Model Railroader August 2020

New MRVP series: The Hills Line with James McNab In this MRVP exclusive series from James McNab, you’ll get to see the start of an all-new HO scale layout. When a basement plumbing disaster forced the demolition of his established Iowa Interstate (IAIS) Grimes Lines, James seized the opportunity to create something new. Follow along as he builds his new IAIS Hills Line. Model Railroader Video Plus is the premier subscription video service for everything related to the model railroading hobby. Sample a selection of free preview videos at MRVideoPlus.com, or sign up today for instant access to everything at MRVideoPlus.com/27deal. Bonus video from our cover story Featured on page 38, the HO scale Midwest & Southern Atlantic RR packs an impressive array of 1950s-inspired scenes into a compact space. Dale Martell runs equipment…

Lance Mindheim knows a thing or two about building model railroads. In addition to his well-known HO scale Los Angeles Junction Ry. (profiled in Great Model Railroads 2019), Lance operates a business specializing in building custom layouts. Recently, Lance has been thinking about a common situation. Many modelers have a dream layout in mind, but currently lack the space or the resources to build it. In his article, “All you need to know in four square feet” on page 48, Lance says now is the perfect time to gain the vital skills necessary to build that future layout. All you need are a few simple tools, a modest amount of supplies, and a piece of lumber. Follow his step by step process, and you’ll have the neat switching layout shown below –…

The ripple effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected another National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) National Convention. Birmingham, England, was scheduled to be the site of the NMRA National Convention in 2022. The host committee posted an announcement online in late May withdrawing its bid. Birmingham’s decision to back out as host was driven by scheduling conflicts with another event in the city. “Birmingham City bid successfully to host the Commonwealth Games (similar in scope to the Olympics but for British Commonwealth nations only) in the Summer of 2022 after Durban, South Africa, withdrew as host city,” said Kathy Millatt, convention chair, in a press release. “This occurred sometime after our own bid to host the NMRA National Convention was successful.” The host committee originally thought moving the NMRA National Convention back…

New York Central’s 1948-1954 20th Century Limited is the next N scale name train coming from Kato USA Inc. The manufacturer will offer a nine-car set, a four-car add-on set, and Electro-Motive Division E7A diesel locomotives. The nine-car set will include baggage/Railway Post Office car no. 5017; Pullman 4-bedroom, 4-compartment, 2-drawing room sleepers George Washington Bridge, Bay Bridge, and Queensboro Bridge; club-lounge car Lake Shore; kitchen-dormitory no. 474; dining car no. 401; Pullman 12-bedroom sleeper Port of Buffalo; and 5-bedroom lounge observation Hickory Creek. The set will also include a rerailer with 20th Century Limited graphics. Nine-car sets will sell for $315; versions with pre-installed interior lighting will be priced at $450. Kato will also offer four-car add-on sets featuring Pullman 10-roomette, 6-double-bedroom sleepers Chicago River and Powder River and 12-bedroom sleepers…

Expanding ideas and layouts The March 2020 issue was a great example of just-in-time delivery! The article “Taking scenery into the aisle” by Dave Bigge was exactly what I needed at this time. Since designing and laying the track in this scene, I changed my mind about what I wanted to do with the scenery. The only problem was lack of space for a road, depot, and parking lot. When I saw the article, I realized it was just what I needed. I added a 6½" shelf that gave me the space for what I wanted. So far I’ve used this technique in two other locations, and plan to use it in others. Great article! David Paul, Sugar Land, Texas More on meat packing In the May issue, there was a question and answer…

What’s a control point? Q I’ve been noticing the term “control points” (CPs) being used in train-watching videos and in your magazine. The article on John Schindler’s amazing St. Louis Junction [March 2020] mentions CPs including West Madison, Gratiot, and Chicago Throat. Canadian Pacific’s Paynesville Sub has CP 115 and CP 70. This tells me CPs can be designated with numbers corresponding to mile posts as well as locations. What exactly are control points? Are these areas where signals, defect detectors, and crossovers are located? James Radde, Bloomington, Minn A Under Centralized Traffic Control (CTC), the dispatcher directly controls the movement of trains with absolute signals and remote-controlled switches. A control point is a signaled interlocking controlled by a dispatcher in CTC territory. Most switches in a CTC interlocking can also be controlled…