Through years of operating my layouts, rail fanning, and studying rail fan videos, I’ve gained insights I didn’t have before. This knowledge has changed how I design things, how I stage a layout for an operating session, and how I operate. The more you understand the prototype and just copy what they’ve done, the easier […]
Category: Model Railroad Design
Sentry Industries – East Rail
Sentry Industries in Miami makes water treatment products. Don’t be misled by its diminutive size; it processes an enormous number of cars. The black tanker contains sodium hydroxide. The white car on the right is loaded with hydrochloric acid. In some cases, we can create a high-value, sophisticated industry without doing much of anything. Free […]
Bridge Over Troubled Water
The new removable extension bridge on the LAJ. Still to be added are guardrails, alignment pins, and a simple electrical feed. Over the past year, I’ve become more aware of what I call “long handle” car spotting. By that, I mean when the switch job is spotting a car, but there is a long “handle” […]
Shelf Bench Work Dimensional Guidelines
Shown above are the “best practice” guidelines I use for dimensions and spacing on the shelf layouts I build. Guidelines are just that: a starting point. I generally shoot for a shelf width between 18″ and 22″. Although I do commonly go to two feet if a yard is involved, in most other cases that […]
Railroad Man, Pg. 61
There is a direct link between understanding prototype operations, layout design, and how enjoyable operating our layout is. Richard Paseman’s “Railroad Man” is an absolute clinic on switching operations. Page 61. “One night on the Harbor District, we ran cab hop from Watson Yard to Alcoa and kicked the waycar down the spur. The other […]