trip times, locomotive miles etc)
These are the kinds of day to day challenges facing a normal real-sized railroad, so why not apply similar conditions to your model railroad layout? Replicating real life conditions can add considerable operational interest to a layout and make the hobby so much more enjoyable!
Article supplied courtesy of the online Model Train Club.
Dull Colors For Distance
The further away you stand from an object in the real life, the duller (or grayer) and less clear it appears. The viewing distance for models doesn’t usually vary much with their scale, so the smaller the scale, the duller the colors need to be. You can achieve this scale effect by mixing colors (full-strength) with varying amounts of light gray, white, or gray-blue.
Keep a note of any special paint mixes you make up. This is really helpful if you think you might need the exact same color again. You can do this by spraying or painting the color onto a scrap of white card and recording the details alongside.
There are more scenery ideas in the members area of the online Model Train Club.
Bachmann Diesels
Donn asks readers:
“I have 4 Bachmann diesels, all with on board dcc, and I want to add sound. Is there a printed how to manual or something to show step by step instructions? I am new to this. Thanks”
Comment below.
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.
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