Confessions of a Model Train Geek
A model train geek, learning as he goes.
As many people have found out, fitting the available space in a track plan doesn’t always mean that the real track fits the available space. Switches in particular can mislead you – they take up more space than people think. For the Central Prairie Railway, I’ve resolved to sketch it out in the track plan … Read more
I’ve always been challenged on how to store rail cars and locomotives when they aren’t on the layout itself. I’ve acquired most of my fleet from train shows and therefore I don’t have original boxes for 80-90% of the fleet – or any boxes at all for most of them. Over the years, I accumulated … Read more
I decided it’s time for a change. Time for a new layout. There have been a few issues with my layout that just aren’t fixable. The two major ones are: Duck-under at the entrance to the layout room / my office Grades to second level staging yard were too steep I was really starting to … Read more
Winnipeg’s premiere model train event, Manitoba Mega Train, is happening this weekend. I attended on Saturday morning and here are some photos and observations. The show filled the Red River Exhibition building. Someone told me there were 21 layouts here and I believe it. It seems a bit larger than 2018. There were layouts along … Read more
Jason Shron and his wife Sidura Ludwig gave a talk one evening last week, on Rapido Trains’s efforts to save full size trains, on life with a hardcore “train nut”, and on Rapido’s latest model offerings. It was a great talk and it was well attended. Jason started by reviewing the work that he and … Read more
I held a solo operating session during the month of July 2018, and recorded the session for your viewing enjoyment. I operated eight trains. The session includes every scheduled non-VIA train on my layout, which includes: CN 214 – a through train CN 403 – works the CP interchange in Georgetown and the Cargill grain … Read more
I had a grain car that had a coupler issue. Just a tad low. Nothing that a new Kadee coupler won’t fix! Sorry for the blurry photo. There are a few remedies for low couplers like this. Sometimes you can use a fibre washer or two on the truck bolster to raise the whole body up. … Read more
I know I haven’t posted in a long time, so I’m just going to do a brain dump and list some things that I’ve been picking away at. Accomplishments I added fascia to the majority of my layout! I’m pretty pleased by how it looks. Photos to come soon. I bought a bunch of “inexpensive” … Read more
I listen to a lot of podcasts. Most have nothing to do with model railroading, but a few do. I started out with The Model Railway Show, by Jim Martin and Trevor Marshall. It’s over now but it is well worth listening to the archives. Then I tried The Scotty Mason Show but it’s not … Read more
On a layout based on the Canadian Prairie, you need a lot of grain cars! If you are cheap have a low budget, you might be willing to run the less accurate models for a while. Let’s face it, accurate rail cars are expensive. So you have the choice – do without, while accumulating funds to … Read more