A layout with only one turnout? One that offers diverse, hour long operating sessions without ‘make work’ complexity? A layout that could be built in two weekends and then morph into something that provides several years worth of craftsman projects? A gimmick? Absolutely not. It’s all a matter of selecting the right theme, understanding prototype […]
Cantilever crossing signals are such a common feature of the modern rail scene that they are likely to be needed on any layout based in the present era. At the current time the only model of these signals is the Walthers product. Although not terrible, there was always something that seemed a bit off with […]
I’ve never understood crossing flasher behavior in industrial settings. Regardless of location when a train approaches a crossing at speed, industrial or main line, the behavior is simple enough. A predetermined time/distance away the lights activate and the gates drop. After the train passes a few moments later everything resets to normal. Not so during […]
Almost overnight I feel as though my layout has doubled in size, all of this without adding a single turnout or section of track. It’s becoming apparent that I probably have a lot more model railroad than I actually need to keep me entertained. What happened? In the past year I’ve learned an enormous amount […]
We’ve all been there, or are there now. You look at your kid’s school and sports schedule, your work schedule, family obligations, and yard work and realize the amount of free time available for modeling is measured in minutes not hours. It’s not just the absence of free time, such time periods in ones life […]