Category Archives: Layout design

Another thought provoking post – ‘It’s a continuum’

Another thought provoking post from Mike Cougill.  It’s short enough to quote in full… Our craft evolves via a series of ideas that find acceptance over time. It’s well to remember that things we take for granted today were once … Continue reading

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Off my trolley – North Hollywood revisited

A frequently-used phrase in railway modelling is ‘selective compression.’  Most usually it applies to station track layouts, shortening them and losing a few sidings to fit a reasonable representation of a piece of railway in our usually too small rooms.  … Continue reading

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I’m just a little confused….

I’ve been looking again to try and pin down Leigh Valley Cornell Red.  I started with two preserved locomotives – no fading colour here I hope….    Well, no consistency here…..  So I went to my albums.  Here are 2 … Continue reading

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Book review – ‘Planning your model railroad’

Of all the writers and ex-writers in Model Railroader, Tony Koester has always been a good read.  High quality modelling, interesting and sometimes unconventional ideas, and an occasional whimsical look at our hobby makes him someone worth listening to.  His latest … Continue reading

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San Fernando Valley Branch, 1973 (Part II)

Originally posted on Rails West:
In an earlier post, I shared B. Smith’s excellent coverage SP action in the San Fernando Valley in the early 1970s.  In this post, we will drill down a little further into the nuts and bolts…

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Off my trolley – Southern Pacific San Fernando Valley branch

Not quite ‘Off my trolley’ but in the vicinity.  Some while back I looked at the Pacific Electric station at North Hollywood as a potential modular layout.  Running closely parallel to the Pacific Electric at this location is the Southern … Continue reading

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Model Railway Journal no. 243

The Model Railway Journal was once a regular read for me.  Nowadays, as I am less a scratchbuilder, I just pick up the occasional copy when it looks interesting.  Issue 243 was one such issue, with a lot of interest … Continue reading

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Folding baseboards from down-under

I do enjoy exploring modelling sites from other countries.  Invariably, they approach the hobby rather differently, and give new ideas for a UK based modeller.  Following links between sites, I came across Gav’s Workbench, Gavin Thrum’s site.  Gav has built … Continue reading

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The wonders of Warley

The big Warley MRC show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham didn’t clash with Stuttgart this year.  So less than a week after returning from Germany, I was off to Birmingham. I forgot my camera, so I’ve no detailed … Continue reading

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Jon’s modules – Fiddle yard finally complete

Well, we’re back from Stuttgart, and I’ll be posting some pictures over the next few days.  And next Saturday, I’m visiting the Warley show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham (a bit like the Stuttgart Messe, really), so there … Continue reading

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