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Cincinnati Model Train Show Planned
Model railroading enthusiasts visiting Ohio in the USA in April might like to diary the Great Train Expo planned for the Duke Energy Center, 525 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Saturday & Sunday – March 31 – April 1, 2007. The Cincinnati Great Train Expo will feature the Miami Valley Modular RR 28′ x 72′ N Scale Layout, Ohio Lego Train Club 20′ x 30′ Lego Train Layout and the Dalmatian Switching District 25′ x 26′ HO Scale Layout.
2007 Trainwest Exhibition On Move In UK
The 2007 Trainwest is moving to the Christie Miller Sports Centre in the Bowerhill Industrial Estate near Melksham. exhibition will be held at the Christie Miller Sports Centre at Bowerhill near Melksham, Wiltshire, on 26th & 27th May. There will be more than 30 model railway layouts, one third of them American in outline and two thirds British.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway Exhibition And Show
A Model Rail Exhibition is taking place on the 28th and 29th April at the Northern Events Arena with up to 50 model railway layouts. A shuttle bus service is operating between the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) and the Events Arena allowing model railway enthusiasts to visit two attractions over the weekend.
Visitors will also be able to see the return of a ‘B1’ locomotive into Whitby, the first time that anybody will have seen a ‘B1’ hauled passenger service along the Esk Valley Line since the 1960’s.
Locomotive lineup for this New Event at The North Yorkshire Moors Railway are provisionally No. 60007, No. 60009, ‘K1’ No. 62005, ‘B1’ No. 61264, ‘N7’ No. 69621, and awaiting confirmation No. 60019, ‘J15’ No. 65462, other guest engines are still to be confirmed.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway operates steam trains along an 18 mile line between the market town of Pickering and the village of Grosmont, through the heart of the North York Moors National Park. The railway passes through a variety of scenery, from wooded valley to heather clad moorland. It also calls at picturesque villages along the way and offers access to unspoilt countryside for walkers and cyclists.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the earliest and most historic lines in the North of England. Its origins go back well over a century and a half, and was an important trade link between Pickering and Whitby. Following a meeting in 1831 George Stephenson was asked to report on building the line of simplest construction for the employment of animal power. The complete 24 mile stretch of line was fully opened in May 1836.
Annual March UK Model Railway Exhibition
NOTTINGHAM East Midlands MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION will be held on Saturday 17 March 2007 and Sunday 18 March 2007 at Harvey Hadden Sports Complex, Bilborough Park, Wigman Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, NG8 4PB, U.K.
The NOTTINGHAM East Midlands MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION is one of the premier model railway events in the UK and, at over 19,000 square feet, it’s now one of the biggest too. Staged each year, over the third weekend in March, by the Nottingham (Bulwell) MRS, at Nottingham’s Harvey Hadden Sports Complex, the event has earned a reputation for both the quality of its exhibits and for being a friendly show.
Typically, there are around thirty layouts, in a variety of scales, gauges, periods and geographical areas; over forty trade exhibitors (mainly specialist suppliers and manufacturers – so it’s just the event for modellers to go to with their shopping lists and to find all those kits, bits, components and materials that they need); plus a whole host of demonstrations. The event is supported by the main scale, gauge and special interest societies: the HMRS, 2mm Assn, EMGS, Scalefour Society, G0G, DEMU, NMRA, and the RCTS.
At the Nottingham East Midlands Model Railway Exhibition there are always several themes running through each year’s Nottinghan train show. This year one of the main themes will be ‘West Coast Wonder’, with several big model railway layouts depicting AC electric action on the West Coast Mainline. A second theme being planned, is ‘Sunny Southern Splendour’, based on layouts portraying the former Southern Region and Southern Railway lines.
2007 UK Model Railway Show At Derby
For those model railroad enthusiasts in the United Kingdom or those want an excuse to visit the UK, here are details of an upcoming model train show.
St John’s (Mickleover) Model Railway Group Derby Show (also known as the Mickleover Model Railway Group) will stage a model railway show at the Derby Assembly Rooms on 21st and 22nd April 2007.
How the St John’s (Mickleover) Model Railway Group got started:
During 1965 the local church asked if any church member had a model railway layout to show at the annual church fete to add more variety. Several church members had model railway layouts and a small model railway layout was shown at the church fete and from the interest shown it was felt it would be a good idea to run a small railway exhibition on its own to aid church funds.
This first model railway show was as a one day exhibition on September 18th 1965 with just five small model railway layouts and a film show and a surprise to everyone over 1000 people attended with £45 raised for church funds.
Three more model railway shows were held during 1966, 1967, 1968 and interest in model railways was on the increase and several visitors to the shows asked if they could join the original group. These requests lead to a meeting on the 9th October 1968 open to anyone with an interest in model railways and this meeting decided to form a club who need not be church members and this resulted in 34 members joining the newly formed St. John’s (Mickleover) Model Railway Group .
The St. John’s (Mickleover) Model Railway Group continued using the church hall with all the time looking to see if premises were available around the Mickleover area but without success. The church hall had a disadvantage as the model railway layouts had to be unpacked and then packed away after each meeting with not a lot of running time in-between.
During 1989 an opportunity came to lease a part of the old Mickleover school. This was a separate building and although a lot of work needed to be carried out the St. John’s (Mickleover) Model Railway Group members set to and moved into the new clubroom late 1990.
The St. John’s (Mickleover) Model Railway Group still hold an annual exhibition in Mickleover during the autumn with railway club members showing their own model railway layouts with also the clubs own layouts.
In 1982 Derby city council wanted to stage a model railway exhibition in the assembly rooms this being the main theatre and exhibition centre in derby and the club were asked if the St. John’s (Mickleover) model railway group would help. Some members did and from this first show the annual Derby Model Railway Exhibition has become one of the premier shows in the UK.
The St. John’s (Mickleover) Model Railway Group meets on Tuesday and Friday nights from 7.30 pm in the clubroom at the back of Mickleover school (now the community centre) and has model railway layouts in American HO an English OO finished and N gauge and O gauge under construction.
Transformers With Starter Model Train Sets
Small model train layouts can get by with the basic transformer that comes with many starter model train sets. However, a starter model train set transformer probably won’t have a lot of extra power and may not have a circuit breaker to prevent burn-outs. The transformer that came with the model train set may be all you need to get started if the locomotive doesn’t have a strong engine.
Model Train Scales Explained
How do model trains compare in size? What is the difference between Z, N , HO , S , O , or G model trains? If you are an experienced model railroader, then you’ll know that these are some of the most frequently asked questions about model trains.
As a handy reference here is a list of the main model train set scales from largest to the smallest:
O 1:48
S 1:64
HO 1:87
N 1:160
Z 1:220
Events In Railway History
Events In Railway History. 1945-1953
US President Harry S Truman is the last “railroad President.” His successors will rely mostly on planes and automobiles, using trains largely for campaign trips.
Events In Railway History. 1970
The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 creates Amtrak to take over intercity rail passenger service. Amtrak officially begins service on May 1, 1971.
Events In Railway History. June 6, 1981
800 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the world’s worst rail accident when a cyclone blew an overcrowded train off its tracks into the River Kosi in India’s eastern state of Bihar.
Smallest Radius In N Gauge
If you model in N gauge you might like to have a go at answering the question from a fellow enthusiast.
“Could one of your readers please help me, by telling me what the smallest radius I could expect to have on a small N gauge layout to fit in either a box case or coffee table. I thought approx 2ft x 3ft max. I would like a figure of eight, or circle with extend loop on one end. Hoping one of your readers can help me.”
Submit your answer by clicking on the comments tag below.
Mini Toggle Switch For O Gauge Model Railroad
Here is a reader question for O gauge modelers to get their teeth into:
“I am just starting to set up a large O gauge model railroad which I was able to purchase at a very reasonable price. I am looking for a mini toggle switch, spdt, with center return. I want to replace the old, large Lionel switch controllers. I know they are out there but I just don’t know where to look. Also, I understand they should be 10 amp or more? Can your O gauge blog readers give me any suggestions or a company to contact. Thanks”
To submit your answer simply click on the comments tag below.
Power Supply And Oiling Model Trains
This model railroading blog is for everyone who is interested in the hobby of model railroading. For that reason we often include questions from blog readers for other model railroaders to have a go at answering. If you think you can offer an answer or suggestion for this question, then simply click on the comments tag below to offer your reply. All comments are submitted to the site moderator for approval prior to publication. Here is a question relating to power supply and oiling of trains. Have a go and see if you can answer it:
“I have a problem and I was wondering if you could help. On the BAD advice, we started out our trains with H.O. but since have switched to Lionel. I have a large amount of H.O. trains and track. The engines seem very slow, we didn’t oil them prior to use, I was disappointed and I put all the H.O. away. Now that we have the train room converted to O-Scale, I would like to take a look at the H.O. again and set that with our table, I have the room. And what type of oil do we use for H.O.? Can I use the same oil from Lionel on H.O.?????
What did I do wrong the first time with H.O.??? Do they run slow or do I need to ‘tweak’ them????”
If you would like to answer the above question simply click on the comments tag below .
Model Railroad Layout Scene Ideas
The types of different small scenes that can be included on a model railroad layout are limited only by the modelers imagination. For example, scenes on a model railroad layout could feature: a town scene, cityscape, airport, gasworks, school, port facility, retirement village, sports fields, tennis court, swimming pool, waterfall, gas station, shops, countryside, bushland, farms, factories, coal mining, sawmill, parks, a river, dam, fire scene, monorail, gondolas, suburban streets…these can all add interest to a model railroad layout.
Street scenes can always be a good starting point to add interest and activity to a model railroad layout. A typical street scene could include a garbage truck complete with garbage men carrying garbage bins to and from the kerb. There could be a garbage bin in front of every house in the street. Every neighborhood has people, kids playing, perhaps dogs barking, cars, bikes etc. A pedestrian crossing could have people waiting while cars pass through. The electricity department could have a truck parked and men up a pole working on lines. A mailman could be delivering mail, or a courier delivering a parcel, or a post office van could be parked alongside a post box while the postman is emptying it. These little details can all add interest to a street scene on a model railroad layout.
Another good addition to a model railroad layout is a railroad station scene. This could show passengers on the platforms waiting for trains. A station scene could include porters moving luggage, piles of mailbags, people queued at a ticket office and maybe some tourists with cameras. There could be a nearby level crossing, a footbridge with people walking on it, people arriving at and leaving the station, and cars dropping off or picking up passengers.
Scale Distances When Planning A Model Railroad Layout
An often asked question relating to planning a model railway layout is, how much track is required to achieve a scale distance of one mile or one kilometer?
These are approximate figures for some of the more common scales:
Scale one mile one kilometre
1:22 (G) 151 feet (45.5 metres) 242 feet (72.8 metres)
1:43.5 (O) 76 feet (23 metres) 123 feet (37 metres)
1:87.1 (HO) 38 feet (11.5 metres) 61 feet (18.4 metres)
1:76.2 (OO – UK) 44 feet (13 metres) 70 feet (20.8 metres)
1:160 (N) 20 feet (6.2 metres) 33 feet (10 metres)
1:148 (N – UK) 22.5 feet (6.8 metres) 36 feet (10.9 metres)
On most railroads even the closest railway stations are several or miles apart so, on a model railroad layout, it is not usually feasible to lay the huge length of track required to represent the true distance.
Coal Mining Facility On Model Railroad
Here is a chance for experienced model railroaders to share their ideas and help another railroading enthusiast. To answer this question or offer some ideas simply click on the comments tag and submit your answer to the site moderator for publication.
A fellow model railroader asks:
“I’d like to put in a coal mining facility on my HO layout and I’d like to actually be able to fill the cars, and then empty them. One reader mentioned all he does is glue a magnet underneath the simulated coal load, then as it passes underneath a magnet, voila! it’s gone. But where do you put all these magnetized fake loads? Is there another method your blog readers know. Can they help me please?”
Lichen Adds To Realistic Model Railroad Scenery
Lichen is one of the easiest and most realistic materials to use in making small scale trees and shrubs on model railroads, or other hobby scenery. Lichen is ideal when mass foliage or quick and inexpensive greenery is needed.
Woodland Scenic is one brand with a range of Lichen products suitable for trees, foliage, small bushes and hedges on a model railroad layout.
As far as I know the Woodland Scenic Lichen products have been treated with preservative additives that make them nonflammable, nontoxic and hygroscopic. It does not dry out unless the relative humidity drops below 37%, and will soften again when the relative humidity rises above 37%.
Use Lichen to make trees, shrubs, bushes, vines, undergrowth and forests. This natural product blends in a limitless variety of colors and textures when combined with the turf and foliage line.
It comes in a range of colors including Fall (Autumn) tones. One popular shade is Spring Green -is a yellowish-green color with realistic-looking V-shaped pine needles.
Lichen makes it easy to produce realistic scenery whether you’re a beginner or advanced modeler. This product is easy to use and virtually foolproof. With most brands, instructions and tips are printed on the back of the package.
How Weather Affects Model Railroading
We all feel the cold when temperatures drop, but so does our model train layout. When temperatures drop below 32 degrees fahrenheit (0 degree Celsius), moisture in the air and the models begin to freeze and the plastic becomes brittle.
The thing to remember is that it is often coldest at night when the model railroader is sleeping. The problem is freezing temperatures and damp can lead to condensation freezing on the model train layout. We were taught at school that water expands when it freezes. It is true and it can cause damage to your layout, rails and electronics.
High humidity can also be a big problem. Old steel rails rust just like any other unprotected steel. So, keep a watch on temperature and humidity levels around a model train layout. This could save time and the wasted effort of constant maintenance or repairs to models due to rust.
Sound Decoder On-Board DCC Diesel
Robert is away today so I have posted this reader question in his absense.
A keen model railroader asks readers for an answer to this question:
IS IT POSSIBLE TO INSTALL A SOUND DECODER ON-BOARD THE DIESEL ENGINE DCC?
If you would like to contribute your answer simply click on the comments tag below.
Adele
Geared Locomotives Climb Grades Of 10 Percent
A little known fact is that many railroad steam locomotives consisted of engines that used gears together with steam cylinders (common on all steam locomotives) to produce more “constant” pulling power than the conventional and more prevalent “rod” type of steam locomotive.
The most common geared locomotives were Shays, Climaxes, and Heislers. These were manufactured by different companies with different means of getting geared power to their drivers.
The geared locomotives were the “4 wheel drive” versions of the “rod” locomotives. The geared locomotives were lighter, smaller, and had geared transmissions to provide steady, constant power to all wheels (or drivers).
The geared locomotives were designed to climb steep grades (in excess of 10%), operate on lighter, smaller rail (for economy) and on rail that was often crooked and poorly maintained (also for economy purposes).
The locomotives were mainly used in the lumber and mining industries. The rails were laid to the timber or minerals to provide a practical and economical means to transport these commodities out of their locations and to the mills for processing.
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