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I have been reading and watching videos on DCC. I have a question regarding engine sound for EMD diesels. When a locomotive is struggling upgrade and moving slowly is there a decoder, or a program to have the sound of the diesel reflect the load?

I am looking for sliding barn door rollers. I located a pack of two from SS Ltd but the shipping ($7.99) is more than the actual part. I was wondering if Walther's sells these doors from their kits separately? I am guessing no; they are probably part of a sprue of several parts but thought...

Has anyone seen dates for the Big Boy's west coast tour? All i have seen is Salt Lake City, Sacramento, and Portland, OR but no actual dates.

Currently have 19.2V Craftsman set of cordless power tools. Recently one of my battery chargers gave up, the current five batteries I have don't hold a charge very long, and I rebuilt them just prior to covid. I mostly use the drills but miss the handiness of the small circular saw. It may be...

By any chance does anyone know the minimum radius this locomotive will run on? Last time I ran the locomotive was on a club layout pre DCC in the late 1980s pre-DCC era. It is one of Sunsets budget line of brass locos that were selling for $100-$150 purchased 1987-88 time frame. It does have...

The on/off switch for my woodland scenic vacuum cleaner is not working. Tested it with a DVOM and there is no continuity. The vacuum motor runs when using jumper wires direct. Since there are not any Radio Shack stores nor are there any electronic supply houses nearby I need the proper name...

My grandchildren are on spring break. Yesterday the 4th grader and I went to Sacramento CA to see the historic Sutter's Fort as she is studying California History. We took the opportunity to visit the CA RR Museum and look at the exhibits there spending time with a docent and the...

When I pull up the Model Railroader website to search for a back issue story a pop-up advertises a 30 FREE trial to this subscription service with loads of information. Has anyone here had some experience with that site? What is the cost? I already subscribe to the magazine but wondered if...

After moving into the new home, doing most of the upgrades and nest building my DW and I wanted and finally retiring I have begun actually thinking of track planning. This will be my 3rd layout in the past two years, the 1st two were 4x8 and 4x6 for practice of techniques. Kicking around some...

On the northside of Interstate 10 just about two miles east of Lordsburg, New Mexico I caught a glimpse of an odd track arrangements. The two sidings on either side of the dual track main were very short. Maybe 200' long and it appeared that there was a concrete pad between the two siding and...

I have the Walthers Valley Cement kit and was wondering what do cement plants use to fire the kiln. Propane? Oil? I would prefer not to use coal. The era and location I model would not be using coal, 1980s in Northern California. I looked at images on the internet and couldn't determine...

Does anyone sharpen their rail nippers or is it easier just to go buy a new pair? Just curious what the consensus is.

My floor square footage does not have the area for a decent helix. What would be the sharpest grade for hidden trackage to drop from the upper deck to hidden staging on the lower level? The trains would be a single unit Athearn Blue Box GP7s and the trains lengths would be 6-7 Hortner...

Disney uses a paint in their theme parks called "Go-Away Green". The purpose is to blend items such as lamp posts, queue railings and other types of equipment boxes into their surroundings. A trick on the eyes, so you don't notice that the object is present, it has gone away. After surfing...

Wired Tight: Planning, communication help BNSF employees fight Dixie Fire

I purchased a roll at an estate sale and was curious to peoples opinions. I have used Homasote as a base with cork roadbed. This latest layout I am using foam board as a base. I have plenty of cork to complete the layout (LOL) but this product looked like it may provide a quieter roadbed...

For my proposed layout I have been researching the former Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railway and the modern Northwestern Pacific. Specifically if any Gensets were manufactured in HO and came across this modern gem: Modesto & Empire Traction Railroad Enough tonnage that the railroad deploys nine...

What's your opinion? My son in law said these are what we need for the next coat o plaster, showed me a photo but they appear to be just a silicone basting brush from a cooking store except in black instead of vibrant colors.

I was railfanning at my local passenger depot (Petaluma, CA) & old freight house team track area and noticed the use of concrete ties on the main except at the grade crossings and at the switches into the yard and old freight house spurs. The rails are shared between the commuter SMART DMUs...