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There are several ways to turn your trains around: the reversing loop, the wye, turntables and the ol' reliable 0-5-0, in decreasing order of space required. A reversing loop is pretty simple, it just requires some special wiring but nothing overly complex. It is the least prototypical...

a pair of single-truck Birneys sit in the 17th & D, awaiting sale as sheds after the end of passenger service.

I'll echo RailRon's statements. I have kind of a tendency to pick up bargains when I see them, and I currently have two boxes of unbuilt structure and rolling-stock kits. However, most of these were purchased at a fraction of retail, or at least below retail, and they were all kits that I liked...

About the track plan above: It doesn't look like there is much room to the left of that runaround track. If there is space at all, it won't fit much more than a 44-tonner or two-axle critter. Ideally, even if you deliberately decide that you want to limit room there to only having room for the...

I am 5'8" and generally find that 48" is a comfortable height for use of an uncoupling pick, although most of my layout is only 1' deep., with most of the track within 8 inches of the edge of the layout. For someone building a layout 24"-30" deep, either less layout height or more operator...

Okay, that's a little better. I'd still like to hear more about what sort of railroad you want. It's nice to know that you'd like it to be three feet off the ground, but era, theme, region, etcetera are all things to consider. The traditional pattern for model railroaders is the 4x8 sheet of...

"Roughly 13x10" is a beginning. It isn't the grammar that is the problem, but the lack of information. Are there stairs in this room? Can you go around the walls or do you want something for the middle of the room? Are there other basementy obstacles that must be avoided? And, once again...

a tip: rather than use multiple coats of model paint, start out with a coat of primer. Auto primer is a little rough, but it works well for rough surfaces (concrete brick, roofs, etc) where you don't mind the texture. Model primer is a finer grain and paint will bite much better on it, and...

Define "limited space." How big is the area you can use for a layout? Are we talking limited as in you only have room for a little shelf layout, or do you have a couple hundred square feet of a larger basement? What are your givens & druthers for a layout? All we know is that you want...

The fenceposts could use some overgrown weeds around the bases to disguise them a bit, but the illusion of depth is pretty good already! It kind of reminds me of the area around Suisun Bay, with rolling hills dotted with homes right next to oil refineries.

Nothing yet in the model railroading press. I used to write a lot of articles for roleplaying game fanzines and music zines, and this year I had my first book (on streetcars) published and just completed an article on planned development of a former Southern Pacific railyard/shops complex that...

Generally even inside tunnels you want to include some provision to reach inside of tunnels for track cleaning. There are several options: track cleaning cars, a Bright Boy on a stick, or removable tunnel tops that can be reached from inside the mountain.

Indeed, the mogul is nice but the water effects on the bridge piers do get a double-take. Very nice water modeling!

I have a shelf layout of this sort. There are many ways to attach modules together, but personally I just use C-clamps to hold them tight (it has oft been said that C-clamping is a hobby within the hobby of model railroading.) Of course, if you are building on foam this becomes a bit more...

Some shops facilities use an elevator under the rails within the shops building that literally drops the truck out from underneath the car (after bracing the car body in place) and rolls it to a spot a few feet to the side, then raises the truck back up for work. It would be an interesting bit...

About the 44 tonner: A couple are still in use, or were in use as recently as the 1980s/90s. I am a fan of the Bachmann Spectrum 44 tonner, just make sure you get the newer single-motor ("DCC ready") version rather than the earlier (now out of production) two-motor version. Same goes for the...