Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Magazine Authors
Magazine Articles By Jim Hediger

8 Pike-size Passenger Trains

This article covers prototype trains that were not too long, and can be modeled with available HO and N-scale equipment. It covers the Denver & Rio Grande Western trains 1 and 2, Louisville & Nashville trains 1 and 4, Soo Lines trains 62 and 63, Milwaukee Road trains 117 and 118, Chesapeake & Ohio Pere Marquette trains 11 and 15, Baltimore & Ohio trains 251 and 252, Union Pacific trains 115 and 116, and Chicago Great Western trains 24-25 and 12-23.

Adding Elesco Feedwater Heaters

Alco's RS-3

An in-depth look at the RS-3, includes many prototype photos, and scale drawings.

Amtrak Passenger Car Differences

Differences between Amfleet and Horizon fleet cars.

Beginner's Tool Kit

Collection of tools that you need to have to be able to start model railroading, kit building, and have reliable running of engines and freight cars.

Bob Smith's HO Douglas Central

A couple of close-up photos of this layout.

Build a Handy "Moto-Lock"

Shows how to create a brass piece to attach to the Flex-Shaft of Dremel's Moto-Tool rotary power tools to make it easy to change collets.

Build an Adjustable Liftout

The author describes how he built his angled liftout to help prevent problems related to alignment due to expansion and contraction.

Build This Handy Sorting Tray to Handle Small Parts

Jim built a small tray that has a PVC pipe on one end to allow small parts to be sorted in the tray, and the easily be poured back into a container.

Central Pacific Caboose of the 1807's

Article includes an S-scale drawing and a prototype photo of the CP #45.

Chains, Chocks, and Shackles

This article is about loads that can be modeled for gondolas and flat cars, and how to realistically tie them down to the car. Specific examples mentioned are construction vehicles, steel pipes, and military vehicles.

Champion Decal Co. Celebrates Their 50th Anniversary

The history and a tour of the facilities of Champion Decal. Includes a side bar on how the decals are made.

Coal: A Fuel and Raw Material for Industry

How coal is formed, how it is mined, how it is transported (via rail), and how to model coal mining.

D&RGW's Wagon Wheel Gap Station

Wagon Wheel Gap in Colorado has a remote branchline station that includes a passenger office, waiting room, freight house, and agent's living quarters. Includes prototype photos, and scale drawings.

DCC Buyer's Guide

This article is a good introduction to DCC. It explains terminology, answers common DCC questions, discusses throttles, command stations, power stations, decoders, the various starter sets available at that time, and has a sidebar on what's available for three-rail O-scale.

Diesel Locomotive Servicing

This article has many prototype photos and a full design diagram of what can be found at a diesel servicing facility.

Electronic Notepads for Model Railroaders

Using Palm PDA's to maintain your collection.

EMD Geep Model Roundup

50 years of EMD model GP's, all scales.

Get a Good Grip on Your Modeling

Jim reviews the tools necessary for cutting, gripping, and bending.

Guide to Diesel Locomotives

Information to help you choose the right locomotives for your model railroad.

Heavy Industry in HO-scale

The magazine revisits Dean Freytag's South Ridge Lines to see how it has progressed over 25 years. His layout is famous for the heavy steel industry he has modeled. Includes many close-up photos of some of his industries.

HO Pennsylvania Cabooses

This is a product review on the Sunset Models HO-scale PRR N5a, N5b, and N5c cabin cars. In addition to the review itself, there is some historical information about the cars, and one prototype photo of a N5b.

Locating Uncoupler Magnets in a Yard

Where to locate electromagnet and permanent magnets.

Model Railroad Color Photography

How to set up the camera and the lighting to take good model color photos.

Modeling DT & I's Distinctive GP9's

Adding cab details, painting, decal lettering, and weathering. Prototype and model photos.

New Sound System Enhances Broadway Limited HO Scale PRR I1sa 2-10-0

In addition to the engines review, the article also includes a brief history of this locomotive.

Ntrack at Dearborn

A photo article showing some of the NTrak modules at the recent NMRA show.

Paint Shop

This issue's column discusses how the author painted a SCL GP38 using the "Family Lines System" logo on a three-color paint scheme.

Paint Shop: Seattle & North Coast EMD Switcher

Information about painting this model

Painting Metal Castings

Overcoming problems with paint not adhering to metal surfaces.

Pennsy Class H21g Quad Hopper

The rebuild into H21g of over 6,000 hoppers began in 1960, with 3,000 still in operation in 1970. Includes prototype photos and scaled drawings.

Product Review

Jim provides a history of the RS-1 and then reviews the performance of the Kato HO-scale model.

Renumbering Kato HO Locomotives

Renumbering a Kato Amtrak F40PH using Microscale's decal set.

S-scale Gas-electric Car

Jim reviews the Scenery Unlimited's brass Doodlebug.

Seaboard Coast Line BQ23-7

This engine has a special quarters cab for a crew of 5 with space for them to do their work. It also features a pressurized cab to filter the air coming into the cab, keeping it clean. Article includes prototype photos of the exterior and interior, as well as scale drawings.

Slip Switches

Shows and answers the difference between a single and double-slip turnout.

Superliner Marker Lights

Battery operated marker lights for the last car in a train.

The Beginnings and Growth of HO Scale

The first ad showing an HO-scale freight train.

The HO Scale Madison Central

A 4' by 8' layout built by the Youth Group of the NMRA's South Central Wisconsin Division. The layout has a simple main line, with two spurs for some switching.

The Kansas City Southern Lines

This is a 15' x 30' layout in Wilson Hunt's garage.

The Mark 7 Turnout Control

The author describes how he built a mechanism that holds the turnout's points in position, while still allowing the operator to manually flip the turnout directly. No control panel needed.

Tips for Modeling a Realistic Coal Train

Which kinds of hoppers to use for modeling a coal train in the era that you model.

Track Buyer's Guide Part 2

This installment covers what kind of commercial track is available for N-, S-, and Z-scales.

Track Inspection

The author describes how track is inspected. The article includes several photos of modern-day track inspection vehicles (converted flat-bed or SUVs).

Track Terminology

Covers all parts of track. Includes a nice track model photo, track historical timeline, and tracklaying tips

USRA Steel Boxcar

A history of the box car that was never actually built, and how that led to many railroads creating their own version of this car after WWI.

Vulcan 45-ton Diesel Switcher

A brief article about the Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes-Barre, PA builder of this engine. Includes photos and scaled drawings.

Walthers HO Caboose Assembly Tricks

Installing wire grab irons, truck clearance issues, and repositioning the body bolsters.

Workshop

Discusses the fact that the prototype does use curved bridges, but tries to avoid them if possible. Covers how to add weights to N-scale cars. Which materials are needed to do cold casting?

Workshop

Drilling relatively large holes in thin styrene. Pros and cons of a lathe vs. a vertical mill. Completely removing flanges from middle wheels of long N-scale trucks. Dash 8 handrail sets. Sheet lead weights. Scrap bales using aluminum foil using the end of sockets to shape it. Storing models.

Workshop

Tips for kitbashed structure credibility. Using layout "junk" to breathe new life into models. Handy glue applicator. Weathering a PRR GG1. Finding a substitute paint for 410M line of paints.