Charm City, Switching’s Promised Land


One of Tradepoint Atlantic’s switchers makes a transfer run between yards. The empty centerbeams were pulled from the massive Home Depot facility. Trains shuttle back and forth between yards all day. A new Starbucks is being built just out of view to the right. Having the luxury of being able to watch prototype switching operations […]

Graffiti Tips


An upgraded Walthers Cryo reefer sits in front of SALCO on the East Rail 2 layout. If you’re a modern era modeler, graffiti is part of the landscape. Here are a few tips to make it more convincing on a model. Working with larger decals takes patience as far as getting them to ultimately sit […]

Arctic Monsters


About every other time I rail fan in Baltimore there’s a cut of cryogenic reefers spotted at Terminal H (Canton RR territory). These monsters are block-out-the-sun massive. Photos really don’t capture the impact they make in person. Between their size and paint scheme, it’s hard not to be drawn to them. Thirty years ago Walthers […]

Attitude and Approach


Ben Sullivan stands in front of his masterful rendition of the Georgetown Branch’s Rock Creek Viaduct. Results like this come from being in the game long term, making mistakes, learning from them, and moving forward. Attitude and approach to the hobby goes a long way. The last two weekends were particularly enjoyable for me, both […]