Model Railroader March 2020

Find inspiration for your next model railroading project with Model Railroader Video Plus. This month, see the debut of an all-new series featuring a variety of layout and model building fun! Producer David Popp is back to building out his O scale (1:48) Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout. But this time, he’s got a little bit of extra help from MRVP Contributing Editor Gerry Leone! Watch as the two team up to construct new benchwork for an expanded townsite and interchange for the logging railroad. You’ll glean plenty of tips, tricks, and insights as the fun unfolds in this first episode of the forthcoming Olympia & Sand Creek series! Enjoy the free preview, then sign up today to follow the entire project. ▸ Don’t miss this all-new MRVP series with Gerry Leone and…

Welcome to our Next-Level Realism special issue! Inside you’ll find detailed how-to articles on everything from making birch trees to extending scenery into the aisle. In selecting these projects we looked for variety, ease of construction, and impact. None of them require special skills beyond a willingness to try something new and the patience to carry it through to completion. These projects are sure to make a difference on your layout – to take it to the next level of realism. The quest for realism also includes operation. In his “Trains of Thought” column on page 82, contributing editor Tony Koester discusses breaking the realism barrier. “The basic idea is that the front edge of the layout,” Tony writes, “usually where a fascia is attached, is where our full-size world ends and the miniaturized world…

HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD45T-2 diesel locomotive. Athearn has released these Ready-to-Roll locomotives decorated for St. Louis Southwestern (American Revolution Bicentennial scheme in one number and scarlet and gray with Roman lettering in four numbers), Southern Pacific (1990s version with SP light removed and faded paint in three numbers), National Railway Equipment (Southern Pacific speed and Roman lettering patchouts and painted light gray with red lettering in one road number each), Montana Rail Link (fictional paint scheme, three numbers), and Southern Ry. of British Columbia (fictional paint scheme, one number). The HO scale models have light-emitting-diode lighting, vinyl m.u. hoses, and McHenry scale couplers. Direct-current models sell for $149.98. Versions with a dual-mode SoundTraxx Econami sound decoder are priced at $209.98. Athearn Trains, 800-338-4639, athearn.com HO scale freight cars • Assorted freight cars.…

• Great Northern Ry. standard combination depot. N scale kit features laser-cut 3-ply birch plywood walls, soffit, roof, and platform; laser-scribed siding, wainscoting, and platform deck; peel-and-stick shingles, doors, windows, and trim; cast-resin chimney; and window glazing. Measures 4 ⅝" x 2 ⅞" x 1 ¾". $59.95 (GN Historical Society members, $49.95). Great Northern Ry. Historical Society, gnrhs.org • Kankakee Daily Journal 50-foot plug-door boxcar. Accurail HO scale car decorated for the Kankakee Model Railroad Club. Kit, $25; assembled with Kadee couplers, $30. Shipping $5 per car. Checks payable to KMRC, 197 S. East Ave., Kankakee, IL 60901…

Q I just purchased the Model Railroader animated sign [available from the Kalmbach Hobby Store at kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/layout-accesory/84033 – Ed.]. I also have a resin kit of “The Birthplace of Model Railroader” sitting on the shelf. Not that the combination would be prototypical in any way, but I’m considering using the two together on a T-Trak module. The prototype information in the kit is a bit sparse. Are there any pictures of the building in a back issue? Can you supply me with any information about the structure and trim colors? Vincent Sanders, Chicago A There aren’t many photos of the prototype building that the “Birthplace of Model Railroader” kit was based upon. I’ve only ever seen two; both are black and white, and neither shows a lot of detail. Above is one…

Q I saw a Model Railroader Video Plus video by David Popp about building a layout using extruded-foam insulation board. Are there advantages of using this rather than plywood? Bob Devine, Rumson, N.J. A Though you can use either substance as the surface of a flat layout area like a city or yard, other than that, the two materials and their applications are quite different. Plywood has a structural strength that extruded-foam insulation board doesn’t, and is also more flexible, making it suitable for building “cookie-cutter” style subroadbed. However, foam has the benefit of being easily carveable. By stacking layers of foam and carving it with knives, saws, and rasps, you can create ditches, mountains, hills, cuts, fills, and valleys. So the answer depends on what kind of terrain you plan to…