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!
S Scale Model Trains
S scale (sometimes called S gauge) is modeling in 3/16th to the foot or a proportion of 1:64 to the real full size (prototype) model. In other words, the real full-sized train is 1:1 and 64 times larger than S scale model train in all dimensions.
Ground Cover For Model Train Set Layouts
Sawdust can be an inexpensive material for making ground cover for a model train set layout. Buy some fabric dye from the supermarket or hobby store. Mix up the dye according to the directions and start adding your sawdust. Keep adding the sawdust until all the liquid is gone.
Then put the colored sawdust in a baking dish and put in a warm oven for an hour or so to dry it out. Once it’s dried and cooled, bag it up to store it until you’re ready to use it. You can apply it to the ground with white glue and to trees with spray glue or hairspray.
US Railway History 1850-1860
1850
More than 9,000 miles of track were in operation in the U.S., as much as in the rest of the world combined. The 1850s saw unprecedented growth across the face of the continent. During that decade every state east of the Mississippi was served by an ever-expanding railway network.
1860
The track milage in operation in the U.S. reached 30,000 miles of railway track.
Narrow Gauge Tracks Prove Uneconomic
Even though narrow gauge railroads were inexpensive to build, off loading and on loading became too much of an expense for most railroads around the US. Each time a narrow gauge railroad met a standard railroad, shipments would have to be unloaded and reloaded.
There are few narrow gauge US railroads still in operation. Some have been converted to the standard railroad system. Others have been dismantled and turned into scrap.
Australia Has Longest Straight Railroad
The Australian National Railways Trans-Australian line over the Nullarbor Plain, is 478 km. (297 miles) dead straight, from between Nurina and Loongana, Western Australia, to between Ooldea and Watson, South Australia.
Planning Mistakes With Model Train Sets
When planning a model train set layout it is usually best to start small. Then hopefully, mistakes can be small too. You will probably want to begin your model railroading hobby by purchasing only a small amount of track and maybe some plugs, switches, a locomotive or two, and a few cars. A small model train track layout of 4×8 or less might be a good place to start your railroading hobby. There is no point in being intimidated (and maybe discouraged) by a large or complex model train set when you are learning the basics of the hobby. With a smaller model train set it will be easier to fix mistakes or make changes.
A 4×8 model train set layout is large enough to fit the 18-inch radius curves that come with many train sets. With a 4×8 model train layout there is also room for an oval with 18-inch radius ends and a few sidings.
Steam Trains Haul 92 Percent Of Mail
How times have changed. It is estimated that 6,279,288,000 pounds of mail were handled by the US Post Office Department in the year ended June 30, 1941, of which it is estimated over 5,800,000,000 pounds, or more than 92 per cent, were handled by the railroads.
Ballasted Track Adds To Model Train Set Realism
Ballasted track adds more scenic realism to a model train set layout. However, you need to make sure that the electrics are all sorted out and that all the rail joiners are tight fitting before you start ballasting. Otherwise you may find that after you have ballasted your train track, some sections of track wont work properly.
For yards on a model train layout you may want to use a finer grade of ballast to give the impression of more lightly laid lines, while on the mainline you might want more coarse ballast.
Railway Accidents Around The World
Model railroaders can get frustrated with derailments and accidents that happen with model train sets. Sadly, real train accidents are far more serious and cause tragedy and mayhem. In this series we look at some of the more serious train accidents from history.
February 1, 1970
236 people are killed when an express train rams stationary commuter train in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
October 6, 1972
A train carrying religious pilgrims derails and catches fire in Saltillo, Mexico, killing 208.
Wheels Spin On Model Train Locomotives
If you are adding a new locomotive to your model train set layout then check out the wheels. If the wheels are not connected to a gear, then the locomotive wheels will move easily when you push them with your finger. If the locomotive wheels move just a little and then go stiff, they’re connected to a gear. That’s a good sign. If the locomotive is slow to start, then consider buying something a bit better. A good locomotive is an excellent addition to any model train set and is worth the investment.
The locomotive motor is also important and needs to be of good quality, to turn smoothly, using the least amount of electricity.
Taking The Shine Off Your Model Trains
Shiny surfaces can spoil the realism of any model train set layout. Shiny surfaces can make model buildings and model trains look fake as though they have just come off a shop shelf.
A simple way to remove that shine is to overspray the structure or rolling stock with Dullcote (Testors #1260 clear flat lacquer overcoat). Dullcote is available at most model train hobby stores and comes in a small spray can like many other model car colors.
Gauging Train Tracks
Do train tracks have the same gauge? No they don’t, but there are two main types: standard gauge and narrow gauge. In the US, Canada and most European countries, trains run on “standard gauge.”
Model Train Set Layout Stretches 7 Miles
Model Train Sets: Garrett, Indiana, USA.
The Greater Midcontinent Railroad Company was founded in 1991. The HO scale model train set layout occupies approximately 20 by 30 feet of the basement of the Garrett Historical Society Museum. The model train layout has about 7 scale miles of track, which typically takes 20 minutes for trains to complete a circuit. Prototypical operations are duplicated with the aid of a computerized system which controls the model train set layout.
40,000 Railway Jobs Lost
Between the years of 1951 and 1972, railroad industry employment declined by an average of more than 40,000 US railway jobs per year. US Railroad employment stabilized in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Pressures to operate more efficiently left some freight railroads unprepared for the recent surge in rail demand since 2003. For example, Union Pacific, the country’s largest railroad, hired approximately 5,000 employees (an increase of more than 10%) between 2003 and 2005 in response to this demand.
Diesel Engines Compression Ignited
A follow-on from the last posting. Diesel engines are compression ignited. Unlike , say, a gasoline-powered automobile engine, which is spark ignited. Diesel engines are also very fuel efficient. This is why diesel-powered automobiles became popular during the energy shortage of the 1970s.
London Underground 221 ft Below Ground Level
Some interesting facts about the London Underground:
Maximum depths below ground level -Northern Line, Holly Bush Hill, Hampstead 67.4m (221ft)
Maximum depth below mean sea level -Northern Line, just south of Waterloo station 21.3m (70ft)
Deepest station -Hampstead 58.5m (192ft) below ground level
Longest continuous tunnel -Northern Line, East Finchley to Morden (via Bank) 27.8km (17.4 miles)
Longest distance between stations -Metropolitan Line, Chesham to Chalfont & Latimer 6.26km (3.91 miles)
Highest point above mean sea level -Metropolitan Line, beyond Amersham Station 150m (492ft)
Highest station above mean sea level -Amersham 147m (482ft)
Annual Gateway Projects
There is a project that the Gateway Division has undertaken in each of the last years. They call the project the Gateway Central Project Layout. It is the sort of project that just about any model railway club, division or group of NMRA members could duplicate. Model Train Set Resource.
http://www.gatewaynmra.org/articles/project04.htm
First Generation Of Diesel Locomotive
Diesel power has been around since 1901. It was named after Rudolph Diesel, a German engineer born in Paris in 1858. In the 1920s, improvements in reliable controls to match the load of electrical generating and propulsion systems led to the first generation of diesel train locomotives in the late 1930s.
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