Trains

Prototype vs Freelance

I recently started up once more on my basement railroad and it’s been quite a while since I’ve added anything to my trains content, so I figure it’s past time to do so. I was also inspired by a Twitter thread I came across recently that inspired this post. So let’s start with that: Had a little moment just now where I remembered how much I loved the Hobby Show in Toronto.

Thursday, February 7, 2019 | 3 minutes Read

What to expect at your local train show

Train shows are one of the great community experiences across the world. Little kids and big kids alike can see some truly amazing things and have a lot of fun taking in a train show. If you’re even considering model railroading as a hobby, there’s no better first step than attending a local show. With the train show in Columbus this weekend, I figured this would be a good time to discuss what you’ll see at a typical show.

train-show

Friday, January 19, 2018 | 4 minutes Read

Benchwork

There are a number of approaches that you can take towards benchwork for your model railroad. And the approach that is right for one person isn’t necessarily right for someone else. This time I’m going to walk through some of the basic benchwork terminology and skills that might be needed for model railroading. What is Benchwork? What are we talking about when we refer to benchwork. In general, the term describes the foundation of your model railroad. In its simplest form, the benchwork for a small railroad could refer to the door or sheet of plywood that the railroad sits on. That sheet may or may not have legs on it depending on your preferences. For a shelf layout, it would refer to the shelf the railroad is built on and the brackets that hold the shelf up on the wall.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017 | 8 minutes Read

A Train Around The Christmas Tree

It’s the holiday season and for many it’s a time to put up a tree with lights and ornaments and presents. One way to add to the enjoyment of your Christmas tree is to put a train around it. This is one area where the pre-packaged train sets really shine. Whether it’s a Santa themed train, the Polar Express, or just a normal train set, adding a train around the tree is great fun.

christmas-tree

Friday, December 8, 2017 | 4 minutes Read

Union Pacific Steam Shop Tour

I would love more than anything to take a tour of these shops one day and see the 4014, 844 and the Centennial. Not likely, but I would love it.

Friday, December 8, 2017 | 1 minute Read

Picking a Theme

One of the things that can help to unify the feeling of your layout is to pick a theme. What this means is that you pick a time and place where your railroad operations are occurring. This can be as specific or generic as you want. It can also be as realistic or fictional as you want. As with everything on a model railroad, it’s entirely up to you. Location/Region This first part of the theme is the location or region where your railroad is located. The first approach to this is to make it generic. For example you might say: “My railroad is based in the southwestern United States”. If this was your theme, you would select landscapes such as mountains and cliffs, desert and cacti.

Saturday, December 2, 2017 | 4 minutes Read

Driving with Darbee - Canal Winchester Railroad Depot

Here’s a cool short video from the Columbus, OH PBS station (WOSU) about the local train depot here in Canal Winchester, OH.

Monday, November 27, 2017 | 1 minute Read

Making Your Plan

Once you’ve decided on which scale you’re going to model in, the next step is to start thinking about your track plan. In order to do this you first need to decide the space you’re going to work in initially. If you haven’t done anything with model railroading before, it’s important to start small. For example, if you’re going to work with HO scale and decide that you are going to use half of your basement for your railroad, don’t make that your initial plan. Instead, get a sheet of 4’x6′ or 4’x8′ plywood and start with that instead. While your eventual empire can be as big as you want or are able to build, you first need to start small and develop the skills you will be using as it progresses.

Friday, November 17, 2017 | 3 minutes Read

Making Your Plan Interesting

Overlapping Dogbone with Turnouts Simple track plans are OK for a little bit, but it can get boring pretty quick. With a few simple additions, you can make your layout far more interesting. Industries Trains primarily pickup and deliver goods. Whether it’s hauling coal from a mine to a power plant, refrigerators from a factory to a distribution center or carrying army tanks from one army base to another, trains are the backbone of the world’s freight business. Adding a couple of industries or more to your layout gives you ways of simulating the everyday tasks that the majority of the worlds trains undertake each day.

Friday, November 17, 2017 | 5 minutes Read

Choosing A Scale

When your starting out in model railroading, one of the first tasks you’ll have to complete is deciding on what scale you want to work with. There are a huge variety of scales available from the larger scales that must be run outside to the smallest scales that can literally fit a complete layout in a briefcase. In some ways this is the hardest of the decisions you’ll have to make and depends on a great number of variables: space available, cost, availability, region, variety desired and so forth.

Friday, November 10, 2017 | 11 minutes Read