The largest fleet of named streamliners in the United States were the Burlington's Zephyrs. Competing in markets against the famed Eagles, Chiefs, 400's, Cities and Hiawathas on almost every route, the polished Zephyrs covered almost every route on the mainline of the Burlington and f...

Ways to use your computer to enhance your model railroading....

What are my Decoder Options? Current production Atlas and Kato HO scale engines have the standard 8-pin NMRA medium DCC plug. However, space is sometimes very tight inside these engines, limiting the decoders that will fit or requiring removal of weights (see our pages showing install...

Illustrated tips, techniques and hints on assembling inexpensive plastic structures for model railroads using the Design Preservation Models (DPM) Kelly's Saloon kit as an example....

Designing a freelance model railroad with heavy Rock Island influence....

This layout is 3'10" by 5'9". It is designed to fit in all standard size mini-vans and SUVs as one piece. All of the structures are attached with epoxy to the layout, making it easier to move. This is about the minimum size layout you can design in HO scale to run standard engines and...

Tips and considerations for preparing your layout and home to participate in a national convention home layout tour....

A major yard facility looks very confusing but there is a purpose behind each and every track within the yard limits and that purpose helps to determine location, access and size for each track....

The Harriman Dispatch Center is within an 1891 Union Pacific freight depot that was converted in the early 1990s to the dispatch center and administrative office housing around 800 employees. Union Pacific dispatchers work in a steel-reinforced concrete bunker within the building. The...

One way to add operating pleasure to your railroad, and hopefully prevent these types of mistakes, is to copy the actions of the prototype. Real railroads have documents known as a train procedures directory, click book and yard book. These different books were used by the train crews...

One of the underused resources in the operator's bag of tricks is the use of staging. With this tool, a modeler can simulate bridge traffic, run throughs, junctions, and interchanges. Each of these can add interest and operational possibilities. Successfully done, hidden staging can g...

Timetable and Train Order Operation Basics, a primer from the Gateway Division NMRA....