Tabla de contenidos para October 2024 en Model Railroader

Wm. K. Walthers Inc. has released a new run of its Proto-series Electro-Motive Division (EMD) SD9 road switcher. The HO scale model features an injection-molded plastic body; diecast metal chassis; and a mix of plastic, etched-metal, formed wire, and cast brass detail parts. Electro-Motive Division produced the SD9 from January 1954 to June 1959, constructing 471 units for railroads in the United States of America. The 1,750hp diesel was equipped with a 16-cylinder, 567C diesel engine. The sample we received is decorated as Great Northern 595. The full-size unit was built in April 1958 under order number 5564-6. The six-axle road switcher was part of GN’s 573 through 599 series. Following the March 1970 merger that created Burlington Northern, GN 595 became BN 6122. In 1995, the unit joined the…

Q What are the bars on top of Pennsylvania RR diesel locomotives for? Are they for radio? Damien Bouchey  A Those bars aren’t for radio, though they served the same function — communication. Those are Pennsylvania RR train-phone antennas. In the mid-1930s, the Pennsy was looking for a more efficient way for dispatchers and towermen to send messages to engineers than the current method, which was paper forms. Radio was fairly new at the time, and railroads didn’t yet have access to any broadcast frequencies, so the Pennsy went a different route: electrical induction. Electricity and magnetism are intimately connected. When a current flows through a conductor, it creates a moving magnetic field around the conductor (which is how electromagnets and electric motors work). And when that magnetic field intersects…

Winter is the time of year when my model railroad gets a facelift. Even though my N scale Missabe Junction Ry. is complete to the eyes of most folks, I’m always looking for ways to generate more interest in the layout. On most model railroads, we concentrate new construction on rail-related structures — depots and industries, among other items. I’ve found that the addition of non-rail structures adds more realism. While looking for the structures to build, I found an interesting building from RSLaser Kits. The structure is based on an abandoned brewery silo in Missouri. Around the same time, I was in a meeting at a business that had a framed print of an aged barn on the wall. A large U.S. flag was painted on the side. Good…

My first model railroad, an HO scale double-deck layout, is under construction in an 11 x 12-foot spare bedroom. After finishing the helix and several sections of benchwork, I realized I wanted easy access to my locomotives for testing things as the layout expands. But I wanted to protect them from construction dust. So I designed a Plexiglas and wood display case with six levels. Except for the top shelf, each connects to a level on my helix. It’s extremely unlikely that anyone would need to build a helix that matches my specifications, so I won’t waste your time with its dimensions. Instead, I will offer ideas and methods that may inspire you to do something similar on your layout. Perhaps you can save time by avoiding some mistakes I…

Send us your photos Trackside Photos is a showcase for the work of Model Railroader readers. Send your photos (digital images 5 megapixels or larger) to: Model Railroader, Trackside Photos, 18650 W. Corporate Drive Suite 103, Brookfield, WI 53045; or email them to Senior Associate Editor Steven Otte at steven.otte@firecrown.com.…

A Budd Slumbercoach is the latest addition to the Rapido Trains HO scale passenger car fleet. The 24-single-room, 8-double-room car is based on the asbuilt version with steam heat equipment. The injection-molded plastic model features separate, factory-applied name boards; etched-metal end gates; and sprung diaphragms. Budd produced the Slumbercoach from 1956 to 1959. During the course of the production run 18 cars were built. Baltimore & Ohio had the largest fleet with five cars. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; New York Central; and Northern Pacific had four cars each. Missouri Pacific had one. The full-size car had a 40-passenger capacity. The sample we received is decorated as NP No. 327, part of the railroad’s 325 through 328 series. The full-size car (plan 9540) was built by The Budd Co. under Job…

I bought my first Model Railroader magazine in 1961, when I was 16 years old. I have, except for a few years, been a regular subscriber of the magazine since then. Though every issue has been interesting to read and often given me good advice, it’s easy to see that our great hobby is in some trouble. A declining number of people are involved in building their own layouts. The dwindling number of pages in each MR magazine is an indication. And if you look at the number of ads for model railroad shops, it’s obvious that there are far fewer shops than we used to have. It’s fairly obvious that there are fewer people in the hobby today than 30 or 40 years ago. I’m especially concerned that young people…

Ken Smith was introduced to model trains in 1959 when his dad gave him an American Flyer set for Christmas. This was followed by a modest sized HO layout in the basement of the family home. After reaching adulthood, finishing college, and marrying, Ken built two more. The first was in the bonus room above the garage of his first home, which was about 80% complete when he left it behind in a move. He then started a second railroad in the basement of his new house, which was less than a quarter complete when another move required him to abandon that project. That next move resulted in the railroad seen here, a freelanced HO scale layout built around the walls of a 9'-6" x 11'-0" room. This time Ken…

Sandwiched between Interstate 95 on the east and the CSX main line on the west in Pompano Beach, Fla., lies an industrial area known on the Florida East Coast Ry. (FEC) as the Pompano Market. The market is bordered by Hammondville Road on the south and West Copans Road on the north. Despite its proximity, CSX doesn’t connect to the FEC tracks nor serve any of the industries in the Pompano Market. This unique area features numerous diverse industries and is an excellent prototype for a modern switching area that can be modeled in a compact space. FEC history The FEC has a rich history dating back to 1885, when it was developed by Henry M. Flagler. Starting in Jacksonville and running down the east coast of Florida, the main…

Since January, we’ve been nominating people to establish a Model Railroader Hall of Fame. Just to be clear, this isn’t a Model Railroader magazine Hall of Fame, but a Hall of Fame for all model railroaders. This idea had been percolating in my mind since a couple of middle-aged model railroaders came to visit the old Model Railroader offices at 21027 Crossroads Circle in Waukesha, Wis. We would offer tours to see the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy model railroad, as well as various project layouts we had around the office, and always included a stop at the display cabinet outside our offices. Inside the cabinet are artifacts that help chart the history of model railroading. One of them is a steam locomotive from John Allen’s Gorre & Daphetid model railroad.…

HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP38 diesel locomotive. Rock Island Rail is one of 11 new paint schemes offered on this four-axle road switcher from Atlas Model Railroad Co. The HO scale model, offered with or without ditch lights as appropriate, features a five-pole, skew-wound motor with dual flywheels; a die-cast metal underframe; and golden white lightemitting-diode lighting. Details include separately applied windshield wipers, grab irons, and handrails. Direct-current models are $189.95. Models with a dual-mode ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder retail for $299.95. Add $10 for models with ditch lights, subtract $10 for undecorated locomotives. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com HO scale locomotives • Alco RS3 diesel locomotive. Erie Western; Burlington Northern; Central Railroad of New Jersey; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; Conrail; Delaware & Hudson; Denver & Rio Grande…

A 60-foot intermodal container flatcar has joined Jacksonville Terminal Co.’s growing N scale freight car lineup. The newly tooled car features Very Real Knuckle (VRK) couplers and insulated metal wheelsets. The sample we received is decorated as Trailer Train car VTTX 91927. The prototype VTTX cars were a mix of Pullman-Standard 60-foot bulkhead (PTTX) and 60-foot plain-deck (MTTX) flatcars. When 68-foot, 100-ton bulkhead cars became a more popular choice with shippers, the railcar pooling company looked to better utilize its fleet of 60-foot flatcars. The solution? Full-size kitbashing so the cars could haul 20- and 40-foot intermodal containers. “The conversion included removal of bulkheads on PTTX flatcars, removal of latitudinal floorboards, replacement of the drop-shaft handbrake with a cranktype handbrake mounted on the side sill, applying upgraded cushioning units, and…

A requirement of modern railroads, besides moving freight and passengers, is addressing the needs of employees while on the job. This covers all workers, from office personnel to maintenance-of-way crews in the field. As modelers, we’re only concerned with this when it becomes a visible part of our railroad operations, such as re-creating a track maintenance scene. A typical assembly of maintenance-of-way (MOW) equipment in a scene might include tie cranes, ballast regulators, and laser-alignment carts, among other items. In recent years, a new addition has joined the MOW equipment fleet: the portable toilet rail cart. The cart moves with crews as their work progresses along the right-of-way. The base for the toilet is a towable rail cart (trailer) designed by the railroad or a railway equipment supplier. It’s then outfitted…

The Model Railroad Club Inc. of Union, N.J., is no stranger to the pages of Model Railroader. The group has been the subject of articles in the May 1997, October 1983, and July 1972 issues. What started as the idea of four men — Paul Draper, Walter Kalin, Paul Mallery, and Ken Robinson — in the winter of 1949 has grown to become one of the largest model railroad club layouts in the United States, if not North America. 2024 marks the club’s 75th year. The diamond anniversary seemed like a good occasion to reflect on the club’s past; give a progress report on its HO scale Hudson, Delaware & Ohio; and learn what projects are in the works. The early years The club was officially formed on Feb. 17,…

Ready-to-run HO scale freight cars save time from an assembly standpoint, but they also present a modeling challenge. How do you safely hold the assembled cars for painting and weathering? Cotton or vinyl gloves are a must to keep skin oils off the model. But even gloved hands can leave smudges in fresh paint and unsealed powdered pastels. My solution was to build painting jigs using assorted diameters of brass tube, wood, and fastening hardware. The jigs, which can accommodate any length of HO scale car, can be held at any angle, including upside down. The jigs consist of a “coupling” that’s attached to the car bolsters using the truck screws, legs that support the car, a piece of wire to lock the legs in the coupling, and a base…

Prototype modeling isn’t always the strict discipline that those of you who have yet to try your hand at it may assume. It’s a matter of making wise choices, of compromises, of not fighting battles you’re unlikely to win but not giving in too soon. The goal of prototype modeling is to re-create the look and feel of a certain location at a specific time, and then combine several such sites into a contiguous whole that allows you to operate a railroad through them in an equally realistic manner. But doing this does not require acquiring scale drawings of the sites you’re modeling, enlarging them to the scale you’ve chosen to model them in, and then fastening track down exactly where it should be — although I’ve seen examples of that…