I am a(n)...

I am a...

I have ___ model railroad projects on my workbench.

Modeler's Moment - A convenient flat surface...

When you're planning your layout, think about more than the layout itself. Think about where you're going to store all the tools and equipment in your "basement hobby shop." Think about getting one of those rolling tool carts like they've got at the auto shop. If you put your tools back into the cart when you set them down, you'll be able to find your tools right away when you need them, and your layout won't turn into the convenient flat surface like this one has.

Modeler's Moment - A very useful engine

Here's a quick twelve second video I made at the 2004 Trainfest in Milwaukee. Amtrak's Empire Builder needs a little more power to get over the Rockies today while the US Army train goes by in the opposite direction...

Modeler's Moment - Another aspect of railroadiana

Need something else to liven up your railroadiana collection without spending an enormous amount of money? One modeler I know added sheet music with railroad related themes to his collecting activities. There's quite a lot out there, even some referencing specific railroads and trains. In this image of "Hold Dat Train!" a minstrel from around 1918 is running to catch L&N's Dixie Flyer as it leaves the station.

Photo credit

The image was downloaded from the Library of Congress's American Memory website. The image description page states that this work was originally published in 1919 in Atlanta, Georgia. My understanding of current US copyright law is that works published in the United States before 1924 are in the public domain. Additionally, the image available here is of a much smaller resolution than would be practical for a full size hardcopy so as not to dilute the copyright holder's use of the original image.

Modeler's Moment - At the cemetery

Who's waiting at the back of the cemetery for today's funeral?

Modeler's Moment - Every layout should have a castle

Some modelers just don't have the time to build the exquisitely detailed castle including every last brick in the walls and a drawbridge made from individual planks. If you look at it right, you can see a castle in the most mundane of materials like this packing remnant. Remember rule number 1 - "This is my railroad" - and never forget the unwritten rule number 3 - "Always have fun with the hobby."

Modeler's Moment - Graffiti or street art?

Not all graffiti on railroad equipment is a gang symbol or overtly offensive. I found this bit of graf on a tank car in San Pedro, California, over last Thanksgiving weekend. The signature next to the ladder is likely that of the person who left the message. If you see this car in your railfanning adventures, leave a comment so we can watch where it goes.

Modeler's Moment - How fast does it go?

At every model railroad show that I attend where I show NTrak modules, there is always someone who asks how fast the trains can run. I always try to operate at prototypical speeds, but there are a few times when we put out our TGV and Shinkansen models and turn the throttles to 11. At Trainfest every year in Milwaukee, there's a Lionel operators club that sets up this train race layout and invites kids to run the trains fast...

It may not be prototypical, but I don't think any of the kids were complaining about prototype accuracy here.

Modeler's Moment - It ain't prototype!

Having trouble seeing the reporting marks on the sides of the cars during your operating sessions? Why not put them on the roof of the car too? "It ain't prototype" I hear you say? Hah! Here's a tank car I found in Redondo Beach last Thanksgiving that does just that. Besides, on your model railroad, you follow Rule number 1: "This is my railroad."

Modeler's Moment - Little railfans

Sure, you like to go out railfanning, but what about the little people on your layout? Think there might be a railfan among them? My guess is that there probably is, just like this adventurous photographer in G scale who climbed up the mountain to get the wide shot.

Modeler's Moment - Model railroading is fun!

We're getting ready for Trainfest around here. Although I won't have any of my own modules at the show, I will be running trains again for the weekend. Last year we received a blessing from these guys.

Try not to take yourself too seriously. After all, we're really just playing with trains. Keep smiling and keep it fun.

Modeler's Moment - Well, why not?

If you've got track passing through a closet or small room, try to minimize the number of rail joints, and thus the number of potential derailment locations, through the small room. Derailments will always happen at the most inopportune time, especially when this small room is in use.

Modeler's Moment - Working through Wisconsin

It's a busy day on the Soo Line as 2-6-0 number 123 takes a local past some small industries loading their wares onto another car. This scene is on the HO scale layout of a friend of mine here in Madison.

My layout construction is...

My normal model building work area is...

The best snow day model railroading project is...

What does that scale mean?

So we're at the NMRA Midwest Region convention and we get to talking about modeling scales. There was a preponderance of N scalers in our bunch, so we came up with these:

• Z = Zany
• N = Normal, Nice or Neat
• TT = Totally Terrible
• HO = Horribly Oversized
• S = Strange
• O = Outrageous
• G = Gross