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High Green
A series on model
railroad layout construction and design.
Ian MacMillan will take us through the design
and process on his HO scale Amoskeag Northern. |
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History in Motion
Learn
interesting historical information about railroads
and railroading. |
By M.R. Snell |
Along the Line
Take a tour of the New
Jersey Division and see how this high quality, 24x40
foot layout operates. Also learn how each intricate
section of this layout was carefully developed and
constructed. |
By Nick Wilson |
Fresh Tracks
A column about youths who
enjoy railroading. Nick Wilson got involved with
the Teen Association of Model Railroaders while
reading a Model Railroader one day. He is now the
founder of the Western New York Division. |
By J.D. Santucci |
Hot Times on the
High Iron
J. D. Santucci (a.k.a. "Tuch")
began his railroading career in 1978 as a trainman
on the Missouri Pacific. After a round of lay-offs
in 1985, Tuch embarked on a railroad odyssey, working
in many different situations for different roads.
This column tries to explain some of the nuts and
bolts of the job and also demonstrates what we have
to deal with on a regular basis from within and
without the industry. Tuch currently works through
freights out of Chicago for Canadian National/Illinois
Central. |
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Reviews
Looking for an addition
to your collection, or maybe a gift for a friend?
Read all about the latest railroad releases from
popular publishers each month. |
By Claude Gaudet |
Shop Notes
Claude Gaudet
began his railroading career with Canadian National
in 1978 as an apprentice diesel mechanic in the
main shop facility in Montreal. Since then, his work
has lead him to consulting work in nearly every
aspect of locomotive and rolling stock maintenance.
Read each month as we learn what it's like to keep
those trains rolling day in and day out! |
By Scott Clay |
Track and Time
Ever wonder what
it's like being the "new guy?" Union Pacific
employee Scott Clay is a new Foreman Class 2 in
the yard in West Chicago, Illinois. Join him each
month as he shares his experiences working on the
railroad. |
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Arcade and Attica Railroad 44-tonners in G Scale
For me, it was love at first sight. The A&A owned two different 44-tonners, and also a 65-tonner. Each was quite similar in appearance, but each also had their special traits. I wanted one of each. |
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Celebrating the Holidays “Along the Line”
Now that the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder, it’s a sure sign that the holiday season is fast approaching. The railroads have celebrated the holiday season in their own way for many years. |
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Model Railroad Classics: Bowser Manufacturing
This is the story of Bowser Manufacturing's early years, and the difficulties encountered in designing and manufacturing a quality HO scale locomotive kit in the 1940s and early 1950s. |
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Operation Lifesaver On Your Model Railroad
I model Conrail, a railroad that was very active in the Operation Lifesaver program. My HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division features examples of specially constructed and decorated equipment for the Operation Lifesaver Program (OLI). |
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Contests: First Annual Layout Design Contest Results
FINALLY! The long awaited results of our first annual Layout Design Contest are in. Congratulations to Mathew Lappin who contributed three prize winning designs ranging from urban switching to industrial shortline to busy secondary. |
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The
Chessie System from Cumberland to Pittsburgh
Growing up in the Pittsburgh area in the late sixties
and early seventies, I was exposed to a variety
of railroading at a very early age. Seeing that
unique bright yellow paint scheme on the locomotives
as they passed by had made me into an instant Chessie
System fan. |
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The
Westchester Northern: A Heavy Electric Shortline
in an Apartment Living Room
Heavy electric railroading has always been a favorite
of mine. Growing up in Yonkers, the New York Central's
third rail and the New Haven's overhead wire electrified
divisions were ever-present in my youth. |
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Modeling
Modern Defect Detectors
One of the trackside icons of modern railroading
is the defect detector. Known by various names such
as HBD (Hot Box Detector) or DED (Dragging Equipment
Detector), detectors can monitor one or more mechanical
conditions on passing trains, thus making them an
invaluable tool for railroads. |
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Making
Those Odd Cars Work To Your Advantage
So you're driving home from the hobby shop and beating
yourself up about the new car you just bought. Sure,
it looked really cool in the store... that's why
you bought it! But now you're coming to grips that
it just plain doesn't fit your modeled era or locale.
As you drive, you ponder its future to remain in
the box or on a shelf, or maybe you can sell it
to one of your friends... |
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Tech
Model Railroad Club at MIT
While visiting Boston on December 21 to document
the PCC trolleys run by MBTA, my friend Josh Weis
and I paid a visit to the Tech Model Railroad Club
at MIT. |
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Prototype
Review: Walthers™ Budd Passenger Cars
My observations regarding Walthers new line of HO-scale
Budd passenger cars are based upon some admittedly
specific interests. I will attempt to relate as
much information as possible regarding each of the
Walthers models - both in their "as built"
configuration and the Amtrak version. |
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Buffalo Central Terminal
Thick fog still blankets much of the city, but families with children, rail enthusiasts and men and boys with cameras gladly add their bodies to a line snaking 200 feet four abreast from the base of Buffalo’s New York Central Terminal. By the end of this event – a two-day model train show – only 3,000 paying visitors walk into the cathedral-like art deco station. Some blamed the weather, the economy or both. But the scene is still baffling compared to the one from just 10 years ago, long after the last passenger trains departed and local government officials had written off the building as too expensive to redevelop or demolish.
It was left to rot. Until now.
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Rising From the Ashes: Chicago Aurora & Elgin 309
For car 309 it has been a long road of recovery from the damage it received on that fiery morning in March 1971. Most of its recovery is due to Randy Hicks, whose participation in this car’s renewal began when he was in college and has lasted for more than half of his life. Now, 33 years later, this labor of love has nearly reached its fulfillment. |
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Railroad Revival in the
Catskill Mountains
Passenger service ceased
in 1954, and freight service ended in 1976. Despite
this cessation of service 30 years ago, some 60 miles
of the line remains intact today under local government
ownership. |
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The
Boston & Maine
on the eve of
Guilford
In rail the railroad world, as in life,
what’s here today may not be around tomorrow. So it’s
always a good idea to enjoy what’s in front of you while
you can. Back in 1983, it was apparent that the purchase of the
Boston & Maine by Guilford Transportation Industries would
bring some big changes to New England’s largest locally-owned
railroad. |
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My
Day Working on the Boston & Maine
Railroad
Our family business was Sanel Auto Parts
in Manchester, NH, founded by my grandfather and later operated
by my dad. Bob Adair worked for my dad and knew I liked trains.
His dad Aubrey Stuart Adair Sr. (his nickname was “Stoody”)
worked for the Boston & Maine. Somehow my dad arranged for
me to spend a Saturday working in Manchester Yard with Stoody. |
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Metra: Shuttling Commuters
in Chicagoland
Chicago and commuter trains
have gone hand in hand for years, fitting enough
for the world’s railroad capital. While somewhat
diminished from the height of activity in the 20th
century, commuter trains still play a vital role
in moving Chicagoland residents to and from work
and play. |
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The Wolsztyn Experience
- Steam Lives in Poland
Fifty years after their
use fell off dramatically; there is still a place
where it’s possible to operate a steam locomotive
in regular daily service. I have just returned
from Wolsztyn, Poland, where I spent a week running
and firing steam locomotives hauling scheduled,
commercial passenger trains with paying customers
in the seats. |
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Photography 101: Lessons
in Western New York
I’ve often sat in a dark room late at night,
staring at the glowing monitor in front of me at
photos of far-away railfan spots, rare locomotives,
and all-but-lost memories of the past. It seems like
just yesterday that slides ruled the world, and catching
rare power was purely luck. In these modern times,
however, technology has taken over. |
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York
Won’t Be Timeless
Forever
When scouting a city
for railroads it's often
best to head for the
historic center of a
town. On the east coast
it's easy, just aim for
the colonial sounding streets: King, Queen, George, Duke, and the like.
This is certainly the case with York, Pennsylvania, a town 265 years
young, doing her picturesque best on the banks of Codorus Creek. |
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Railroads, mountains, a
bay, and a President
As the dominant railroad on the island, everyone
who lives there has some form of contact with the
LIRR every day. The more I learn about the LIRR,
the more I learn about the history of Long Island. |
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100
Years Young: Chicago Aurora & Elgin 308
By late summer 2005, exterior restoration of the
308 was substantially completed with final application
of its 1950-era paint job. This livery was known
by railfans as the "red white and blue" paint
scheme, and known by the CA&E as its "Early
American" livery. |
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Getting
Up Close and Personal with BNSF's Famed Crawford
Hill - Thanks to the Ponderosa Ranch!
Crawford Hill is located on the busy BNSF transcontinental
mainline, in the northwestern part of Nebraska.
Photographing most of the trains from Belmont Hill
to the horseshoe curve near the town of Crawford
is relatively impossible due to the lack of ready
access to the railroad. This is what makes access
to the Ponderosa Ranch property so valuable! |
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Air
Brakes
The air brake is the standard, fail-safe, train
brake used by railways all over the world. In spite
of what you might think, there is no mystery to
it. It is based on the simple physical properties
of compressed air. So here is a simplified description
of the air brake system. |
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Tips
for Preserving your Photographic Collection
If you're like me, you have hundreds of slides and
photos of trains you have taken over the years.
Proper storage of your collection will make it more
fun to look at and easier to enjoy and share with
others for time to come. |
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New
York Central's 1934 West Side Improvement
This is from a 1934 pamphlet describing improvements
in the New York Central's freight distribution system
in Manhattan. |
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Looking
Back at Metro-North's Harlem Division
Built as a true commuter's route, it can trace its
heritage all the way back to the original New York
& Harlem horsecar line that was first chartered
in 1831. |
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Smiths
Falls Alco Reprieve
In the summer of 1994, scores of railfans flocked
to Smiths Falls, Ontario to experience CP Rail's
big Alco-powered locomotives for the last time. |
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Railroad
Slanguage Glossary
The boomers spoke a language of there own, and many
of the terms these imaginative and romantic travelers
invented still remain in railway parlance. The following
is an attempt to establish a glossary of the terms
used. It is by no means complete. |
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PCC
Survivors: The MBTA's Mattapan High Speed Line
Once the backbone of Boston's streetcar and subway
lines, the PCC is now limited to a unique shuttle
operation serving some of the south suburbs. |
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New
York Central Reprise on the Finger Lakes
Since its start in 1995, annual carloads have more
than doubled. The Finger Lakes Railway operates
a network of branch lines that radiate out of Geneva. |
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Newark's
Best Kept Secret: The City Subway
Outside of Newark, and certain transit buff circles,
the City Subway is indeed "Newark's Best Kept
Secret!" Running for nearly seventy years out
of the basement of Newark Penn Station, the 4.3
mile line has enjoyed the protection of obscurity. |
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The
Orphan Rochester Subway
Originally built by the city of Rochester, NY to
help funnel interurban traffic of its busy streets,
it quickly became a target of criticism and eventually,
a political football. |
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All
About Work Trains
Work trains are probably one of the least noticed
and understood kinds of trains, especially by model
railroaders. |
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Even
More Work Trains
A collection of additional pictures of cars mentioned
in the article on work trains. |
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Northeastern
Cabooses
The "Northeastern" caboose was never called
that by the railroads that used it. The term was
bestowed by railfans and model railroaders because
the design was used by railroads that operated in
the states that are today called the "Middle
Atlantic" states, nevertheless in the northeastern
quadrant of the nation. |
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Northeastern
Cabooses Part 2
With the steady decline in traffic, which began
soon after World War II, many railroads began to
dispose of their older cabooses. Those in poor condition
were sold for scrap, but surplus cabooses in good
condition were sold to short lines and occasionally
other Class 1 railroads that needed them. |
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Big
Trains in Big Texas
From the mountains of west Texas, the plains
of north Texas to the Piney Woods of east Texas,
you name it, it's here. |
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