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The use. A team track(s) is used by railroad customers to load/unload cars. In the days before trucks and autos, a teamster with wagons and teams of horses would come to load/unload the railroad cars. Hence the name "team track". A conventional yard is used by the railroad to organize and...

From a model railroad point of view, IMHO an Inglenook (3 spurs) with a 3-2-2 capacity is the smallest practical yard that would still give some operating fun. Note that a runaround setup and a single spur can also be used as an Inglenook - just ignore the turnout and runaround tail on the far...

Another voice of my past says that if you fit everything you want, you have put in too much. I learned this lesson in sailing but I still often forget it in my enthusiasm for whatever I'm doing. Less is more fun. In sailing (or boating), what boats get used the most? The smallest ones; the...

I am going to rain on your parade. The duckunders will be the death of the layout before it gets near completion. Don't believe me. Set up two stacks of cardboard moving boxes with the tops at the bottom of your proposed benchwork. Lay 2 1ft wide, 6ft long shelves across the top of the box...

The site has turned into a mess - all the formatting is gone. This was/is my favorite model railroading site. I had hoped to use it to share my progress as I begin construction. I hope it's not too hard to recover for our forum owners. My prayers are with you.

I am assuming you are talking HO. Unless you are planning to connect your modules to those of others at shows or meets, I would avoid adopting any of the widely used standards in total. I personally like Free-mo, with its avoidance of multiple track oval raceways. The downside of Free-mo for...

I believe a lot of the problem with painting model steam locomotives black is the very poor lighting most layouts operate under. Because lighting levels are generally so low, the gray is needed to bring out the detail that was so carefully built in or added. Once you bring the layout lighting...

I could be wrong, but I don't know of any wheels being made of steel (magnetic material) - even 50 years ago. What was common (and still is pretty common) were plastic (and sometimes brass or nickel-plated brass) wheels mounted on steel axles. I have never experienced a properly located magnet...

A computer interface allows your DCC system to connect to a home computer. Software on the computer allows the computer to read/write to decoders, serve as a DCC throttle, and other functions through the interface. The most commonly used software is JMRI (an open source project where...

I truly wish MRC were doing a non-wireless computer interface (USB would be great). Pricing I'm seeing on the wireless is in the $200 neighborhood. Even a SPROG - a stand-alone DCC system that links to your computer through JMRI only costs $120. NCE and Digitrax computer interfaces are on the...

My theories on train length started with some Iain Rice articles and some practical observations. Iain Rice stated that for a shelf layout, longest practical train length is 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the shelf. I don't like to see a train in 2 towns at once. That means the distance between...

Deano That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. Getting a low powered 2 throttle PA for the price of a PE and a PA throttle. I am almost positive the same thing will happen with a PA2 throttle. Thanks again. This definitely puts an MRC system in the running, especially given the price of a...

Deano Thanks for the quick response. I would have expected the throttles to be compatible. The real question is which feature set do you get when a PA/PA2 is used with an Express System? Do you get the Advance/Advance2 features, or is it dumbed down to the Express feature set? Same question...

Deano Are you saying that hooking a PA (or PA2) throttle add-on to a PE system gives the advanced features? That you can now read CVs as well as write them? I'm just confirming that you did not buy a PA system, but just a throttle, and got the advanced features of the PA. If true, that is...

Please use a carbon monoxide detector in the garage if you do use any device with open flame (heater, stove, propane torch, etc). They cost about $30 or so. RV manufacturers are required to install them because of the propane burning devices. Personal experience: when the wind is from the...

A couple of thoughts come to mind: AFAIK, mines used a wide variety of gauges, depending on purpose, finances, era, and loads. Transportation was needed for both tailings and ore from a bored mine shaft, and transport of shoring materials, machinery, and ventilation equipment into the mine...

Mountain Man An example to inspire you. The first pic is mixed gauge Z and Zn? track - 6mm and 4.5mm gauges. I don't know what he uses for mechanisms on the narrow gauge. The 4.5mm track scales to 28" in N. More pictures of this work are at...

Unlike the original Prodigy and its predecessor, the Prodigy Express, Prodigy Advance, Advance2, and Prodigy Advance Wireless are all supposed to be compatible with each other and interoperate. You should be able to use either a Prodigy Express or Prodigy Advance2 throttle with your system...

Back before the days of plastic locomotives in a plethora of paint schemes, it was normal for an MR to paint his locomotives (or have them painted, if he didn't feel up to the task). For those who built from metal kits or totally from scratch, painting was an expected part of the experience. I...

You could handlay some code 40 rail at any gauge you desire, although that rail would be regular railroad size in N. Spikes from Proto87 Stores are the smallest I know of, and work well with code 40 rail. Some folks are also handlaying very small profile track using bar stock (basically...