Confessions of a Model Train Geek
A model train geek, learning as he goes.
I picked up these two Walthers all-door boxcars at a toy show in Morden, Manitoba. I just had a few steps to go through before they were ready for service. This kind of car was used for paper service and most were owned by paper companies, such as Boise Cascade and Weyerhauser as seen here. I paid $30 … Read more
On real railroads, a car checker / carman (or “car knocker”) would inspect cars as they passed through yards to ensure they were in good operating order, and “bad order” cars that were not. These rejects would be repaired on the “repair in place” (RIP) track or be forwarded on to another location if heavy … Read more
I am moving in a month or so and my layout has to go. I started removing track two nights ago and it is going fast. Here is the last freight train on my model train layout. CN 3125 collected one hopper car and the work train from the Bathurst yard, then did one circuit … Read more
Everyone who has a layout knows you need to keep the track clean. Without it, trains stutter and frustrations grow. There are different ways for track cleaning: – use a “track eraser” like a Bright Boy – use a chemical track cleaner – use a cleaning pad on a train car Normally I use a … Read more
