Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Magazine Authors
Magazine Articles By Andy Sperandeo

8 Pike-size Passenger Trains

Creating passenger trains that are shorter than the typical Class 1 railroad's. However, there are prototype trains that only carried a handful of passenger cars.

A Tortoise Hill Brake

Using a Tortoise switch machine, the author describes how he simulates a freight car's brake on an angled hill. Includes an installation diagram that shows how it works.

ABCs of Freight Car Tune-up

How to make sure that trucks are operating correctly, couplers are functioning, and the car's weight is correct.

Bedford Falls and Fellsburg Yard on the expanded Franklin & South Manchester

Andy and Dave Frary visit George Selios' layout again to show the new expansion he has added. Includes many large photos, and a full track plan of the layout with the completed section and the planned further expansion.

Blue Signal Protection

Describes the removable blue signal to indicate that railroad workers are present.

Build an NW2 in HO Scale

At the time of this article there were no NW2 models available in HO-scale, so the author describes how he built one starting with an Athearn SW1500. The article includes many prototype photos, scale drawings, and detailed photos of various construction close-ups.

Cab Control

Glossary of terms. Simple diagrams and text explaining how to create a two-cab layout.

Chessie System SD40-2

Installing details and painting this Athearn model. Includes prototype and model photos as well as a detailing parts list.

Crossing Ties

Andy answers the question about how to position ties under various track crossings (30, 60, 75, and 90 degrees).

Dash 8 in Conrail Blue

Information about how to build and paint a Rail Power Products GE C32-8. Includes model and prototype photos.

Dinner in Dime Box?

A switching puzzle. Might be a good idea for adding to a layout.

First of the Fifty Series: The GP50

Includes photos of Chicago & Northwestern, Burlington Northern, Frisco, Conrail, Missouri Pacific, Southern, and Santa Fe prototypes. Also include are scale drawings of the locomotive.

Getting Started in Prototype Research

Learn more about the railroad your are modeling, using such sources as magazines, NMRA Library, books, video tapes, railroad paper, historical societies, and online research.

Getting To Know Gil Freitag

Andy describes meeting Gil Freitag and operating on his layout when he lived in the area.

Great Northern U-boat

Painting the Stewart Hobbies' U25B.

Hart Selective Ballast Car

Using an Athearn quad hopper, the author built a ballast hopper for the Model Railroader layout built starting in January of 1982. Includes a prototype photo and drawings for the necessary modifications.

HO "1937" AAR 40-foot Boxcar

A review of the Innovative Model Works' new box car (whose owner co-started Pacific Rail Shops and Intermountain). The article contains detailed information about the prototype 1937 AAR box car.

HO Pennsylvania RR Baggage Car

Included with this review of the Walthers B60b baggage car is included prototype info about the car.

How a Diesel Works

This article describes how a diesel locomotive works. It includes several diagrams identifying parts of a locomotive.

How To Apply Decals

This article covers the basics on how to apply decals in the most common ways.

John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid

A description of John's beautiful layout, with floor-to-ceiling scenery. Included are many color photos, and the track plan.

Locomotive Sounds Add Fin and Realism to Operation

Whistle and horn signals are described, so that the reader and program and operate his or her trains in a realistic fashion. It also describes when to use the bell, and how different sounds relate to whether the engine is a steam or diesel locomotive.

Model Santa Fe TOFC Rebuilds in HO

Creating a model of the piggyback conversion covered in the prototype article in this magazine issue (see page 104). Many detail drawings and bill of materials.

Märklin's Train-ing

Using easy-to-set-up sectional layouts to teach children about digital command control and using computers.

N Scale U30CGs

Includes prototype and model photos, and covers repainting the Minitrix models.

New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal

New Splash of Color for CSX Locomotives

Building and painting a B36-7. Includes prototype and model photos, and a parts list for super-detailing the model.

Painting a Brass Steam Locomotive

The author takes you through all the steps required to paint a brass steam locomotive.

Pike-size Steam Passenger Trains

This article describes five prototype trains and how they can be modeled in HO. It covers the Baltimore & Ohio Ambassador (1953), the Louisville & Nashville Lebanon Branch local (1947), the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Ocean City shuttle (1954), the Southern Pacific Shasta (1949), and the Texas & Pacific Southerner (1947).

Pine Tree Route RS-2

Modeling and painting this Alco Main Central model in O-scale.

Preparing a Brass Diesel for Painting and Operation

This article describes how the author painted an HO-scale Hallmark Santa Fe GP50. Before painting the author stresses making sure the model is a good runner by discussing couplers, tracking and traction, electrical pickup, and thinking about super-detailing. The "Paint Shop" column on page 114 of this issue shows the final result and includes painting instructions.

Presenting John Allen

Andy introduces the series of John Allen-related articles in this issue.

Presenting the ACE 3000

A "new steam" locomotive in the 1980's. The article includes an artist's rendition of the locomotive, scale drawings, and modeling notes.

Prototype Info

The question of where diesel bells are located is answers.

Red-orange and White on "The Peoria Way"

Modifying and painting models of the Toledo, Peoria & Western GP38-2 diesels.

Rio Grande Modernized Waycar

Rather than scratchbuilding models, we can modify existing models to more closely resemble the prototype, and then repaint them.

Rugged Mountain Vistas On the HO scale Franklin & South Manchester Line

The magazine visits George Selios' layout for the sixth time, this time reporting on the completion of the layout with the recent addition of New England mountains. In addition to many large photos, this article also contains the current trackplan.

Safety in Painting

Spray booth design, dealing with possible fire and explosion, and respirators.

Santa Fe Piggyback Conversions

Discusses the conversions the AT&SF is undertaking (at the time of the article) to support the increase in 45-foot and longer highway trailer traffic. Many prototype photos and an HO-scale drawing of ATSF #293241 are included.

Santa Fe Zebra-striped Geeps in HO

This article describes how the author super-detailed and then painted the SF model.

Simplified Lettering for Burlington Northern Freight Cars

Painting and applying decals for modern-day BN freight cars.

Southern Ry.'s Ms-4 Mikados

Prototype photos and scaled drawings accompany this brief article.

Spokane, Portland & Seattle Yellow and Green

Painting an RS-3. Includes prototype and model photos.

Steam Locomotive Servicing

This small article briefly describes the various things that go on in a yard to service a steam engine, and how we could model those in our layouts.

Steam Locomotives: What, Why, and Where

This article describes how you can choose which steam locomotives you might want to run on your layout. Includes a description of the various wheel arrangements, and many prototype photos.

The Basics of Airbrush Painting

This article covers how to choose an airbrush, all the other equipment needed, finding a place to paint, setting up for a painting session, preparing the model, how to do the painting itself, and clean-up.

The Expanded Cumberland Valley System

After introducing the Reid brothers' layout, the author describes the layout's track plan, how the various railroads modeled are integrated, how the brothers tune the performance of their equipment and their track, and how trains are operated on the layout. The article includes lots of photos, a track plan, and a train-sequence diagram.

The GP15-1: EMD's Down-sized Road Switcher

This locomotive was built in 1976 to compete with railroads' rebuilding programs. Includes prototype photos, scale drawings, and a brief note about how to model this engine in HO-scale.

The N Scale Cumberland Valley System

Andy visits this landmark N-scale layout with updated photos and a brief overview of the layout (first covered in the August 1981 issue).

The Paint Shop Spray Booth

Complete plans for building your own spray booth from galvanized steel, with construction photos, including ductwork and electrical wiring.

The Paintshop

Answers how the PRR painted its passenger train locomotives.

The West Tennessee Central

Louis Ertz's 26' by 53' O-scale layout. It is a walk-in layout with generous curves, beautiful structures, and nicely painted backdrops. The whole room is finished with carpet and wood skirting to the floor.

Thinking About S Scale

Andy describes the positive aspects for modeling in S-scale (1:64), including Sn3.

Toledo's Central Union Terminal

Aerial photo of terminal in 1950. Has a layout diagram for suggested HO representation of the terminal.

Understanding Railroad Signals

An introduction to railroad signaling. Interlockings, automatic block system, absolute-permissive block system, centralized track control (CTC), signaling timeline.

Wabash "Bluebird" F7s

Includes prototype photos, scale drawings (for painting purposes), and paint mixture descriptions for painting these models.

Wash and Drybrush Weathering

The author describes how rust affects a prototype car over the years. He used an Athearn 40-foot PRR flat car as the demo unit. The one model photo included shows the weathering of the deck boards, however the article also includes a description of how he weathered the car's metal parts.

Ways to Way Freight

The author describes how various way freights function. He discusses end-to-end locals, one-way locals, and local turns.

What Free-lancers Should Know About Prototype Paint Schemes

The author presents a number of prototype photos of GM's EMD F units, including a PRR F3, to encourage free-lance modelers to use paint schemes that mimic those designs from the 1940s and 50s, if the free-lance theme is to be believable.