Modeling topic
Bachmann John Bull
Has anyone ever taken apart a Bachmann John Bull tender? (the tender has the motor in it)
I'm wondering if there is room inside for a Digitrax N scale sound decoder... I figure the speaker could be mounted on the back of the tender, if the decoder can be hidden inside.
Maybe, if that isn't an option, there's a way to mount the decoder on top, and disguise it, but disguise it as what? Maybe something covered with a tarp? (medical tape, painted, makes the perfect HO scale burlap tarp... "Long May the Burlap Wave", and all that)
Rubber Grade Crossings
Folks,
I'm wondering if anyone knows when rubber grade crossings came into prominence? I model the mid-70's and am not sure if they were in use then. BLMA makes them in styrene, and they say they were in use in the 80's and on.
Also, same question about the concrete panels that are now is use for grade crossings. I'm assuming they came along later than the rubber ones?
Thanks,
Al Carter
A (Scary) Side Project - Rebuilding a P2K Loco
I got a pretty good deal on a P2K VIA E8 unit some time ago and figured it would eventually be a project to learn more about re-motoring and detailing locos. I've never really done all this before, so this will be a great learning experience for me and hopefully will get some tips and assistance from the group here. After assembling some parts, pieces and decals (from Bill at pdc.ca), I dove in today. I'm already asking myself what I'm doing. Here is what I started with after cutting wires and stripping the weight off (it's going to get milled down to
Stewart, Minnesota, Circa 1930
My wife's grandfather was a photographer by trade, in the small town of Stewart, MN. We have lots of photos he took, and I wanted to share a selection of railroad-related ones. I have included several shots of the depot and trains, as well as some of the construction of US Highway 212. I have many more, but at the request of the extended family, I will limit the posting to these.
Curry Rail Services
A very interesting railroad industry. They built the TP56/70 and do other railroad related builds. Would make for an interesting module to build.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrmyers/albums/72157645738432701/page1
Bernd
Rerun: Tip for speed painting for your model railroad
I had posted this tip previously; however, I realize that new viewers of the forum may not have seen it. WARNING: Do NOT use this tip for painting structures or rolling stock! 
MinWax for staining ties
Looking to stain several thousand ties and I have seen many mention the use of MinWax stains. What do you use as the medium to mix in the stain or do you just use full strength stain right out of the can? Is 91% isopropyl alcohol ok to use?
If there is a better method using 91% isopropyl alcohol I am interested in knowing being that I have 4 quarts of the stuff.
Thanks
Michael
Clark Propst's Iowa-based layout
I visited my friend, Clark Propst, on Friday and got a chance to see the progress on his wonderful Iowa branch line.
Below is a short video which follows a steam train across the full length of the layout. Clark is an excellent prototype modeler, so you'll see some inspiring scenes and details.
Scott Thornton
www.milanbranch.com
Changing Major Directions from my Current Layout to a New One
I started a blog in 2017 to document the creation of my Z scale Alpine layout (all Marklin locos and rolling stock with mixed products for just about everything else). You can see my posts at the end of this page.
I went with Z scale because I wanted to make the most of a layout in a limited space and I had bought some Marklin Z rolling stock, locos and track many years ago for "the day" I would start a layout.
How much of a layout can a DCC++ system handle?
I have a question for the group.
I have a 176 sq ft layout with approximately 225' of track and will have about 16 DCC equipped locomotives running on the layout.
I am about to assemble a DCC++ system following Gregg Berman's YouTube Videos.
My question is, would I need a booster with the system?
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