Confessions of a Model Train Geek
A model train geek, learning as he goes.
steveI want to talk a bit about model railroad roadbed. This is the material between the tracks and the table or other structural material holding up the track. It simulates the ballast holding the track and ties in place on the real railroad. Usually the roadbed has a bevel on both sides, like the prototype, to … Read more
Call them what you want – wheel stops, track bumpers, buffers – but there has to be something at the end of each track to prevent cars from rolling off the end of the rail onto the ground. Railways and industries have used a variety of devices over the years, and I will describe a … Read more
I had a little time so I decided to do some car repairs in the train room. I picked two cars and got to work. Caboose CN 79575 had two problems… a low coupler and it leaned to one side. I tackled the leaning problem first. I knew why it leaned. I had added weights to … Read more
Here are PDF copies of the latest CN and CP employee timetables for my model train layout: CN timetable / CP timetable
My niece and nephew were over for a visit a few days ago, and my nephew wanted to see the “choo choos”. We went downstairs and he got up on the step stool to see the trains. He showed me that he wanted an intermodal train to run, so I hitched CN 3665 to the … Read more
I had my first ever operations session on someone else’s layout today! I was invited to an operating session on William Brillinger’s BNSF Manitoba Limited (BNML). After driving the icy highway 75 south around noon, I arrived at Bill’s house and saw the BNML for the first time in person. Bill’s layout occupies the top floor … Read more
Warning: A little rant ahead. For Canadian model railroaders, this is a truly golden age. There has never been such a variety of Canadian model train equipment available, either new or used via eBay or Kijiji or Craigslist or whatever. Looking for a CP “Minibox” boxcar? No problem. You want a high quality GMD1, previously … Read more
After visiting the annual NMRA show here in Winnipeg, I was inspired to do some quick simple scenery. Here’s how I did it. I started with a bare section of painted plywood, and spread diluted white glue over it. In the distance you can see sections I had already done. Once I squeezed the glue … Read more
If you are modeling the modern era, chances are you’ll want one or more bulkhead flats or centerbeam flatcars carrying wrapped lumber. Lumber mills ship their finished dimensional lumber (2x4s, for example) in bundles wrapped in plastic and covered with their logos. Chris van der Heide has a page up with logos for all the … Read more
I ballasted the peninsula recently. It took me a long time to get started because I was pretty nervous about “doing it right”. Eventually I convinced myself to “just do it”. Watching a YouTube video or two helped. I had three packs of fine gray ballast that was supposedly the same colour. Two of them looked … Read more