Model Railroader February 2020

WATCH THESE OTHER FEATURED TITLES! Model railroad deconstructed. Gerry Leone looks back on dismantling his old Bona Vista layout to start all over again. MRVideoPlus.com/BVend Handlaying track. Learn the basics for laying good-looking, smooth-running track with contributing editor Tony Koester. MRVideoPlus.com/WSSHLT Andy and the G-D Line. Our late executive editor Andy Sperandeo describes operating the famed Gorre & Daphetid. MRVideoPlus.com/RND21 Read the article, then watch the video! After you learn about a modeling technique in the pages of Model Railroader magazine, log in to Model Railroader Video Plus from your smartphone, tablet, or other internet-enabled device to get in-depth, step-by-step instructions. It’s like being at the workbench or the layout with your favorite MRVP staffer. In this month’s Step By Step column, author Mike Roselle shares his method for modeling rails embedded in the street using foam sheets.…

Trainfest, the giant show held each November in Milwaukee, was one for the record books — for a number of reasons. Billed as “America’s Largest Operating Model Railroad Show,” this year’s edition featured more than 70 layouts covering a space equivalent to five football fields, plus 120 hobby dealers and manufacturers, a dizzying number of new product introductions (see “News and Products” on page 10 for a detailed report), and numerous hands-on activities and clinics for everyone from toddlers to modelers. This year, for the first time, the Model Railroader Video Plus team shared the excitement via live streaming video. I’ll spare you the technical details (because I don’t understand them!), but I was on the sidelines when the lights came on; the cameras pointed at hosts David Popp, Cody Grivno, and Steve…

N scale Chicago & North Western Pullman bi-level 400 train set. Kato’s latest bookcase set is in hobby shops now. The N scale C&NW Pullman bi-level 400 set features an Electro-Motive Division E8A diesel locomotive, a coach-buffet, two four-window coaches, a coach-parlor car, and a cab-coach. The locomotive has directional golden-white light-emitting-diode headlights. The cars feature blackened metal wheels, all-wheel electrical pickup, and directional head and taillights on the cab-coach. Direct-current sets retail for $260; versions with a Digital Command Control (DCC) motor and light decoder are $355; and sets with an ESU LokSound DCC sound decoder are $485. Kato USA Inc., 847-781-9574, katousa.com A variety of new products were announced at Trainfest 2019. The 48th annual show was held on the second weekend of November at State Fair Park in the…

Terrific scenery Congratulations to John M. Johnson on a beautiful scenic trip through Driftwood, Pa. [“A place on the Pennsy, circa 1955” by Paul J. Dolkos, November]. The low hillsides covered in vegetation and trees are terrific. The structures “just fit in” to the scene and are very convincing. I’m about to attempt my third opus, this time in N, and John’s treatment of the hills and trees is giving me some hope of a similar result. Thanks, John. Geoff Schupp Duncraig, Australia Switch motors Thomas F. Fava’s article was clear and concise [“How to install a stall-type switch motor,” December]. I take one further step and solder 6" leads in each of the eight tabs, enlarging the holes slightly to hold 22AWG wire. The end and center wires are black, and red and green…

I enjoyed the article on Jack Varadi’s Greenville & Ohio Railroad [“Freelancing an Appalachian short line,” December] and appreciate his craftsmanship. Based on my New Haven RR experience, Interstate Alco no. 33 has to be fresh out of the paint shop to have the top of the white hood that clean. The New Haven received its Alcos with orange hoods and dark green cabs. It wasn’t long afterward that the New Haven painted the tops of the hoods dark green to hide the “soot.” I’ve subscribed to Model Railroader since 1963 and enjoyed every issue. Keep up the great work. David Varholy Mystic, Conn.…

MAIL ENTRIES TO: Model Railroader magazine photo contest P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612 ENTRY DEADLINE: Jan. 31, 2020 RULES: 1. Send a digital file saved in RAW, TIFF, or JPG format on a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or USB flash drive plus a color print of your photo. Entries that do not include a print will be rejected. Prints from desktop color printers are acceptable. Label your disk and your print with your name and contact information. Digital photos must be taken with a 5 megapixel photo or better. We will not accept film, slides, or prints alone. No cell phone images. 2. The photo must feature a model railroad scene and be taken by the contestant. Each contestant is limited to three entries. 3. Each entry must include a description of the photo. Describe the train…