HO, G, N Scale model railroading, sets, reviews, parts, switches

World's Longest Model Train

2008-05-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Rick Cartwright and Empire Builder Railroad Designs will break the current Guinness world record for running THE WORLDS LONGEST MODEL TRAIN. This record breaking run will occur April 26, 2008 at 2:00 PM. Some of the biggest names in Garden Railroading, USA Trains, Kadee, Locolinc, Large Scale Online (LSOL) and Eagle Wings Ironcraft have supplied equipment for and will be participating in this event.

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) April 15, 2008 -- At this time, the current world record for running THE WORLDS LONGEST MODEL TRAIN is held by Miniature Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany in HO Scale (1:87.1) at 361 ft 10 in (5.969 scale miles). The big difference between that record and this one is the SCALE of model railroad. This attempt will be made in G-Scale (1:24), will require 47 Locomotives, 540 pieces of rolling stock, on 1,252 Linear Feet of track at 6.91 Scale Miles. In essence beating the current record by almost 1 scale mile.

Take Your Place in the History of Model Railroading
The hobby of Model Railroading (any scale) in this country is comprised of hundreds of thousands of people covering all walks of life including children ages 6 - 96. Empire Builder Railroad Designs is bringing this record home to the United States in order to bring greater attention to this hobby and hopefully bring a greater appreciation of how the Railroads contributed to building this great nation

The history of railroading in this country is rich, romantic and at least in our opinion deserves to be remembered and celebrated. This is our attempt at beginning that celebration.

Railroad Modelers Create ‘Own Little World'

2008-05-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

Tyler Szulkowski, 3, of Waynesboro, left, and his friend Adam Brumbaugh, 3, of Fishersville, react as they watch a model train go by them on Sunday during the Model Train and Railroading Show at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds.

HARRISONBURG - Browsing through the displays at the Model Train and Railroading Show on Sunday, Michael Strawderman looked for something that would fit into the project he's working on at home.

Strawderman, 40, is building a scale model railroad community in his basement. The Harrisonburg resident was among the people indulging their hobby at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds.

Different Stage

Strawderman said his interest in railroading took a different turn after working with building miniatures for drama productions.

The drama teacher at Thomas Harrison Middle School began creating a miniature community to compliment his model train track.

The model railroad community is a work in progress, but he has already derived satisfaction from the project that includes buildings with detailed interiors.

"It's fun to have people come over and peer inside the building and see the people in there and the detail," he said.

Fun Outing

Strawderman visited the show, sponsored by the Shenandoah Valley Railroad Club and the local chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society, because it offers a chance to find additions for his model community without driving far from the city.

Strawderman's sons, Andrew, 11, and Benjamin, 8, found lots of items that interested them.

Andrew's modeling interest is a little different than his father's. He focused his attention on the model cars and how different they are from each other.

Benjamin found model layouts the most interesting, including a train that sprouted smoke.

"It's really fun," he said.

Long Run

The club has been running the event for about 20 years, said Jim Suter, 67, who lives just west of Harrisonburg.

A member of the board of directors of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad Club, Suter's interest in railroading is real trains.

The vast majority of people who come are those who want to buy something for their model train layout, said Suter, who is retired from Walker Manufacturing.

"We do the show mostly to promote interest in trains and modeling," he said.

Attendance figures for Sunday's event was not available, but Suter said 48 dealers bought 140 tables for the show.

"We really don't know until the end of the show what affect the price of gasoline had on attendance," Suter said.

Railroad Life

Club member Paul Graham, 72, of Bridgewater, has the same interest in railroading as Suter.

He worked around railroads most of his life beginning in 1956 when he took a job with the old Erie Railroad. He continued to work with the company's successors over 22 years.

Graham then went to work for the federal Interstate Commerce Commission. His job was making sure railroad companies complied with federal regulations.

Standing behind a table covered with train magazines and calendars he was selling, Graham said last year's event drew about 1,000 people, including dealers and about 230 children, who got in free.

"We like to promote the youngsters," he said.

‘Own Little World'

Building scale models is just one of the interests of people who attend the club's meetings, said club president Randall Reichenbach.

Some of them like watching trains and others like riding them, he said.

Reichenbach's interest includes scale models, even though he has never constructed a layout.

But that hasn't stopped the 64-year-old Harrisonburg resident from collecting rolling stock, buildings and other pieces for layouts over the past 40 years.

"I haven't had the time or situation to set up a layout," said Reichenbach, who is in the insurance business.

The layouts provide a chance to "make your own little world," he said.

Personal Touch

The world that Strawderman is creating is full of personal touches.

He paints and personalizes model kits he buys.

The theater in his model community is named after one that he once worked with.

The level of detail for the grocery he is working on includes shopping carts, he said.

Model shows like Sunday's event are places for him to explore. "You never know what is out there," he said.

Contact Jeff Mellott at 574-6290 or jmellott@dnronline.com

Scale-model train fans plan free Hemet show

2008-05-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

When Wally Clark, of Hemet, sees trains, he sees the intricate wheels, unique colors and a piece of American history.

The 87-year-old is a member of the Hemet-San Jacinto Railroad Club. It is a chapter of the National Model Railroad Association, but includes all hobbies related to railroading such as like collectibles and train watching.

Clark's interest in model trains started in 1937 when he was in 11th grade. Though he didn't have the time or money in his younger years to explore this interest, Clark became a railroad enthusiast after he retired. He said he has spent about $10,000 on the hobby.

Wally Clark, left, and Ralph Hill, members of the Hemet-San Jacinto Railroad Club, stand in front of the model train layout at Dynamic Hobbies in Hemet. The club plans a model train show this weekend.
"They are not toys," he said. "They are actual models of the real thing you would see running on the tracks. Each train tells you a bit about the era it was made in."

Operation Scale Model Railroading--2008, a show of model trains that Clark and other club members put together every year, is set to open today and will continue through Sunday.

The group will be operating their HO- and N-scale trains from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day at the Whispering Palms Clubhouse in Hemet. There is no admission fee and visitors are invited to stay for as long as they like.

In previous shows, trains ran on winding tracks, over bridges, under tunnels and through towns. The layouts were so detailed visitors could see the faces of the passengers on the model trains.

The Hemet-San Jacinto Railroad Club was formed in 1987. About 40 people showed up at its first meeting. Jerry Davenport, one of the club's earliest members, commented in a club newsletter at the time that the town was "absolutely full of closet modelers."

At the club's peak, there were about 82 members, said Ralph Hill, 67, of Valle Vista, club member and past president. Now the club has 12 members.

Clark said that the club's membership is reflective of the dwindling of model railroading as a hobby. He said the half-dozen H0 and N-scale model train stores in the San Jacinto Valley have closed throughout the years and now there's only one left in Hemet.

Bob Parcell, 59, of Hemet, owns the store Dynamic Hobbies. It has a 45-foot long train layout that Parcell said draws everyone's attention. But most of the sales come from the radio-controlled cars and airplanes he also sells.

"The glory of the steam age is still in the older generation's mind, but younger people just can't relate to that anymore," he said. "There are so many other cool things kids can be into now and trains are just not one of them."

But Hill thinks that model railroading has caught up with technology and time. For example, he said in the last decade, Digital Command Control has allowed locomotives on the same electrical section of the track be independently controlled. The features on the model trains are also refined compared to their earlier versions.

Club members hope that shows like the one this weekend will introduce the hobby to those who don't know much about it. Hill said the best way to get started is to join the club and ask lots of questions.

Operation Scale Model Railroading -- 2008

When: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Whispering Palms Clubhouse in Hemet. Head south on South Palm Avenue, cross Thorton Avenue, and the entrance to Whispering Palms is the first driveway on the left.

Admission: Free

Information about the club: 951-658-4243.

National Garden Railway Convention comes to AC

2008-05-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

Arizona City youngster Jaden Perez, 6, looks on in amazement at the model railroading layout at the home of Jerry McKenzie during last week’s visit by members of the 2008 National Garden Railway Convention.

If you have a model railroading layout, if you've ever wanted a layout, if you love looking at layouts, if you like model trains or full-size trains, if you just want to know more about the hobby, then the 2008 National Garden Railway Convention (which ran from April 29 to May 4), was the place for you to come look, listen, learn, talk and enjoy.

Though it was headquartered in downtown Chandler, this year's National Garden Railway Convention, featured tours of layouts in both the greater Phoenix area and the greater Tucson areas, concentrating on one area per tour day. One of the stops on the tour was right here in Arizona City at the home of reknowned train enthusiast Jerry McKenzie. With his entire backyard as one huge layout, visiting convention goers likely didn't have enough time to take it all in. A total of eight bus loads of visitors came through Arizona City to see McKenzie's amazing layout. Last Friday's tour was made up of visitors from scores of other states and even several different countries.

The 2008 National Garden Railway Convention was jointly sponsored by The Arizona Big Train Operators, a G-scale group encompassing the Valley of the Sun - Greater Phoenix metro area and The Tucson Garden Railway Society, a G-scale group that includes members in the greater Tucson area.

McKenzie is a member of the Arizona Big Train Operators (ABTO), one of the largest Garden Railroad Clubs in Arizona with over 90 members. The club is dedicated to the promotion and advancement of large-scale model railroading in Arizona. Through the camaraderie of its membership, ABTO members discuss and share ideas, assist one another in model railroading projects and provide each other with the opportunity to operate large scale trains.

The forming group got together in the mid 1990s. At that time, it was just a group of people interested in "G" scale trains. However in 1996, the Arizona Big Train Operators became an organized club. By-laws were written and a Board of Directors was elected.

In the early years, ABTO had a module layout to promote the hobby which consisted of privately owned sections made of wood and Styrofoam and contained one track. The modules were under constant repair and were eventually discarded. A new 30-foot by 60-foot steel module loop was built in 2002 by Dan Hoag of EagleWings Iron Craft. This design was superior to the first layout because it contained two mainlines and four large passing tracks. Eventually, four more sidings were added to the center to store trains which would alternate on the outer loops.

In 2003, Rich Hull thought ABTO was a large enough organization, with plenty of train experience in the membership to be able to sponsor a National Garden Railroad Convention in Arizona. Joining forces with The Tucson Garden Railroad Society, the idea was proposed at that time. The Convention Committee's hard work helped make the 2008 National Garden Railway Convention the best ever.

In 2004, ABTO contacted Phoenix Children's Hospital to suggest building a layout for the children. It was constructed by many ABTO volunteers and is maintained under Jerry McKenzie's guidance. The railroad provides enjoyment for patients, families, medical staff, and doctors.

Phoenix Children's Hospital Garden Railroad

The ABTO Club was chosen to head up a train layout project at Phoenix Children's Hospital. The project was started by the passing of Bert Smith who upon his death had willed all of his trains and equipment to the Phoenix Children's Hospital. Former ABTO President Ed Dunshie along with the help of Rick Cartwright, Ennis Thompson and John Meyers got the project started. Volunteers are also needed along with donations of money to support the on-going layout maintenance. If you would like to help or just make a donation please contact Jerry McKenzie, who also serves as the ABTO Maintenance Director, at abtomaster@msn.com.

Jerry's Eggliners

Jerry's Trains was a creation by Jerry McKenzie for the 2006 National Convention (held in Santa Clara, California), with entertainment especially geared towards little ones. Following a huge layout they made for the 2001 convention, ABTO member Ennis Thompson and McKenzie decided they wanted to do something for the kids. Jerry developed tentative plans and took them to Dan Hoag; he brought the layout to life. At that time they found that what they had planned did not work. Realizing that they needed to interact more on the kids level, the railroading enthusiasts referred back to their Cub Scouting days of acting foolish while having fun with the kids-hence the Chicken Man and the Spider Man characters were born. McKenzie is a ham at heart, and he continues to take the fun to the next level. Most important to him, and the other members of ABTO, is seeing the faces of young future railroaders having fun right along with us. Children who participated were allowed to go hands-on, running "Eggliners" to get their engineer's license.

Railroad Layouts N Scale

2008-05-13T19:47:00.001-07:00

G Scale Layouts

HO Scale Layouts

Model Railroad Clubs

Model Train Collecting

O Scale Layouts

S & Z Scale Layouts

Model Train Secrets and Help for Model Railroads
Veteran model railroaders reveal secrets to build, maintain and repair model train sets. Model railroad tips and model train techniques explained step-by-step.

Model Railroad Books
Huge selection of books for the model railroader. DCC, track planning, model railroad wiring, scenery, benchwork, and much more.

Albuquerque Carnuel & Tijeras R.R.
New Layout
Rating: [6.63] Votes: [19] Hits: [18769]

All Aboard N Scale Trains
A site with my layout as well as useful links and a discussion list.
Rating: [4.83] Votes: [12] Hits: [23125]

All American Nscale
Clairville and Eldoria Railroad
Rating: [0.00] Votes: [0] Hits: [730]

Alligator Lines "The Eclectic Line of the South"
A 3 x 6 N Scale model railroad located in South Florida
Rating: [9.33] Votes: [3] Hits: [608]

American N-scale Modelrailroad
Fantasy layout starting at Plains in the Canadian prairie through Flagstaff/Arizona to Waterville/NY.
Rating: [7.75] Votes: [8] Hits: [15737]

Bill Denton's N Scale Kingsbury Branch
N-Scale model railroad of The Milwaukee Road's Kingsbury Branch in Chicago.
Rating: [9.59] Votes: [12] Hits: [12992]

Bill's Railroad Empire
Features Bill's Circus, U.S. Army Military, Downtown, Along the Highway Scenes. Short Tutorials, Brief History of N Scale.
Rating: [6.67] Votes: [6] Hits: [6821]

BNSF Horsethief Bridge Subdivision
BNSF and UP in the scenic Northwest of America.
Rating: [10.00] Votes: [1] Hits: [780]

C&NW Tap Creek Branch
A free-lanced N scale shelf layout, loosely based on the Chicago & North Western.
Rating: [6.86] Votes: [14] Hits: [8719]

C&O New River Sub
A site about modeling the C&O in the New River Gorge of WV. Prototype information and all scales of modeling are covered.
Rating: [6.83] Votes: [6] Hits: [5243]

Chartiers Branch of the PRR
36" by 80" n scale layout based on the Chartiers Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Rating: [8.29] Votes: [7] Hits: [1555]

D&RGW Eagle Pass
.....watch a custom N scale coffee table layout being built!
Rating: [7.50] Votes: [6] Hits: [8544]

D&RGW layout in So. CO
My first model train layout. Based on the fictional town of Holman CO. in the late 50's. A very basic layout with only one main line.
Rating: [9.67] Votes: [3] Hits: [6281]

Evert's Model Railroad Page
This site documents the construction of my N and HO scale layout. It contains several cadrail track plans and lots of pictures of the layout in progress.
Rating: [5.00] Votes: [2] Hits: [5456]

Experience IT !
This site was born primary to have a place where display and share my personal "experience" and was created as a labour of love, combining my favourite hobbies: Model Railroading and Ferrari Red Passion
Rating: [8.25] Votes: [4] Hits: [1846]

Flaxengate Model Railway
Flaxengate Model Railway is an N gauge 6' by 1.5' layout currently under construction. It's based in the present day and the location is fictional, but is based on a industrial town in a valley.
Rating: [9.00] Votes: [5] Hits: [2715]

Free Model Train Tours
N-scale apartment model railroad. Goes around the perimeter of my apartment.
Rating: [9.01] Votes: [19] Hits: [7758]

Jersey Central RR in California
My N Scale Model of the CNJ and EL Railroads.
Rating: [8.40] Votes: [5] Hits: [4732]

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Model Railroad Layouts SZ Scale
Model Railroad Layouts HO Scale
Model Railroad Layouts O Scale
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converter

2008-05-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

This converter requires the use of Javascript enabled and capable browsers. This script creates a converted table of represented distances, based on the scale fraction, or the type of model railroad, in order to create a more accurate layout. Track distances are the most difficult scale to achieve because of physical space limitations of most layouts. These scales vary somewhat worldwide and from manufacturer to manufacturer; however these are the generally accepted sizes and conversions. Calculations can be made in an automated fashion by selecting the scale of your choice (current, generally standard scales listed only) and clicking on Convert; the default is 87.1 for HO, the most popular scale. The scale fraction will show in the scale fraction box after clicking on Convert. To manually process the conversion, choose Other for the scale; enter the scale fraction of your choice directly in the scale fraction box. If the size scale is 1:50, you should enter the 50 in the box. Then click on Convert. This will work with any scale size relationship. To do any additional calculations, click on Clear Values prior to entering any new values. You might be interested in our Model Railroad Life Size Scale Calculator also.

Typical model railroad scales are (largest to smallest):

1:12 Large Scale
1:13.7 7/8 inch scale
1:20.3 G, Three-Foot Gauge on Gauge 1 Track
1:22.5 LGB and Bachman
1:24 Half scale
1:29 Aristo-Craft, USA Trains, standard gauge on #1 gauge
1:32 I scale
1:48 O scale
1:64 S scale
1:87.1 HO scale
1:120 TT scale
1:160 N scale
1:220 Z scale

Introducing the Spring Creek Railroad

2008-05-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Spring Creek Railroad is a project that has been five years in the
making and has many years left to go

I first became aware of this hobby from a live steaming web site in 1999.
Through a series of very fortunate events, I found myself hooked up with Lee Wright and Mark Gregor, both hobby veterans. In 2000, I began learning metalworking as an apprentice to Lee Wright building a pair of Trinity gondolas. I also was spending summers at the Western Illinois Railroad learning about track work and MOW from Mark Gregor.

In 2002, having become immersed in the hobby, we sold our city house, purchased some property and begin building a new railroad-centric home in the country.

August 2002
March 2003

A part of the new railroad's master plan was to have a depot/workshop/storage shed that was dedicated to the railroad. A large out-building was completed to serve as railroad central and provide heated storage of rolling stock in the winter months.

September 2003

We purchased a pile of CCA lumber on closeout and proceeded to
built a track panel jig table.

In order to build the switches and fabricate many of the necessary parts, we purchased a Bridgeport Series I from an estate sale in Chicago. A friend of the seller owned a machinery moving company and agreed to deliver the mill here in the Peoria-area for a very reasonable fee. He didn't plan on having to move the mill on dirt (he assumed and so did I), so we built a sloppy deck out of 2x6s to support the fork truck. Everything was going well until while lowering the mill towards the ground, the mill accidentally touched the ground, which released the tension on the nylon strap, and allowed the mill to roll over on its face.
Aw crap...

Warning: This photo could cause Tool Makers
to spontaneously combust.

** In all fairness, this fellow is a competent machine mover and a heck of a nice guy. He was at an extreme disadvantage due to
the screwy conditions of my construction site.

Well, using two tractors and a bunch of chain, we were able to right the mill and quickly move it into its now home in the workshop. (Yes, it needed a little repair and some replacement parts, but works just fine now)

The workshop is now complete. Time to start building stuff...

Finally started laying track in mid-August 2004.

Here Mark Gregor, Lee Wright and an incompetent foreman install the first track panel at SCRR. The skid steer drops the first bucket of CA-6 ballast on the very first track panel.

Here I am 150' later grading the right of way as the main line approaches the driveway crossing. Time to cut up some more ties - that job is never complete.

Here the track works its way across the driveway, across the front of the yard the then turns north heading towards the playground area. This is where progress stopped in early November 2004 due to the weather.

Work on the railroad resumed in early April 2005 with an unexpected snap of warm weather. Luckily, we had prepared 28 track panels and three switches that were just waiting to be installed. We wasted no time in completing a number of projects in the depot area including laying the loading track and the passing siding.

The retaining wall was completed previously in 2004 and includes a recessed sitting area (or BS corral ). There is a 7' wide loading platform along the side of the depot/workshop.

The custom hanging lantern posts were quite an involved project as all the lantern fixtures had to be disassembled and rewired. They don't provide a lot of light, but certainly help set the tone for this vignette.

APRIL 10, 2005

The list of railroad-related projects has grown to about 750 items and we're currently working on number 6. With about 600' of track installed (as of 4/10/05) and 1400' remaining to complete the phase-1 loop, this should be quite a busy railroad season.

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Repowering the SD-6060

2008-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Repowering the SD-6060

Installing the E-tek and Sevcon Controller

A few years back we started installing the E-tek motor and Sevcon controllers in our locomotives. The SD-60 Number 6060 was the last of five units to get the treatment. There are a couple articles on this site that show the conversion of two of the locomotives.

These photos show the set up that we have been using for several years with out a single problem. Mark ran his SD-60 for 9 years before his was converted.

The reasons we made the switch to the E-tek set up are as follows.
The DART controller was only rated at 60 amps. The DART controller was real sensitive to reverse current, say switching to reverse while still traveling forward. That would basically destroy the controller.
There were some safety things that I built into the circuit to help protect the controller. However, it was not 100 percent effective.

One still had to make sure you stopped before trying to reverse the motors.
Reason number two is space. The Sevcon takes up about 1/3 of the space. All the solenoids are built into the Sevcon. The Sevcon is rated at 300 amps and no problem reversing. Although I had an emergency stop built into my electrical system, it was an all or nothing. The Sevcon can be set to apply the brakes by percent thus stopping but not so fast as to throw someone off or damage the equipment.

This photo shows the two motors connected together end to end. Together they would put out 2-1/2 electrical H.P. It was enough to spin the wheels on the 1,000 pound locomotive. Those are 36 volt motors rated at about 30 amps.

These photos show all that time and hard work designing and building the system all gone. Stripped down to the bone.

Here you can see that two of the up right motor brackets had to be removed also. Lots of sawing and grinding for that job.

Below, I have the new motor bracket install and now locating the placement of the new parts. Important nothing hits the body or is impossible to get to. Note that the controller is mounted on an aluminum plate. The plate is about 3/4" off the channel and heat sink caulk is used between the controller and the plate. Same with the 36 to 12 volt converter.

Next, the layout is coming together. It is basically one big circle.

The first battery plus is connected to the contactor. From the the contactor to the controller. Battery negative from the controller continues on to the front two batteries and then all the way to the back battery negative to complete the loop.

Photos 11 and 13 show the motor pulley set up. Since we have more than tripled the H.P. I re-geared it to run a little faster. Well… a lot faster. Steam engine guys look out. I will be tail gating you. Well…not really, I would not tail gate as it is unsafe.

Now we see the cab and all the wires to run the number boards, head lights, class lights, deck lights and ground lights.
Plus the ditch light flasher board. Oh yes, the sound card was up there also. There were seven circuit boards. I didn't even remember what two or three of them were for.. Bummer they were all removed.

Sixteen and seventeen show the control console. I added the gauges and back lit them. I drew them up on AutoCAD and printed them on my printer. They are real little and hard to print. They do look cool at night though.

I had the engine out and gave it a test run. It runs great and sounds great with the new Phoenix sound card.

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Model railway club's tribute to lifelong member

2008-05-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

One of the model railway club exhibits

« Previous « PreviousNext » Next »View GalleryADVERTISEMENTModel railway enthusiast John Lewis will be remembered when Burgess Hill Model Railway Club holds its annual exhibition on Saturday.
John, who died in December 2006, was a lifelong club member who lived in Burgess Hill and built many railway models and layouts.

His last "OO" gauge layout, Orestone Quay, is owned by the club which will be displaying it for the first time.

Based on a fictitious south coast harbour scene during the period 1935 to 1947, its trains approach the harbour through narrow streets lined with seaside shops and businesses to reach the main quayside where boats and a ship are loaded and unloaded.

Rolling stock for fish, meat, bananas, fruit and parcels can be seen as well as Southern Railway locomotives plus visitors from other areas.

Also making its public debut will be Bishops Nympton, an "O" gauge Great Western Railway-style layout, illustrating a typical branch line in pre-nationalisation days. There will also be a model of the Kingsway Tram Subway set in 1951.

Other exhibits at the show at Burgess Hill School for Girls will be Ceriog Light Railway, Beaulieu and Wellbridge while Burgess Hill's club will be showing its Bash St. Goods layout.

For further information visit the club's website or telephone the secretary on 01444 455215.

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Last Updated: 12 May 2008 11:13 AM
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Location: Mid Sussex

photo of model train

2008-02-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

Rail buffs make tracks to train show

2007-11-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

There might be more trains at Antioch’s Fulton Shipyard than there are in all of Contra Costa County – except those at the shipyard aren’t leaving town anytime soon.An assortment of steam and diesel model trains operated by kids of all ages were on display last weekend at the Black Diamond Lines Model Railroad Club’s clubhouse at the shipyards. Busy circling miniature mountains, bridging rivers and steaming through the Northern California flatlands, the trains were a big hit at the club’s annual show.Club member and Oakley resident Jerome Omoletski watched with fascination as the trains worked their way around the maze of tracks, bridges, tunnels and roundhouses. His son, Josh, 11, was in the middle of the maze, setting up trains and connecting cars to assemble a long freight line.“I always had an interest in model railroads,” said Omoletski. “We came to one of the shows a couple of years ago and became members.”Despite their diminutive appearance, these trains are not your run-of-the-mill toys, and the hobby is not for the faint-of-wallet. An H-O gauge steam engine costs $150 and up. But for these enthusiasts, it’s money and time well spent.“It can be expensive,” Omoletski admitted. “We buy used stuff, swap, go online. We also spend a lot of time here. Sometimes we’ve come in on Friday night and left at 2 a.m. Saturday.”While you can get a basic set of locomotives, cars and a power source, who wants to stop there when there are bridges, roundhouses, turntables, replicas of famous engines, towns, water tanks and an endless array of accessories to accumulate?The trains are authentic replicas. In H-O gauge, one foot of real coal burning pufferbelly is equal to slightly less than .14 inch on the model. There are several gauges or train widths in model railroading, H-O being the most popular, but not the smallest. One now-retired county prosecutor collected models so small that he could run them on his desktop at work.Omoletski regards the hobby as both recreation and education. “My boys have made friends. I have made friends,” he said. “You learn history, and this is not just about model trains. It’s also carpentry, patience, logistics, electrical work and teamwork.Antioch resident Tom Gilles said his two sons grew up working with the trains. Now one of them is an engineer working for Union Pacific.The club was almost derailed in 1985 when it was forced to move out of the County Fairgrounds. As a result, part of its layout was abandoned because it couldn’t be transported, costing the club members almost $5,000 and countless lost man-hours.Now it’s chugging energetically along, meeting normally from 7 to 10 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday at 425 Fulton Shipyard Road. For more information, call 779-1964 or visit www.blackdiamondlines.org.

Rod Stewart falls for new model -- model trains

2007-11-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Rod Stewart once wanted to know if you thought he was sexy, but he is showing a less raunchy side of himself these days -- going public with a model railroad cityscape that took him 12 years to build.
Far from his hard-rocking, late-prowling early years on the road, Stewart, 62, has spent many nights tinkering with miniature buildings and other city fixtures to design a model-train layout that is 120 feet long and 24 feet wide.
The singer's creation, called Grand Street & Three Rivers RR, is featured in a Model RailRoader magazine's December issue that hits newsstands on November 6, along with an interview of Stewart.
"I'm proud to be a railway modeller. It means more to me to be on the cover of Model Railroader than to be on the cover of a music magazine," Stewart was quoted as saying. "I pity a man who doesn't have a hobby like this one -- it's just the most supreme relaxation."
Stewart's link to the magazine began when its publisher, Terry Thompson, received a letter from the singer saying he had been an avid reader and model railroader for 20 years and suggesting the magazine might be interested in photos of his layout.
The magazine's senior editor, Carl Swanson, visited Stewart at his Beverley Hills home to inspect the miniature railroad setting, which is reminiscent of 1940s Manhattan and takes up almost the entire third floor of Stewart's home.
"It is truly an extraordinary model, one of the best I have seen, with startling level of detail, a world in miniature," Swanson told Reuters.
"He is really seriously involved in this hobby that requires a lot of skill and has nothing to do with making money," Swanson said. "He just does it for the joy of it."
Stewart has worked on the model steadily for 12 years, taking seven large cases of model kits and tools with him when he was on the road to set up a workshop in his hotel suite.
The singer traces his interest in trains back to his wartime childhood in London, when bombs rained down on the city. He never had a train set, but British Rail operated not far from the shop his parents ran.
Stewart is not the only celebrity to love trains.
Frank Sinatra was an enthusiastic rail modeller and actor-singer Mandy Patinkin has a large train layout in the loft of his barn in rural New York state.
Singer Neil Young has been a minority owner of model train maker Lionel LLC for years.
"I know there is a stereotype that train modellers are geeky, but it is an unfair stereotype. To be a modeller at this level is quite a statement of craftsmanship and I certainly don't find it geeky," Swanson said.

Garden Train

2007-09-30T09:19:00.001-07:00

Model Railroad Scenery

2007-09-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Electronic Model Railroad Scenery: Make Your Railroad Complete
Written by EditorsChoice
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Anybody that has a model railroad will know just how exciting it can be to actually maintain it and use it. However, without one thing, the railroad would not be half as much fun! The scenery that is placed around the train tracks is often quite simply breathtaking, especially if it is highly detailed and very lifelike. Of course then you have your electronic model railroad scenery, which just takes it to the next level.

Electronic model railroad scenery is extremely popular with the railroad modelling fanatics. Of course, the trains and the tracks are both electronic but the electronic model railroad scenery simply blows the trains out of the water! There are model figures, tunnels and buildings for individuals to use at their own discretion to enhance the trains and tracks immensely as well as give you the feeling that you really are there with them! Obviously, all of the electronic model railroad scenery is scaled down to size, although they are made to represent all full sized features accurately. This is a practice well honed by architects, movie directors and other similar individuals that want to create an accurate representation of what their eventual structures would look like.

Model railroading became popular in the 1960s, but back then it was literally just the trains and tracks. Electronic model railroad scenery was not as popular then and would rarely be found on an enthusiast's track! However, as it was gradually introduced later, it caught the imagination of children and adults alike because it made the tracks look more realistic and sent their imaginations running wild! It is till extremely popular now, all these years on, as a result of the electronic model railroad scenery. As a result of technological innovations, it just keeps getting better and better.

Electronic model railroad scenery can be bought for all shapes and sizes of track, from the minute to the quite realistic and an eight life sizes ones that you find in major toy stores. The latter is the biggest you can possibly get and is commonly called the G scale amongst enthusiasts. No matter what size your particular model railroad, I guarantee that there is electronic model railroad scenery out there for you! It can work out expensive though if you buy it all at once and fail to effectively shop around first!. For more info see http://www.modelrailroadshelp.com on Model Rail Road.

Electronic model railroad scenery has captured the hearts and minds of many individuals over the years and will continue to do so well into the future. The models are simply gorgeous, whatever scale you have them on. You can let your imagination run riot and really experience the railroad, which is what it is all about!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/autos-articles/electronic-model-railroad-scenery-make-your-railroad-complete-219946.html

Model Railroad Scenery

2007-09-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

railroads

2007-08-21T22:17:00.002-07:00

rails

2007-08-21T22:17:00.001-07:00

railroad bridge

2007-08-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

model railroad

2007-08-21T22:14:00.001-07:00

model train

2007-08-21T22:13:00.001-07:00

models

2007-08-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Java Model Railroad Interface

2007-05-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

This video shows the operation of a custom program that I wrote using JMRI (Java Model Railroad Interface). I wrote this program in Java ... all » rather than Jython in order to take advantage of the Eclipse development system. The program identifies potential non-interfering train movements that can be done in parallel and executes these movements. Train positions are recorded in file so the program knows where the trains were after each session.

There are two staging yards and a station in the middle. Track is all single line. Currently, the program arranges meets between trains at the station. One could therefore imagine that this station is on a busy single line section

Lionel train maker's emergence from bankruptcy stalled

2007-04-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK -- Lionel LLC won approval Wednesday to pay lawyers and financial advisers who are working to bring the model train maker out of bankruptcy protection.
Lionel -- maker of its iconic miniature trains, tracks and accouterments since 1900 -- also pushed back a status conference about when it must submit a plan to emerge from court protection. Its plan filing has been put on hold by a trade secrets lawsuit, brought by rival Mike's Train House Inc., which must first be settled in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Chesterfield.-based Lionel asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland to approve $675,808.72 in fees. The company's bankruptcy attorneys, from the firm Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, were paid $95,977.50 in fees and $2,145.46 in expenses for work done from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31 of last year.
The company entered bankruptcy court protection on Nov. 15, 2004.
Lionel has sold more than 50 million trains since it was founded, according to the company's Web site.

Modular Model Railroad

2007-04-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

The California Central Coast On30 Modular Railroad in northern California

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Amazing model train layout

2007-04-26T20:29:00.001-07:00

The "Scenic Model Railroad" at Smoky Mountain Trains located in Bryson, NC. If you love model trains, this one will make you drool!