Modeling topic

Opinions on recent Bachmann trains please

Fri, 2012-08-03 14:46 — DKRickman

This comes from a discussion a friend and I have been having regarding the quality of inexpensive trains these days. Since we're both HO modelers, our knowledge and opinions relate to HO more than N.

I have suggested that when it comes to cheap trains, the best bang for the buck is a Bachmann set. They come with metal wheels, knuckle couplers, a fairly good locomotive, and tolerable (if not great) track and power pack. I've seen some sets going as low as $50 brand new, and you can barely buy an Athearn kit for that.

KCS West Bottoms - 1st OPS Session

Fri, 2012-08-03 14:30 — Visitor

Just completed the first OPS session on my KCS layout. I have a lot to do on the layout but wanted to get some trains running. My goal was to have an OPS session before Labor day. This was a small OPS session with two guests Scott and Rusty running the KCS West Bottoms Switcher. While there is no scenery and the buildings are mock-ups, the track work is completed and is a very close representation of the actual KCS trackage in the Kansas City West Bottoms area in the fall of 1981.

Mariani Distributors

Fri, 2012-08-03 09:56 — ferroequinologist1

Scenery - Structures

To All: Mariani Distributors is an N scale industry scratch built by Vinny of Phoenix, Arizona. He models the BNSF Peavine line from Williams to Phoenix, Arizona. Yours, Elvin Howland/E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout

MRH Challenge: El Paso progress

Fri, 2012-08-03 05:53 — Eric H.

Layout design

The challenge was thrown down while I was packing up the house for a cross-country move. Everything has arrived in the new Texas home and quite a bit is unpacked. The hobby room has been staked out and I'm contemplating two prototype locations as inspiration for the next layout. Two slogans are beginning to dominate the project; Keep It Simple Stupid, and Keep Moving Forward. I've posted more detail on the room and the prototypes on my blog:

http://designbuildop.hansmanns.org/

Frugal Modeler's Journal - N Scale Project Storage for a buck!

Fri, 2012-08-03 05:39 — kcsphil1

Tools, tips and tricks

Like many, many of you, I struggle (and generally fail) at keeping a clean organized workbench. As I have started and worked through projects over the years, I've tried just about everything to keep my projects organized - butter tubs, old greeting card boxes, even discarded instrument packages from scientific instruments! See, I like to keep all the detail parts, replacement couplers, etc together in a single place while I work on a model, so I can just pick it up, work on it, and then set it down without spending time trying to hunt everything out of my on bench storage

Amatuer to 3D Pro in...3 Months...

Thu, 2012-08-02 22:27 — Benny

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/tiny-train-station-models-the-past-with-the-tools-of-the-future/

Note, I do believe it was printed in color...

Started April 2012, finished end of July 2012...

And no AUTOcad...though she's probably experienced in photoshop...

16 comments

The 2012 Grand Rapids NMRA Convention - LD-SIG Tours

Thu, 2012-08-02 19:59 — jeffshultz

One of the advantages of being a member of the LD-SIG (ldsig.org) is going on the LD-SIG layout tour each year during the NMRA convention. This year there was a list of 20 layouts on the list - even discounting the Sunset Valley Oregon System (SVOS) which was open all week, and another layout(s) that was by appointment only, that still left us 18 layouts that we could credibly see in one day. Gentlemen... start your GPS's.

We got to 11 of them, leaving the hotel at 9:30am and finishing up with the last layout at just after 8:30pm.

Using Spline Roadbed in Helix - Part 3 - Progress Update

Thu, 2012-08-02 14:01 — jmt99atsf

The spline roadbed helix story continues. I have other projects around the house so I have only been working on this project part of the time as well as learning and documenting the process as I go. New pictures and a movie were added on 4 and 9 August to this section.