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I just hooked the Christmas gateman up today. There are 3 terminals on my gateman: common, man, and lights. (lights may be optional). I have mine set so that it operates only when the train is running. Common is connected to the center rail, man is hooked to the outer insulated rail. This should...

There is still a steam Railroad car ferry crossing Lake Michigan. Unfortunately all the connecting tracks have been removed. Although it only makes one round trip a day, it cuts out a lot of travel time. The train decks have been adjusted to take cars, trucks and RVs. If you're content with...

Haven't you read any of my posts? :mrgreen::mrgreen: You can install DCC in N scale locos. (See the DCC thread.) A quick estimate of how much climb is needed: measure your loco as it stands on the track, add a bit of clearance, then a bit for the bridge. If you run modern high-cube boxcars or...

We went out and murdered a Fraser Fir this morning. Cold and a bit of snow on the return trip, but nothing serious. Had the tree mounted and lit before Prairie Home Companion. Polar Express now running underneath it. One cat has been confined because of an ALC injury (strained knee ligament)...

Locally, the railways take the ballast at the points area right down to the bottom of the ties. For the surest slow speed operation you need all-rail frogs, what Peco call Electrofrog. They may need a bit of extra wiring to avoid shorts (some people say they don't have to). Shinohara used to...

I don't remember exactly, but I think there is a template in the instructions. I position mine on top of the points and drill the holes straight down. Position it so the holes are the same distance outside the ties (or rails) on both sides. But they have a large throw and are forgiving of the...

If you're using plywood under the foam, it's best to have a long flat piece before the grde starts and another long flat piece up the grade and let it bend in the middle. You need a very gentle bend -- much larger radius than you use for horizontal curves. Another way is Woodland Scenics...

Is it a tourist attraction? World's biggest streetlight?

The other weekend at the train show I asked one dealer to let me compare the Bachmann Thomas A4 with an OO scale A4. The sizes were pretty well the same; the major visible difference was that the front of the nose was more vertical to accommodate the face, and the front bogie looked a little...

I built a Trolley layout on a 2'x4' board. I think this had 8"R curves - might have been 9 or 10. I used a lot of MDC old-time cars and trolleys, but I managed to get some interurbans around it -- Walther's and Suydam's North shore cars. The older TriAng and Hornby Dublo came with 13" radius...

I once was on a layout tour where one of the layouts had had a page in MR. What we found out was that the section that appeared was about the only scenicked section on the layout. As long as it looks good in the picture. Publication is not instant. The magazine is looking for balance and they...

One thing you can try with the tripod is turn off the flash and let the camera take a short time exposure (just push the button and stand back). I have identical photos with and without flash and I find the the flash shots have a bluish tint and the non-flash a yellow-brown feel. I coud probably...

HOn3 is scale modelling of 36" gauge railroads. HOn30 is narrow gauge modelling using N gauge track and mechanisms. Usually HOn3 are limited edition models in the brass range or the equivalent in kits. HOn30 are less costly because they use mass-produced mechanical bits but there is the problem...

Josh: If you get your article up to the submission point, I'll offer to proof read it for you. And I even promise to leave in the American spellings. :cry: I can also spot places where you haven't explained something to the point I can understand it. It really helps to know the magazine. You...

Brutus: it's Precision Scale (or similar name). For $125 it's DCC equipped with sound and effects -- as you turn the power up you hear the engine start and accelerate and change gears. I understand that you can stall it too. (Manufacturer lists it at $299). LHS had 2 in stock but they were On3...

The masons started today on the base of the rebuilt chimney (have I mentioned they started taking it down 2 weeks ago?) and they think it should be done b Friday. We thought they would be doing it last week and we had the days clear. This week we have all sorts of appointments. It had to come...

When I worked in N scale I used some really fine ballast. When it was laid it looked as if I'd just rubbed plaster between the ties, the surface was so smooth. So try a bit of each and see. I think that a mix of medium and fine will do best. Real ballast is not uniform unless it's fresh.

For the youngsters: I use throttles powered by Lionel transformers (the old ones). If you cut the transformers back a bit it limits the top speed.

I made a 4x8 Lionel layout using only 2" foam but supported all around and every 15" by a wood frame. My HO layout is Homasote top with foam scenery. I didn't make roadbed provision on this, so track is mounted directly on Homasote. The usual use of Homasote is cutting it to make roadbed...

I found in 1871 the Toronto Grey and Bruce charged $4.50 from Owen Sound to Toronto, a distance of 122 miles. This is 3.6 cents/miles. There's another note in the book that excursion fares were about 1.5 cents/mile, half the regular fare. (From Narrow Gauge through the Bush)