Tabla de contenidos para December 2023 en Model Railroader

Built by Others: the MT&W Grant Graeber was an armchair modeler for almost six decades until he finally decided that it was time to roll up his sleeves and build a layout. His inspiration? The Black River Junction project layout, built by Model Railroader staff, that graced these very pages in 2007. By modifying the track plan the way he wanted and adding a second extension, he completed a layout he loves to operate. The Black River Junction was our layout, and the Miserable, Tired & Weary is his! Meet Allan Gartner You know his name from the monthly DCC Currents column, but do you know that he’s built multiple model railroads, including an outdoor garden layout? With this month being the his last installment of the monthly column, it’s…

The Alco S4 diesel locomotive from Atlas Model Railroad Co. is in stores now. The N scale end-cab switcher, part of the company’s Master Line, features railroad-specific details, a die-cast metal hood and chassis, and directional lightemitting-diode headlights. Alco produced the S4 between August 1950 and January 1961, manufacturing more than 790 units for railroads in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Montreal Locomotive Works built 29 identical S7 switchers for Canadian National in mid-1957. The S4, rated at 1,000hp, was equipped with a 6 cylinder 539 engine. The diesel featured wider radiator shutters than the S1 and S3 and had a tapered exhaust stack base. The latter indicated the engine was turbocharged. The sample we received is decorated as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 1517, part of the railroad’s…

Q I was given an older model of a reefer car that has hatches across the whole roof instead of on each end (see photo). Is this a special type of reefer for handling a specific cargo? Wes Barteck A Though that kind of refrigerated car is more common north of the border than in the United States, it’s just a basic reefer. Unlike the end-bunker ice reefer we’re all used to seeing, this is an overhead-bunker reefer. As the name implies, the ice or brine coolant tank stretches along the roof the full length of the car. Overhead bunker reefer cars were common on Canadian railroads, though a few were rostered by American roads, according to Kalmbach Books author and railroad historian Jeff Wilson. They weren’t developed for a…

A person starting out in the hobby of model railroading doesn’t have to look far before the subject of turnouts comes into question. Adding a few turnouts to that simple oval of track now requires that train routing decisions must be made. The game is on. Now you have a railroad to manage. Consider a typical operating session. As guests arrive and before trains begin to move, it’s not uncommon for a group to gather and discuss track work, and more specifically, the turnouts. As Bill Pistello was planning his O scale switching layout, construction of the turnouts became his main focus. Bill decided to use the Fast Tracks system for building the 16 turnouts used on his layout. However, the methods used in the following article could be applied,…

It was irresistible. Noted craftsman structure builder and model railroad podcaster Scotty Mason announced a track planning contest for a room in his new home. This was my chance to finally be interviewed on Scotty’s popular show. I had to enter. Reality set in when I looked at the footprint: an L shape, 9'-8" x 11'-6", with a bite taken out of one corner. There would be no room for a multi-deck masterpiece. Instead, to set my entry apart, I designed a plan closely based on a prototype location. I included significant operating possibilities to keep one or two people busy. I also provided ample room for Scotty to showcase his structures. Scotty’s only specifications for the track plan were HO scale and a Penn Central theme, preferably in Pennsylvania.…

My layout has a lift gate, so I worry when it’s open that a sound-equipped locomotive with a stay-alive will run off the edge or push rolling stock over the cliff when I’m not looking. In the April 2020 Model Railroader, author Gary Hoover talked about his solution using a mercury switch, switch machine, and music wire [“Celebrating Steam’s Last Stand”]. I contacted Gary and was able to adapt his design, with a few changes. Building the bridge blocker I mounted a terminal block, relay socket, and Tortoise to a 3.25" x 5" piece of1 ⁄4" medium-density fiberboard (MDF) with No. 4 screws. This module makes it easy to wire and to mount to the benchwork.❶ The terminal block makes a convenient way to attach to wires from the 12V…

As a Burlington Northern fan, I was absolutely thrilled when Walthers announced the Trinity 4,750-cubic-foot capacity three-bay covered hopper. The newly tooled model, based on a BN prototype, is part of the manufacturer’s Mainline series and features injectionmolded plastic construction. The model we received is decorated as BN 466071, part of the railroad’s 466000 through 466999 series built by Trinity Industries at its Greenville, Pa., plant under File 2111 between June and October 1990. From 1990 to 1995, BN ordered 5,500 Trinity 4750 covered hoppers, numbered 466000 through 469999 and 471000 through 472499. The cars were the backbone of BN’s grain hauling fleet and were often run in 104-car unit trains during the railroad’s final years. The BN covered hoppers became part of the BNSF Ry. fleet following the merger…

I enjoyed Mr. Perry’s article about building a transfer table [August]. He mentioned he had trouble finding prototype pictures. More than 20 years ago, I took some pictures of the transfer table at the Cargill plant southwest of Atchison, Kan. I recently tried to take updated pictures, but there were rows of hopper cars in the way. As I recall, there were only about three tracks coming to the transfer table, but at least eight tracks led away from it on the other side. Mr. Perry’s transfer table looks really close to the actual thing. Mark Huff, Kansas City Knocked out by the YV I was knocked out by the article in the September issue on Jack Burgess’ Yosemite Valley layout. I’ve been a fan of the YV since my…

While visiting us one Christmas my youngest son, Aric, who is an avid downhill biker, brought along his GoPro camera for us to shoot some video with on my On30 Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes. I grabbed a flatcar I had sitting around and we placed the camera on its deck. Aric explained to me how I could interface my Apple iPhone SE with the camera and not only watch but also record the train’s view as it rolled along. I was so impressed with the results that the next time he visited we ordered a GoPro Hero 6 in black for me and again shot some video. One shortcoming of placing the camera on an On30 flatcar, which we noticed immediately, was that it shook whenever the wheels rolled…

Have you ever walked on a sidewalk in downtown New York or Chicago, looked up at the immense skyscrapers, and felt a little dizzy? Have you looked at how high they are and wondered what went into the design of these unique pieces of architecture? Matt Gellings has. That’s why he sought to bring these amazing buildings to a place he could admire them in miniature, his HO scale Soo Line Central RR. Matt’s journey Matt grew up in Lomira, Wis., where his grandfather was a farmer. Spending time on his grandfather’s farm as a young boy introduced Matt to all sorts of machinery. Matt’s father worked as a mechanic, so Matt’s interest naturally turned to things mechanical, especially tractors and other farm equipment. This love of big machines led…

It’s the autumn of 1948, and New York, New Haven & Hartford class J-1 Mikado No. 3016 idles in front of the East Berlin, Conn., depot while its crew takes lunch. Chris Adams of Old Saybrook, Conn., photographed the Key Imports brass locomotive on his HO scale layout, called The Valley Local. Chris’ friend Dave Messer modeled the depot from the prototype, and Chris weathered it. The locomotive was painted and weathered by Don Mitchell. As the local drill pulls an empty boxcar from the Peters Warehouse siding, Conrail GP9 No. 7565 leads its train around Horseshoe Bend in northeastern Pennsylvania. Mark E. Rabenold of Allentown, Pa., took the photo on his freelanced late 1976 HO scale layout. Peters Warehouse was custom built from photos of the prototype. Mark shot…

HO scale Alco RS11 diesel locomotive. This HO scale model was one of several items on display at the Rapido Trains booth at the 2023 National Train Show in Grapevine, Texas. The locomotive is offered decorated for Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific; Burlington Northern; Central Vermont; Delaware & Hudson; Maine Central; New York Central; Nickel Plate Road; Portland Terminal; Northern Pacific; and Seaboard Air Line. The RS11 features newly tooled roadname-specific details, full underbody piping, and a new 5-pole, skew-wound motor. Direct-current models are $225, while models featuring an ESU LokSound sound decoder sell for $335. Rapido Trains Inc., 905-474-3314, rapidotrains.com…

The Pullman-Standard (PS) 40-foot PS-1 boxcar, a staple on prototype railroads from the late 1940s through the 1980s, is now available as an easy-tobuild HO scale kit from ScaleTrains. The injection-molded plastic model, which uses former M.T.H. Electric Trains tooling, features a one-piece body, various modeler-installed parts, and a freestanding brake system. Pullman-Standard produced its first 40-foot PS-1 boxcar in 1947. The popular body style stayed in the PS catalog into the early 1960s. Our sample is decorated as Union Pacific 100844, part of the railroad’s B-50-40 class numbered 100000 through 101599. The 1,600 cars in this group, constructed by PS in 1948, featured welded sides; 6-foot, seven-panel Superior doors; and PS ends. To assemble the kit, the manufacturer recommends the following tools: a hobby knife, small Phillips screwdriver, liquid…

Over the past few years, model railroad scenery manufacturers including Woodland Scenics, Noch, and JTT Scenery Products have crafted many types of impressively realistic flora to enhance realism in model railroading. Bachman Industries, for example, offers the type of summer reeds that grow at the edges of bodies of water or in marshy areas. They feature green stems. The plumes are somewhat coarse, and each piece is about 1" high. But I have not found the type of fall and winter season reeds that have feathery plumes that stand taller than a person. Perhaps they are too delicate for packaging and shipping. Several fall stems without plumes have been discontinued or are on extended backorder. Tall, beige reeds with fine, feathery plumes are not difficult to create, however. Follow along…

Since 1988, members of the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum (WPMRM) have been working on a 40 x 100-foot model railroad set between Pittsburgh, Pa., and Cumberland, Md. The HO scale layout, which features historically accurate scenes, is among the largest displays in the United States. Approximately 350 steam and diesel locomotives decorated for the Baltimore & Ohio and the group’s freelanced Mon-Valley System (short for Monongahela Valley) move more than 2,400 freight and passenger cars across the layout. The computer-controlled model railroad is kept up to date with the latest technology, and the museum has plans to make the layout even larger in the years ahead. A rich history The WPMRM was founded in 1938 as the Pittsburgh HO Model Railroad Club (PMRC). Believed to be the third oldest…

One aspect of model railroading that I enjoy is hosting group operating sessions on my under-construction Rio Grande Southern. I try to run my layout like the real railroad operated in 1938 to 1942, using timetable and train orders (TTTO). For the tracking of individual cars, I use switch lists generated by Ship It! software. Collectively, I refer to the timetable, train orders, and switch lists as “paperwork.” Using these methods to create an enjoyable operating session requires a crew member to carry multiple pieces of paperwork, a writing utensil, and their throttle as they operate across the layout. Experience has shown that this can be cumbersome and frustrating, especially when switching is involved. Using the throttle, lining switches, uncoupling cars, and handling paperwork usually leaves a person shorthanded and…

This month I’ll wrap up our discussion of electrical devices that are useful to the model railroader, culminating in ways to illuminate your passenger cars ❶. As I mentioned last month, when you buy components, make sure you buy those with leads. Many components these days are leadless and are nearly impossible to hand solder. A diode has a simple function of only allowing power to flow in one direction. There are a multitude of uses for a diode. However, I’ll just cover those that you might encounter with Digial Command Control (DCC). Before I get started, let me distinguish the difference between the diodes I will be discussing here and a lightemitting diode (LED). A typical diode has been fortified to prevent power flow in the reverse direction, while…

Many, perhaps most of us, model a time period several steps removed from the present. That usually means we must rely on secondhand evidence or memories to recreate a reasonable facsimile of a given time and place. We’re very fortunate to have access to many sources of information, most of them reasonably accurate, even about subjects that are surprisingly arcane. But we can also fall into a different form of the analysis-paralysis trap: spending too much time searching for information and not enough time applying it to our model railroads. Having a virtual pipeline into vast treasure troves of information, helpful though that may be, falls short of Henry Ford’s dictum: “Get out and get under!” No matter how many times I read about a long-gone railroad, I tend to view…