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All great advice, really. And I appreciate it. I've been told I'm a good writer, and have written plenty for the "gray literature" as we call it when one publishes something through the government. Just had something published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, for example. I have a colleague...

It seems that the answer to my question is that there is no standardization. Each yard seems to have developed its own naming scheme. Fair enough -- that leaves me free to do whatever I please without looking foolish. No one would say "Why didn't you follow the standard yard track naming...

Hey, All - As I work through the layout building process, I believe I have some unique approaches to building and modeling, and am considering writing an article for Model Railroader or some such magazine. What does it take to get an article published? Does one simply send in a finished...

I ended up scaling a bunch of various plate images down to scale using Corel DRAW and printing them onto stickers. The stickers give a nice thickness that is nearly appropriate. It's funny how this little detail adds to the realism.

I am working through these issues now, with Walthers DCC-ready turnouts and block DC wiring of the layout. I am expecting that I will need to run some more power to each of the three "ends" of the turnout, plus have switched power to the frog, which should be readily achieved using the extra...

Wow -- that looks nice and clean. Good starting point! And I can see how the plywood is handy for mounting things. It's just not a lot of use in supporting the foam, I had thought.

I would not use the underlayment of a thin sheet of plywood (mahogany and birch were recommended above) since in fact they will not provide much support to the foam--they are too flimsy. They may be useful for attaching things, to, but that would be it. And you CAN attach things to the foam...

I would stay away from wood completely, except for the bracing benchwork. Top that wood frame with sheets of insulating foam (not styrofoam). I have been VERY happy that I adopted this path forward. Foam is great to work with.

I'll chime in for Mantua, who sent me a handrail detail set for an old engine I had (I can't even remember where I got it) free of charge.

Thanks for the response(s), Gary. I think I will have to run more feeders. The layout is a 10-ft x 6-ft rectangle, and there will never be expansion, since it's a self-contained, closed, portable (theoretically) system. I finally did locate a super-long 1/8" drill bit, which is ideal or...

Greetings, all. I've just completed phase I of my DC layout wiring, meaning that the blocks and turnouts are wired. (Not yet done is the turntable.) And I've got some trouble that I need help with... Walthers DCC-Friendly turnouts and how to wire them. I got these, since they are universally...

Ah - yes, that's exactly what I'm after. I am imagining a little black sign with big white letters on it. Flat, or perhaps an acute "tent" shape... but I'm only imagining. I surely would like to see a prototype photo.

I'd be interested to know more about this, as I have a curved crossing to deal with. Did you somehow get the grain to follow the curve, like with built-up pieces (like the prototype) or did you just cut a curved piece out of the flat wood? I've been spending as much time as I can (with a full...

That's all very interesting, but does not answer my question about the existence of a standard way to name tracks in a yard. I wonder if brakie might have anything to say about that.

This is related to the nomenclature thread I started today: In real yards, do they use signs to indicate track names/numbers/IDs? What I'm looking for is some sort of example of a sign to show which track is which. Ya know, like at an airport, there are these white-on-black signs pointing the...

I've been thinking more about this realism quandry. I had mentioned before the modeling of hydrology (ditches, creeks, ravines and other water conveyances) and though of something more general: relief. That is, sculpting the landforms. Nothing kills realism for me more than seeing a flat...

Did you mean to post a link?

All - Do real railyards have a standard way of naming tracks in the yards? If so, I'd like to emulate it. What I mean is, say you have a ladder yard, with several tracks in a row. Do they call them track 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.? What if one of those branches? Is it 4a, or 4-1, or something like...

Not only is is a ridiculous amount of track, I can see problems with it right away. Foremost is the presence of "S" curves, which will cause derailments.

Bob - I'm pretty sure ALL cooling ponds would be contained indoors. Perhaps you could make a building over it that you could lift off to show off the beautiful blue. I like the idea of the foil lining - that will help with the unearthly look of it all. As for flat cars with fuel rods, check...