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I wanted to share some photos of my apartment model railroad. This layout currently sits in the second bedroom of my apartment. I model between 1995 and present day. Here are some photos of progress on the layout. Let me know what you think!

Hello All, I wanted to show off some of the cool goodies I got at this month's train show. There is a train show that is held in Wheaton, IL every month (except July) that is one of the biggest and oldest around. I always find the best deals here. I thought I would show off some cool stuff I...

I wanted to share with you all a film I happened across called "Last of the Giants". It was a film produced by Union Pacific in either the 1950s or 1960s that is basically the story of the "Big Boy" steam locomotives. The film is available on Youtube but I found it first on a DVD called...

Do you model Chicago's Metra? Then I need your help! I'm trying to get a manufacturer to produce the new Nippon Sharyo Bi-Levels for Chicago Metra in HO scale. As you may know, Kato produced these in N scale but doesn't show any signs of wanting to do these in HO scale. While I was browsing...

Apparently the new Kato P42 in HO scale will be able to handle curves smaller than 15" radius! http://www.katousa.com/HO/P42/index.html I find that amazing! I'm wondering though if there is a practical use for this with this model and if there is any chance that the Superliner cars that will...

I got stopped by a train today and got a chance to look at the cars real up close. I noticed that most, if not all of the cars that had graffiti on them still had visible car numbers and things like max load capacity visible. I also noticed that some of the "artwork" (if you can call vandalism...

It's the weekend! I guess I'll get this train rolling... I have a new addition to my layout that I am very excited about, a Kato F40PH in Chicago Metra paint! It's now ready for service pulling the RTA bi-levels. I hope to soon also get some of the newer Kato bi-levels in the later Metra...

I was at work today eating lunch and all of a sudden I hear a loud screeching / squealing sound. I look outside and there's a Metra engine and switcher sitting on the mainline! There's also about 4 different vehicles from the railroad outside. I think the engine broke down a little bit...

I found this on Youtube and it made me laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNrMKxr5050 The guy in the car will hopefully never do that again! I didn't know trains could stop so quickly!

I'm excited because I've finally gotten my train room up and running after over a year of work! I've turned the second bedroom of my apartment into the train room and have a 9 x 6 foot layout in there that I built in modules so it can be easily disassembled when I move. Here are some photos...

Who here regularly goes to train shows? I went to one this past weekend which is held every month (except July) at the Dupage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. I always like going to the shows to get new ideas for my layout, and I can see so much more there than at my LHS just because of the...

Hello All, I'm looking around trying to find the best way to weather my rolling stock and I think I would rather go the powders route to weathering vs using paint. I'm mostly interested in self-adhesive weathering powders as I am in an apartment so I don't have the space for painting or...

Hello All, I came across this on Twitter today, thought I would share. BNSF is having an essay contest where the winners can win some sweet HO scale BNSF locomotives. To enter you need to join their website and then write a 100-300 word essay about how freight rail is important to your...

I want to make a road for my layout and have realistic details, such as the yellow and white lines that roads have. I've been looking for decals that I can use for my roads (in HO scale) and I've found some decal sheets that have the yellow and white lines, but the problem is that all the...

Here's what I am wondering: Today do any other railroads double head or multi-unit with Union Pacific? That is, are there circumstances where you might see a train with some locomotives in Union Pacific paint and other locomotives in other paint? I know that there used to be some of this back...

I'm not sure if any of you model Metra or Chicago modern day rail in HO, but I just noticed these gems posted on the Kato homepage, updated Metra equipment! F40PH Engine - http://www.katousa.com/HO/F40PH/index.html Bi-Level Cars: http://www.katousa.com/HO/Bilevel/index.html These are on my...

Hello All, I'm on a search to find a coffee table that I can build a small N scale model railroad layout inside of. What I am looking for should have a glass top with either a lift top or a drawer that is visible through the glass. I plan to build the layout inside of the table and place it...

Hello, I'm considering having a traffic light pole custom made for HO scale (plastic printing), but I'm having trouble getting the scaling correctly. Attached is a photo of the traffic light pole. I'm trying to get the dimensions as close to HO scale as possible. Currently I have a height of...

In my town there has been a railroad spur that for years was used lightly to deliver to a few local lumberyards. The last time I remember a train being on it was a year or two ago, but I thought it was still in use. A few days ago I'm driving down main street, where there's road construction...

Hello, I'm trying to make some realistic looking traffic lights for my layout, but most look rather fake compared to modern standards. I was thinking of taking the single sided hanging traffic light from Walthers and having a pole for it custom printed by a 3D printing service. Link to see...