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Chuck, at Feather River Trains has indicated that FVM wheelsets will be back in stock in January. It looks like Matt at FVM is doing another large production run. Eric

I have had great luck with Fox Valley Models low pro metal wheelsets. The wheel face has a very realistic profile and the wheelsets are made to fit specific cars. FVM wheels are by far the most realistic I have seen for N scale. Here's a photo of FVM's next to Atlas low pro's. FVM Link...

I would suggest that you not have any track hidden in a way that it will not be accessible for maintenance or re-railing cars. Make the mountain removable or provide sufficient access from underneath. You will need to be able to reach every inch of track at some point or another. I learned...

Closet Maid double track shelving brackets work great.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm in that area. Eric

Allan: I live in Litchfield County. You did a great job conveying a true feel for the area your railroad depicts. Nice job! I'll have to check out that Model Railroad at the Collinsville Historical Society building. I never knew they had one. Eric

Try the Kato double cross over. I have a couple and they work flawlessly. I have no trouble backing truck mounted coupler, equipped rolling stock through these, plus the switch machines are built in. These will mate right up with Code 80 track. You can find them online for about $45. Eric

You absolutely want to mount the wall standards into the studs. That is what dictated the 16" spacing on mine. The brackets are designed to tilt a shelf back toward the wall, ever so slightly. I picked up a bundle of second quality cedar shingles at the local lumberyard. The taper on these...

Home Depot carries a brand that has 12" double slot wall standards/tracks. I used these to support my entire shelf layout. Mine are spaced every 16", since there is not a separate frame on my foam shelf layout design. If you have a full frame under your modules, you do not need to space them...

Here's what I did in a similar situation. I used double track metal shelving brackets and standards, mounted to the wall studs, 16" on center. I then added pieces of 1"x2" onto each bracket and glued 2" extruded foam to that wood. Each section is removable by taking out a few screws from the...

I will have a few short unnels on my new n scale layout. I plan to ballast the track and finish the tunnel walls. Since the tunnels will be rather short, you'll be able to see most of the way through them. The Tunnels will be carved through foam hills, which will be removable for cleaning and...

If you nailed the track down, it is probably out of gauge. Driving the nails just a little too deeply can cause this. Just a thought, especially with the foam roadbed. Eric

Anachron: Each wall standard is screwed into a wall stud (16" OC). I actually screwed 1" x 2" 's on top of the metal brackets, running from the backdrop to the front of the shelf. The 1" x 2"'s will provide a mounting surface for the masonite fascia. These were shimmed, where necessary, to...

Attaching the photocopies to foamcore provides rigidity. These can act as a great filler until you can kitbash or scratchbuild the final model. Here's an example of the kit-bash I'll be doing for my cement bagging and warehouse building for my N scale cement plant. Eric

Thanks for the comments. I'll post progress shots along the way. Eric

Well, I finally got a Rail Images account and can start posting progress shots of the Pomperaug RR. This is a shelf layout that runs around 3 walls (13' x 21' x 13'). It bridges three windows and tunnels through the wall into an adjoining 6' x 10' staging room. I used Closetmaid shelf brackets...

Ummmmm, what exactly did Kermit do to deserve such a fate? I must admit, I've never seen a frog in a hangman's noose before. The layout looks great! Eric

I would recommend a sureform rasp. You can pick one up for less than $10. Try to get one with a curved blade. It should meet your needs. Just have a shop vac nearby, as it will leave some bits of foam dust that will cling to everything in sight. Just proceed slowly and check your...

I agree. Try to keep the main line going straight through the turnouts, otherwise you'll have some serious (15 mph or so) speed restrictions through those turnouts. Otherwise, the plan looks like a winner. Eric

There was no specific layout for the television show. Most of the sets were temporary. There was an article on the making of Thomas in Model Railroader magazine a few years ago. I do not recall what issue it was. Have you looked at the official Thomas site www.thomasthetankengine.com ...