Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Magazine Authors
Magazine Articles By Kent Singer

50th Anniversary of S Contests Winners

A listing of all of the contests winners at the 1987 NASG Convention. Photos of the models are shown starting on page 12.

Adapting Kadee Couplers to Fit Huff n Puff Pockets

This article covers how to modify Huff-n-Puff/Stewart coupler pocket openings for the Kadee HO-scale couplers. Includes parts and modification photos.

Building a Hand-held Throttle

Diagrams accompany this article about how to build this throttle that has been in use with members of the Central New Jersey S Scalers.

Contest Results

A listing and some photos of all the contest winners at the 1985 NASG Convention.

Kansas City '89 NASG National Convention Model Contest Winners

Photos of the model contests winners.

NASG Contest Rules

A listing of all the NASG Convention contest rules as they were in 1990.

NASG Model Contest

A listing of all the winners, and photos of the models taken at the 1990 NASG Convention.

NASG Model Contest

A listing and photos of the contest winners at the 1992 NASG Convention.

NASG Model Contest

A listing of the 1993 NASG Convention's contest winners, with photos of the models.

Pinning... The Art of Holding Things Together

The author describes how he uses pins to reinforce a coupler mounting, brake details, steps, and roofwalk end supports.

Short & Easy

Scratchbuilding a hoist and jib crane. Includes drawings.

Short & Easy

Make a garbage can from the top of a pencil. Includes diagrams and a model photo.

Short & Easy

This article covers the construction of a scratchbuilt motorized cart, such as found on freight stations. Includes a model photo, and construction diagrams for the individual parts.

Short & Easy

The author describes how he modeled an electrical building. Includes a model photo and diagrams.

Short & Easy

The author scratchbuilds a small track-side crossing shanty that he found along the Alaska RR track. Includes one model photo and diagrams.

Short & Easy

The author builds a loading ramp for fork lifts at the loading ramp. Includes a model photo and a diagram.

Short & Easy

Using the cores of Scotch cellophane tape holder as a flat car load. Includes photo and several diagrams.

Short & Easy

Making two coupler height gauges, one for checking the center line, and one for the height pass/fail. Includes one photo and several construction diagrams.

Short & Easy

The author describes how he scratchbuilt a gondola pipe load using straws, and material for the cribbing. Includes a model photo and construction diagrams.

Short & Easy

A brief article for how to scratchbuild a 6-foot wide seating bench, commonly found at train stations, parks, or backyards. Includes one model photo and construction diagrams.

Short & Easy

The author describes his light-duty home-made resistance soldering tool.

Short & Easy

Introduces a gauge that can be used to verify that the two rails closest to each other on a standard S-MOD module's tracks are at the correct spacing from each other.

Short & Easy

Additional details that Mike Sulzbach added to the underframe of an American Models bay window caboose. Includes detail diagrams.

Short 'n' Easy

Scratchbuilding pallets, and a pallet jack. Includes drawings.

Short 'n' Easy

Scratchbuilding corrugated-siding and wooden sheds. Includes drawings.

Short 'n' Easy

The author describes how he scratchbuilt a capstan-style car puller, used for moving cars on a siding without the use of motive power. Includes drawings.

Short 'n' Easy

The author describes how David Pool scratchbuilt a coal box for a residential home. Includes a model photo and drawings.

Short 'n' Easy

The author describes how to build a 5-foot long seating bench from scratch.

Short And Easy

The author describes scratchbuilding a road-side produce stand. Includes drawings and a photo of the completed model.

Short and Easy

Converting a Hot Wheels Rescue Ranger truck, item #5145, into a modernday utility truck for the railroad. Includes one model photo.

Short and Easy

The idea is to decorate one side of a car for one railroad name or road number, and the other for another.

Short and Easy

Bill Daiker sent in a note about how to convert the Rix HO-scale coupler into one that can be use with the typical S-scale couplers.

Short and Easy

Making bridge railings, as contributed by John Long.

Short And Easy

This column covers John Long's idea for adjusting the Centerline HO-scale Rail Cleaner for use in S-scale.

Short And Easy

The author shares Russ Mobley's design for building a scale hot-air balloon.

Short And Easy

Thoughts on building an automatic protection method for preventing engines from falling on the floor when a lift-out section has been removed from the layout.

Short And Easy

Using the metal bands that hold an eraser to the end of the pencil as a culvert.

Short And Easy

The page includes a scale weight guide. Place a car on it, and the scale will tell you what the model should weigh in S-scale to meet the NMRA/NASG standards.

Short And Easy

Bill Lane contributes the idea of using music wire to reinforce the stirrups on Pacific Rail Shops' cars. Includes photos.

Short And Easy

Ernie Horr shares his design idea for a wooden retaining wall.

Short and Easy

John Tomlinson's layout has an under-the-tracks pedestrian walkway that is described in this article. Includes photos and diagrams.

Short and Easy

A guest column by Gaylord Gill describes how he built a track elevation gauge to help him construct his layout.

Short and Easy

This article shows how to Frank Andrews uses an ordinary push-pin as a means to hold the points of a turnout in position. The pin is decorated to look like a tall turnout target.

Short and Easy

A small whistle-stop station, with a sketch and a photo.

Short and Easy

This brief article describes how David Avedesian made his AF action caboose run smooth and quiet.

Short and Easy

The author describes how to cut an HO-scale Rix Rail-it down the middle length-wise and rebuild it as an S-scale rerailer.

Short and Easy

This article covers what it would take to convert the American Flyer #740 handcar to be a reversing one, using electronic components.

Short and Easy

Some early S-Helper Service trucks' sideframes leaned out an angle. Bill Mark, Jr. presents his solution to resolve that.

Short and Easy

Building a roof stair access cupola.

Short and Easy

Building hopper coal loads using a styrofoam base.

Short and Easy

How to build a handcar. Includes a photo of the completed model, and drawings.

Short and Easy

Bob Werre shares the idea of cutting a model vehicle in half lengthwise to make two cars when attached to a backdrop.

Short and Easy

This brief article describes how to build a pantograph hold-down to keep the American Models' GG1 from snagging something above the tracks.

Short and Easy

Paul Raham shares how he makes sidewalks.

Short and Easy

The author shares the description he got from Joe Scales about how to make installing the Del-Aire Air Motor (switch machine) better. The article is supposed to show a photo, but it was not included in the issue (see February 1999, page 14 for the drawing).

Short and Easy

Art Armstrong sent in a tip on how to paint wheelsets by making a pair tongs from a clothes-hanger.

Short and Easy

Gaylord Gill shares how to build a birdhouse in S-scale.

Short and Easy

Richard Lind shares how he created a muddy river, quickly.

Short and Easy

Using paper-decorated wooden blocks as representing box car loads (for when the doors are modeled open). The majority of the article and photos were contributed by Pete Silcox.

Short-and-Easy

Using Grandt Line castings, the author describes how to make a flat car load transporting large pulley sheaves.

Six Wheel Passenger Trucks

When the 3/16 "S"cale Railroad magazine stopped publication, it never released the last column in the series of S-scale trucks, so this is that final column.

Starters

How to get started in S-scale model railroading.

Starters

The purpose behind modeling standards, and encouragement that modelers should get their standard gauges and documentation from the NASG (S standard-gauge) or the NMRA (Sn3).

Starters

What about S-scale products from the 1950s? How to find them, and that they are still valid kits to build.

Starters

The author discusses the idea of a walk-around layout.

Starters

The author discusses the pros and cons of having your layout up much higher so that you are more looking into the scenes, rather than over the layout.

Starters Part 3

This installment covers the AAR double-truss freight truck, with several S-scale models photographed.

Starters Part 4

This installment covers the S-scale versions of the National Type B, Buckeye six-wheel, and roller bearing trucks. Includes sample photos of each.

Starters Part 5

This installment covers the four-wheel plain bearing passenger trucks made in S-scale.

Starters Part 6

This installment covers roller-bearing passenger car trucks for high-speed freight cars.

The 1991 Model Contest

A listing of all the contest winners, and lots of photos.

The Kent Singer School of Model Building

Kent's approach is to have a less-experienced modeler work with a more-experienced modeler on the same or similar project, on a regular basis.

The Michigan Interchange Model Contest Winners

Contest winners during the 1986 NASG Convention. Includes photos and descriptions of many of the models.

The S Starter Set Project

The idea of a local club putting together an S-scale starter set from lightly-used and commonly-available American Flyer components has spread to several clubs, and this article covers the success these clubs have had with the idea over the past couple of years. It also covers how tasks are divided among club members to build these sets. A complete listing of how to review the purchased equipment to prepare for including in the sets, is included in this article.

The Use of Paint Masks

The author describes how he uses the Chartpak brand tape for painting stripes.

Underbody Details for the American Models Boxcar

Step-by-step instructions and various diagrams show how to add the brake rigging, and center sill flanges. These reference the older American Models box cars that were sold as kits.