Getting Back to the Workshop
October is here, the temperatures have cooled, and football season is in full swing. The trees are turning colors (in the north, anyway), trick-or-treaters, pumpkins, witches, and ghosts are just around the corner. So what does all this have to do with trains? Many of us model railroaders have stepped away from doing much […]
Why Use Roadbed?
A couple of questions were asked: Why can’t I just tack down the track on plywood? Why do I need to use a roadbed? These are common questions asked by new modelers getting into the hobby, and you may have wondered yourself. The answer is simple. There is nothing that says you have […]
Summer Slow Down
Hi all, I know it’s been a while since I last posted. Summer brings unique challenges for me, and it is much harder to sit down and write when there are so many things to do around the house. I wanted to let you know that this site is still active, and I […]
Reducing HO to N scale 3D STL’s
I haven’t written in the blog for a while. It’s summer, and there is so much more to do around the house that sitting down and writing gets pushed way down on the to-do list. After I maneuvered some free time, I wanted to write this post because, after reading for a few minutes […]
How Did I Get Dirty Rails?
Years ago, when I started in model railroading, the only thing you could purchase as far as track went was brass rails. If you know anything about brass, you know that it is an excellent conductor of electricity, which is why the manufacturers chose it. Brass was the standard for a long time, even up […]
One-Of-A-Kind
This past winter, I finally decided to dive into learning how to design 3D items and then print them on a 3D printer. I have been printing 3D products for 4 years now, using designs from other people that were made available for free from Thingiverse and other similar websites that offer free downloads. While […]
Landscaping Within a Budget
I love to do landscaping work. Landscaping is one of those things in model railroading that will make your layout come to life! I always say that you can’t really make a mistake doing landscaping. Just stop for a minute and look around. If you take the time to notice, it is hard to […]
Decoders
When you read about model railroading, many times you come across the word “decoder.” For those of you just getting into the hobby, the word decoder refers to a small electronic computer board. These boards come in many different sizes and shapes, but they all serve one major function: to take the power from the […]
New Engine Break-in
You step into a hobby store looking to buy a new engine for your railroad. You know exactly what you’re looking for, so you search for a few minutes and find it. Then comes the shocker. You look at the price tag, and your jaw almost hits the floor. Sticker shock! After the shock, you […]
Train Speed
Engine Maintenance
When I go down to my layout, which is in the basement of our home, I run trains for 2 or 3 hours at a time. I go into the staging yard, switch out different cars, and then get back on the main line. Running trains on your layout is not only a lot […]
Where To Get Supplies
Getting supplies for your railroad and finding good deals can sometimes be perplexing unless you have a favorite place to shop. I have a few online hobby stores that I use all the time. Below, I will list some online hobby stores that sell N gauge products, but you may need to check out […]
Hotwire Foam Cutters
If you use foam board on your layout, you may want to consider purchasing or making your own hot wire foam cutter. Hot wire foam cutters are indeed handy to have when sculpting mountains and cutting foam board into a desired shape. You don’t have to have a hot wire foam cutter to […]
Take the Bad with the Good
For the most part, you will find model railroaders are willing to share their techniques and know-how. We welcome anybody interested in the hobby and are always willing to help in any way we can. To that point, unfortunately, there are a few individuals who, like in any group or hobby, feel they need to […]
Paints and Air Brushing
When it comes to painting buildings, rail cars, backdrops, or other items, you have a wide variety of choices in paints and applications. What I am going to focus on is airbrushing. For many years, airbrushing was expensive. It wasn’t the paints that cost so much; it was the airbrushes themselves. I remember […]
Static Grass
My current layout has given me a chance to use something I have never used before: static grass. What static grass is: a very fine, thin material that, when electrically charged, will stand straight up, creating a realistic-looking turf. Static grass can be bought in different lengths, from 2 mm to 7 mm, and you […]
Basic Tools
Every model railroader will need some basic tools: tools for building the workbench, tools for laying track, shaping mountains, scenery work, and tools to do maintenance on engines and rolling stock. I am going to list the basics, but there are also many specialty tools that you can get to make repairs and anything […]
Removable Tunnel Top
You have this great idea of a train rolling over a mountain, a train running beside a mountain, and a train running through the mountain. That’s great! This should all be simple enough to do. However, did you think far enough ahead about how you would clean the rails or handle a derailment? On […]
Mountain Coloring
You have built a mountain but are unsure how to go about getting color on it so it looks natural. The coloring on the mountain is going to depend on the season you are modeling your layout in. If you are doing fall, then you won’t want your mountains to have a lot of greens. […]
Building A Mountain
When we look at other modelers’ layouts, most of the time we see some type of mountain—some bigger and taller than others, some just a little taller than a large hill. Whatever the size of the mountain, making one on your own layout may seem daunting. In reality, it’s really not hard, and it can […]
Landscaping In Progress
When creating scenes, whether it be city, mountains, or rural areas, you will want grass, weeds, trees, etc. A typical modeler will want their layout to look as real as possible. So how do you go about doing that? One nice thing about model railroading is that there are manufacturers that make landscape material. In […]
Glue Talking
There are many different types of adhesives that you can use to hold roadbed and track down. There are also some choices in glue for plastic structures and scenery items. Some glues will work better than others depending on the application and what you are using them on. I am going to tell you the […]
Locomotives
I think locomotives are masterpieces of engineering work. If you just imagine back in the 20s, they didn’t have the advancement in tools, technology, and nothing before like it to go on. When they built them, they were made to last. They are just amazing, and I love watching them as they chug along the […]
Laying Flextrack
I have used flex track in just about all my layouts through the years. I like that I can form my own gentle curves, I am not limited to a certain size or shape, and I have fewer joints. There are some disadvantages, though. Flex track is much harder to lay, and it is easy […]
Toggling Talk
There are many types of toggle switches. There are single pole single throw (SPST), double pole double throw (DPDT), momentary, on/off, rocker, and lighted minis. To add to the list, there are 2 blade, 3 blade, 4 blade, and 6 blade terminals on the back of the toggles. So what kind of toggles do I […]
Questions And Answers To Engine Buying
When pulling your rail cars, you want everything to run smoothly. How smoothly everything runs basically depends on two things besides your power source. They are how well the track was laid and the equipment you’re pulling with. I’m talking about the Iron Horse of the rails, your engines. Whether they are locomotives or […]
The Control Board
Running trains on your layout will require you to have some kind of control board or a designated place to put your power source if you’re using DC. DCC has handhelds, but you will still want some kind of panel for throw, light switch toggles, etc. The control panel is also a place where all […]
There Be Wheels Here
Let’s talk about wheels and bogies. Well, mostly wheels; however, you should learn a little about bogies. When a modeler talks about bogies, what they are referring to is the housing that the wheels sit in. All trains have them. They hold the wheels in place, have springs, and whatever the rolling stock is sits […]
Laying Track On The Edge
How close to the edge of your layout can you lay track? This may seem like a silly question, but to new model railroaders, it’s an understandable and valid question. I will refer back to my motto: Your layout, your rules. I have done many layouts in the past, and even what I thought were […]
Prepping The Soldering Tips
Like any tool you want to last for a long time, it needs to be taken care of. A soldering iron is no different. Soldering irons are not that expensive, but any money spent will affect your budget, especially if it is an unneeded expense due to misuse. Most soldering irons you purchase have interchangeable […]
Soldering Irons And Solder
There is more to soldering than getting the iron hot and soldering wires. In model railroading, at some point you are going to need to solder a joint or wires together. Unless you grew up with someone who knew how to solder, you probably don’t know much about how to do it. In […]
Skirting Your Layout
Just like backdrops enhance your layout, you should also consider skirting your layout. Skirting is probably the last thing you think about, but it does a lot for the overall vision of your layout. As model railroaders, we gather a lot of stuff and never have enough room to store it all, so […]
No Dumb Question
I don’t get on social media much, or at least I try to avoid it most of the time. I just think that there are too many fake products or scammers that use social media’s platforms, and the platforms don’t do nearly enough to protect against them. The few times I do get on social […]
The Joys Of Rail Cleaning
Having and running trains on a model railroad is nothing but fun. Sometimes I walk into my train room, and I am completely amazed at how it looks and what I have accomplished over the years. There is one big downside, though, and that comes when your engine begins to jerk or even stop. There […]
Track Laying
I can’t emphasize enough to really take your time laying trackage. Always, always lay your turnouts (switches) first and work out from there. I know you are excited about laying down the track. We all get excited at this point, because our plan is starting to come together. However, if you want a smooth […]
The Art Of Ballasting
There are many ways to ballast track. You will find many videos on how to do it, but the best way is what is comfortable for you. Over the years, I have tried many different ways, but the directions here, for me, are the quickest and easiest. Some modelers love to ballast track; […]
Layout Planning
Just about anyone who wants to get started in model railroading has some kind of idea of what era they want to model in, or maybe it’s a childhood memory. You may be like I am and don’t want to be limited to just one area or era. Whatever idea you have, get it down […]
3D Printing
One of the big ways to save on your budget in model railroading is to 3D print buildings and structures, and just about anything else made from plastic. There are some learning curves to do this, though, but after you have used a 3D printer for a while, you will find the sweet spots/best settings, […]
Figuring Out A 2% Grade
I have always had mountains and bridges on my layout. I think it adds interest, and mountains help fill up dead spaces. Having mountains and bridges, though, can cause you problems when it comes to grade changes. Grade changes happen any time you are raising or lowering the levelness of your rails. Most real railroads […]
Blocking In DC
I’m going to be talking about blocking in DCC. If you are using a DCC system, you will want to jump over and find the post “How To Add Blocks/Districts in DCC.” When we create a block, what we are trying to do is cut power to that section of rail we don’t want powered […]
How To Add Blocks/Districts In DCC
I am going to be talking about doing this on a DCC system. DC is just a little different. So if you’re running a DC system, look for my other blog, “Blocking in DC.” Adding blocks will do one big major thing for you. If you should get an electrical short that shuts down […]
About Bus And Feeder Wires
What are bus and feeder wires? Bus wires are your main positive and negative wires that run from your control source, such as a transformer, or in DCC, a panel control board. The bus wires should run the length of your layout. Some modelers, like myself, have more than one bus wire running under the […]
Getting Ready to Lay Track
Some modelers plan their layout on paper or a computer program like “Accurail” or just do it on graph paper. (That’s how some of us old-school modelers still do it.) This is always a good idea because it gives you an idea of what it is initially going to cost you to get started. Most […]
Are There Different Types Of Track?
We are going to talk about track for N scale. There are basically two types of track, and you can get them in both codes 55 and 80. You can purchase the track in a carded package. Straight and curve sections come in different sizes, and they will come with rail joiners to connect the […]
CODE 55, CODE 80, WHAT?
This post, I will explain what the different codes are in N scale track. Not only in N scale, but in most, if not all, other scales, you will find the word “CODE” followed by a number. I am only going to be talking about N scale, but this will also apply to other scales […]
Foamboard and Roadbed
Now that you know how to build your benchwork, you will want to finish it up by finalizing the top layer or surface of your layout. I suggest getting foam board 2″ thick from your local lumber yard. Foam board is not expensive, and it will serve you in a couple of ways: 1. It […]
Benchwork? What’s That?
Any great layout, no matter if its N scale or larger, you need to have a solid base to lay track and scenery to. The base to your layout is what modelers call the “Benchwork”. Benchwork needs to be sturdy, you need to be able to reach from the wide end to the other wide […]
The Difference Between DC and DCC
So you are planning on starting a layout. You have in your mind what you think you want as far as a track design. Perfect, your on your way, but what about track power? Have you decided between DC and DCC? There are very big differences between the two. While it is possible to have […]
Thinking about getting started?
If you are thinking about getting into model railroading, there are some things you need to decide before you actually dive in. Do you know what scale you want to model in?. There are several different scales you can choose from. All of them have advantages and disadvantages, you have to decide what’s right for […]