Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Model Railroader 2005-04
Articles Listing

Lionel's Favorite Web Sites

The author's top 10 web sites for this past year.

Air-conditioning for a Heavyweight Coach

Adding various details to the a Branchline NYC coach.

Easy Street, Paved with Styrene

Creating roadways from 0.040" styrene. Article includes step-by-step instructions and photos on cutting and scoring the styrene, installing the streets and shoulders, painting, and finishing the scene.

To the Mines for Silver

1900s railroading in Idaho comes alive in the HO Pacific & Idaho Northern. This is a 12' x 15' bedroom-size layout that goes around the walls, with a peninsula added, and a lower level that has a return loop into an adjacent closet. The scenery is beautiful with the railroad crossing the snaking river several times. There is a sidebar on how to model mountain streams.

Desert Scenery Without Breaking a Sweat

This article shows how to model Western U.S. scenery starting with a foam insulation board base, which is built up in several layers, adding rocks, painting the surface, adding rocks and foliage, and finally the track, ballast, and structures.

Build N-scale Switch Stands

The author describes how he built tall switch stands to fit the Peco turnouts.

Urban Railroading in a Gulf Coast Port

This is an industrial layout in a 12' x 13' room. The layout includes a port peninsula.

Mainline Through the Mountains

The master of track design discusses how he met his client's requirements for modeling a portion of the Southern Pacific's Shasta Route. The article includes diagrams for the mushroom-style, 22' x 45' layout.

Turtle Creek Branch Line Part 4

In this part of the construction series the author builds the coal mine kitbashed from two kits, and adds other details. This is the last installment of this series.

Passenger Cars From Core Kits Part 2

The articles covers how to build a Southern Railway Pullman sleeper using NKP Car Works etched-metal sides and a Train Station Products' core kit for an HO model. Next, the author shows how to convert a Bachmann coach car into an N-scale RPO for the Monon.

Hooked On British Rails

The layout models the London, Midland & Scottish (LMS) railway which serves the West Midlands. OO-scale is 1:76, but the wheels fit on HO-scale track. Photos and a track plan of the 15' x 21' layout accompany the article.

How To Build a Freight Train

Rules on assembling and running freight trains, including prototype and modeling rules for operations.

Wiring a Peco Electrofrog Crossing for DCC

The article covers reversing modules to handle the polarity changes encountered in crossings.

An Important Milestone

Important considerations for that moment when you reach the golden spike on your model railroad.