Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Magazine Authors
Magazine Articles By Gordon Odegard

1908 Handcar

One photo and scaled drawings accompany the brief description of a handcar.

A Baldwin-built 0-6-0

This brief article shows scale drawings for an 0-6-0 switcher.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 1

This article starts a series in which the author shows how to scratchbuild a steam locomotive in HO-scale. This article discusses the tools needed, finding suitable drive wheels, gears and gearing, motors, and frame design. Also includes a parts listing.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 2

This installment covers the construction of the frame and drivers.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 3

This installment the author describes how he made the bearings, gearbox, drive train, and cylinders for the locomotive. The article includes many detailed drawings and a sidebar on lathe operations.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 4

This installment covers the engine's trucks and coupler.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 5

This installment covers the boiler and cab construction.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 6

In this installment, the author focuses on boiler details such as steam pipes, running boards, steam turret, air reservoirs, air pump, power reverse, various fittings, boiler bands, handrails, steps, smokebox front, ashpan, deck braces, and piping. Includes details pointed out on model photos and exploded diagrams.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 7

This installment covers running gear and frame details, including pilot construction.

A USRA Mikado in Brass 8

The series concludes with this installment that covers the construction of the tender.

A.R. Gilmore Feed Mill

Photos and scaled drawings of a feed mill that was common in farming communities. Page 118 contains a page of colored signs that can be used for this structure.

A.R. Gilmore Feed Mill Signs

Color signs to be used by the feed mill structure described on page 80. Signs included can be used for N, HO, and O.

Amtrak Merchandise-handling Cars

61-foot cars that were built in 1986 to provide mail and express service in passenger trains. Prototype photos and scale drawings are included.

B&O's Light Mikado #4500

This locomotive was the first of all the USRA designs. Includes a prototype photos and scaled drawings.

Baldwin 0-6-0 Switcher

A description of the Maryland & Pennsylvania RR's 0-6-0 switcher. Includes prototype photos and scaled drawings.

Baldwin 2-6-2 Logging Locomotive

Prototype photos and scale drawings describe the early 20th century Prairie-type for the Industrial Lumber Co. Includes some modeling notes for HO and O-scale models.

Big Warrior River Bridge

This article describes the wrought iron bridge in Cordova, Alabama. Includes detailed drawings.

Bumping Posts and Car Stops

This article covers the many different types of ways cars are stopped. Includes detail drawings of the various types.

Cattle Crossing Guards

The author describes the purpose of these devices, how they are designed, and how to model them.

Chicago & North Western's Class M-1 0-6-0

A brief article about this engine is accompanied by several scaled drawings.

Coloring Track for Maximum Effect

The author describes how to paint model railroad track. Several prototype photos are included as examples.

Derails

A description of the purpose of derails, with prototype photos, detailed drawings, and how to model them.

East Broad Top Coal Hoppers

Prototype photos and scaled drawings accompany this brief article about these narrow gauge three-bay hoppers.

East Stroudsburg Interlocking Tower

This article about the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western RR includes a couple of prototype photos, a model photo, and scale drawings.

Electro-Motive SW1 Diesel Switcher

This article covers the history and specs of this engine. Includes are several prototype photos and scaled drawings.

Elevated Crossing Gate Tower

These small raised shanties are used near busy road crossings over track. Includes a prototype photo and scaled drawings.

Evans National Bank

A false-front structure that was built around 1900. Includes prototype photo, and scaled and detail drawings.

Flanger Signs

The author explains the purpose of a flanger sign (to announce track impediments for snowplow crews), describes what they look like, and how to model them.

GO Tower on the MR&T

The author describes how he built this freelanced generic interlocking tower for the Kalmbach club layout. It includes construction photos, drawings, a bill of materials, and track placement.

H. C. Frick Co. Standard Electric Larry

The H.C. Frick Co. standard electric larry was used to transport coke from coke ovens to a processing plant about 2 miles away, in Scottsdale, Pa. (a community about 20 miles southeast of Pittsburgh). Includes only scaled drawings.

How a Steam Locomotive Works

What a modeler needs to know about the operation of a steam engine and tender.

Illinois Central Mikado

History, photos, and scaled drawings of this engine.

Instrument Cases and Where to Find Them

The author describes these devices, how they are constructed (via exploded diagrams), and where they would be located on the prototype.

Instrument Houses

Instrument houses are larger versions of the structures described in the June 1981 issue. In addition to describing their purpose, the author also includes prototype photos and detailed drawings of several versions of these small buildings, with tips on how one can model these.

Mail Crane and Catcher

After a brief description and history behind the mail crane and its hook, the author provides suggestions for how to model them in various scales. Included are prototype photos and several drawings.

Making a Gradient Tool

Using a couple of pieces and a level, the author describes how he made a tool that quickly indicated the gradient of a section of benchwork, which will help in making sure that the sub-roadbed meets the designed gradient.

Mileposts and Scale Miles

Various prototype photos and ways that miles are delineated along the tracks.

Milwaukee Road Boxcars

Prototype photos and a scale drawing of the unique ribbed-side house cars.

Missouri-Kansas-Texas Pacifics

The author describes the MKT H-3 Pacific engines and the article includes prototype photos, scale drawings, and notes on how it might be modeled in HO.

Modeling Cuts and Fills

A brief how-to article on how to model cuts and fills (land above and below the track level).

Modeling the Amtrak Merchandise-handling Car

The author scratchbuilds one of these cars. Detail drawings, model construction photos, and a bill of materials are all included. Especially impressive is the underbody electrical wiring that he installed on this model.

Modeling the Clinchfield RR. Part 1

This is the introductory part of a three-part article on how the Model Railroader staff built a portable 6' x 13' N-scale layout, based on a prototype railroad. This introduction talks about how they got started, the prototype research they did, layout design, equipment selection, how the layout is to be operated and controlled, and provides lots of photos of the layout itself. There is a column in the back of the issue to talks about the behind-the-scenes set-up for photographing the layout.

Modified L Girder

Describes Gordon's changes to the standard L-girder layout benchwork created by Linn Westcott.

Montpelier & Wells River RR Water Tank

Scaled drawings and prototype photos of the water tank still in use at Steamtown, PA.

MR Clinic

A reader asked the question about how brake rigging is put together under a modernday (or the 1970s) caboose. Includes a diagram of the brake parts under the car, and a chart for the various pipes needed for various modeling scales.

N Scale Express Car

The article kitbashes a Con-Cor 80-foot standard baggage car into a 60-foot NYC express car. Includes cutting diagrams, and construction photos.

N Scale Milwaukee Road Ribbed-side Boxcars

The author kitbashed some 40-foot boxcars to include the horizontal rib configuration.

Nevada Copper Belt 2-8-0

This small Consolidation was built for the Nevada railroad in 1911. The article includes one prototype photo and scale drawings, with suggestions for how this model could be built in HO-scale.

New Haven Class EP-1 Electric Locomotive

Includes prototype photos and scale drawings.

Norfolk & Western Coal Battleship Gondolas

These cars were built by the N&W in 1920 and had a 100-ton capacity. The article includes scale drawings, and two model photos.

Pennsylvania RR Open Quad Hoppers

A brief history and scaled drawings of the PRR H21 hopper.

Peru Propane Corp

This article describes the structures of the Peru Propane Corp., of Peru, N.Y. building, a bulk and retail outlet providing bottled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for heating and bulk industrial fuel.

Piedmont & Northern Four-truck Locomotives

Scale drawings and prototype photos are included in this article. The railroad had eight of this unique locomotives, which ran on 1,500 volts DC.

Portage Potpourri

An interesting switching puzzle, with the solution on the next page.

Powering the Turntable at New Lisbon

The author wanted a simple turntable driver, so he uses a reversible 24-volt 2rpm DC timer motor, which is controlled with two pushbuttons. Includes model photos and detail drawings.

Proceed, Prepared to Stop

This article covers how the prototype uses signals to communicate the state of track ahead.

PRR 85-ton Quintuple Hopper Car

PRR H24 #180002.

Pullman Mini-Hy-Cube Boxcar

A brief article on this car includes scale drawings and a prototype photo.

Railroad Line Poles

Telegraph and signal lines and how to place them. Includes prototype photos and detail drawings.

Railroad Yard Structures

Several buildings that are typically found at yards are covered in this article. It is mostly a collection of scale drawings, such as for the section toolhouse, switchman's shanty, oil shed, interlocking tower, carpenter's shop, blacksmith shop, and car department with lunchroom.

Reading RR Atlantics

The Reading RR had ten camelbacks for passenger service. They were built in 1905 and 1906. The article includes prototype photos, complete scale drawings, and notes on how one might model these in HO-scale.

Reading RR Passenger Cars

Realistic N Scale Signals Part 2

This installment covers how to make the signal targets, how to build the mast, base, platform, and ladder, and how to form and install the LEDs.

Right-of-way Detailing: Stock Guards

Guards to keep cattle from getting on the tracks.

Safetran Highway Crossing Gates

A description of how the modern-day highway crossing gates work. Includes prototype photos and scale drawings.

Slow-action Crossing Gates Part 1

This installment covers the design and construction of the modern-day highway crossing gate. Detailed parts drawing, construction photos, and wiring diagrams are included.

Slow-action Crossing Gates Part 2

This installment covers command control and DC bi-directional circuitry necessary to have a realistically operating crossing gate. It also covers the gate, LED, and bell circuitry, the power supply, and the finishing touches to complete the installation.

Station Order Boards

The article covers the purpose of train order boards, types of heads, signal colors, and modeling notes. There is a parts diagram of the mast and signal for N-scale.

Switch Stands and Targets

This article describes the purpose of these two devices and how to model them (either static model or functional).

The Canada Crushed & Cut Stone Co.

This article provides suggestions on how to model a limestone crusher through the use of selective compression. Includes many prototype photos, many scaled drawings, a typical track plan, and a material flow diagram.

The Wm. H. Archer Corp.

A grain and feed-supply building.

They Don't Build 'em The Way They Used To!

The author reflects on how layouts were built in the 1940s, when they didn't have the tools we have now.

Track Profiles

Describes the various track profiles used given a piece of track's purpose.

Using Metalworking Tools

A brief article describing how to do some of the common tasks when working with metals. This article is a complement to the USRA locomotive construction series, where the author will have more detailed information.

USRA Single-sheathed boxcars

A brief description about these types of cars with a prototype photo of a Colorado & Southern example.

Wood Highway Crossings

The author followed the prototype information found in the "AT&SF Systems Standards" books for modeling a highway crossing. He used Northeastern stripwood. The articles covers installing wood crossings in curved track and in turnouts. In addition to staining and weathering information, the article also has HO-scale crossing signs. There is a diagram that lays out the locations of the various signs both for the road and the track.