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Get all the latest model railroad news and views from the world of model railroading.
Stay up to date in the most enthralling (ok I'm biased) hobby in the world...model
railroading!

(5) 5 product ratings - 500 street name signs & posts assorted styles oo gauge 1:76 model railway s001.
Employers seeking additional information on DOT drug and alcohol testing rules are encouraged to use the resources listed on this page.

Explained: Prototype Railroads vs Model Railroads

Beginners to the wonderful world of model railways often get confused with the term
prototype trains. Generally, model railroad enthusiasts will refer to the real (full size)
trains as prototypes. As the name implies, every railway track system is a unique, one of a kind system.

This explains why the phrase 'prototype train' is a good description for full size train. If, as a model railroading enthusiast, your aim is to create your own 'real' system, then it is easiest to refer to full size trains as being prototypes.

A model railway site designed for beginners to railway modelling. Supplying practical model railway advice, information, hits and tips to railway modellers building their first model railway layout. Both road and rail use signposts to convey information for example speed limit signs. Nowadays signs are everywhere.

Model Railroad Train Scales And Track Gauge

The terms scale and gauge are two of the most confused terms in the model railroad hobby. The SCALE proportion is expressed as a fraction of a real life-sized railroad. As an example, HO scale model train set is 1/87 the size of real life-sized railroads. For model trains, track GAUGE is the width between the inside running edge of the rails. For toy trains, track gauge is the measurement from the center of the two outside rails.

Analog Model Railroads - How They Work

An Analog model railroad is simply a conventional model railroad with conventional
analogue controls [DC or AC] to provide a power feed to a piece of track. Any
locomotive that is on that piece of track will respond by moving forwards or backwards.

The speed and direction of a model train is controlled by varying the voltage and
polarity on the rails. The higher the voltage , the faster the locomotive moves, the
lower the voltage, the slower the locomotive moves.

DCC Model Railroads - A Quick Definition

DCC stands for Digital Command Control. It is a system that allows model railroads to independently operate multiple locomotives, functions (speed, sound, lighting, direction, movement) and accessories rather than control of sections of railway track.This is achieved by locating a decoder in the locomotive that listens to information in the track.

Laying Loose Ballast On Model Railroad Layouts

When laying 'loose' track ballast, be very careful while distributing it around point blades. Also, when laying 'loose' track ballast never run the trains until the glue has fully dried and the track has been vacuum cleaned to ensure no loose track ballast remains.

A Common Mistake To Avoid When Making Scenery

When making scenery for a model railway layout there is a temptation to make trees too small. This probably because many people live in housing developments that were built less than 40 years ago. In real life mature trees can be huge with some trees being 80-100 feet or more in height.

If you are modeling conifers or other very large trees here's what to do. Take your longest passenger car, turn it up on end, and make the trees taller, up to half again as tall.

When positioning your trees on your model railroad, keep in mind the loading gauge of your widest and longest rolling cars. Check to see if the trees will be too close to the tracks BEFORE you glue them into place.

Famous Railways & Railroad Journeys

20,000 Commuters At Largest Train Station
The world's largest station by number of platforms is Grand Central
Terminal, Park Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City, USA.
The station has 44 platforms situated on two underground levels with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower level. Around 200,000 commuters arrive and depart on approximately 550 trains every day.
Grand Central was built over a 10 year period from 1903–13 and covers 19 ha (48 acres).

London Underground - Interesting Railroad Facts

Some interesting facts about the London Underground (affectionately known as 'The Tube'):

Maximum depths below ground level - Northern Line, Holly Bush Hill, Hampstead
67.4m (221ft)
Deepest station - Hampstead 58.5m (192ft) below ground level
Longest continuous tunnel - Northern Line, East Finchley to Morden (via Bank)
27.8km (17.4 miles)

Australia Has Longest Straight Railroad

The Australian National Railways Trans-Australian line over the Nullarbor Plain, is 478km. (297 miles) dead straight, from between Nurina and Loongana, Western Australia, to between Ooldea and Watson, South Australia.
As the name implies, the Indian Pacific Train travels from the Indian Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This famous ocean to ocean train trip across Australia is one of the world’s longest and greatest railroad journeys.
This railroad journey from Sydney (on the East Coast) to Perth (on the West Coast) covers 4352kms. The Indian Pacific Train travels from the spectacular Blue Mountains to the treeless plains of The Nullarbor, where the train travels the world’s longest straight stretch of railroad track (478 kilometres).
Passengers experience three nights aboard the train as well as scheduled stops at Broken Hill, Adelaide and gold rich Kalgoorlie. A remote outpost on the Nullarbor Plain called Cook, population 2, presents a further opportunity to stretch your legs.
The Indian Pacific passenger train first ran in February 1970 from Sydney Central to East Perth linked New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia but by-passed Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The Adelaide rail terminal (with standard gauge connection) was opened in May 1984.

A3 Class 'Flying Scotsman'

Flying Scotsman is arguably the best-known steam locomotive in the world. Model Train manufacturer Hornby produce replica models of 'Flying Scotsman' for model
railroading enthusiasts to add to their model railroad layouts.

The A1 4-6-2 is presented in LNER livery with four teak coaches to represent the period of non-stop running between London and Edinburugh over the summer seasons of the 1930s.
Hornby even have a complete 'Flying Scotsman' model railroad set containing everything needed to just set up and run including: a transformer, controller and track.

World's Longest RailwayJourney

The longest railway journey in the world without changing trains is 6,346 miles (10,214km.), from Moscow, Russia, to Pyongyang, North Korea. The train trip takes almost eight days with only one train a week taking this route.

Impressive Model Railroads

There are hundreds impressive model railroad layouts to be found all around the world including countries like: Germany, New Zealand, Turkey, South Africa, Australia, UK, Canada and USA to name but a few. Here are a couple of model railroad layouts in the USA that are well worth a visit:

10,000 Square Foot Of Model Railroad Track

The Golden State Model Railroad Museum in California has 10,000 square feet of O
scale, HO scale and N scale model railroading. Inside the Golden State Model Railroad Museum, you will find three large model railroads, constructed and operated by the East Bay Model Engineers Society (EBMES). When visiting California the Golden State Model Railroad Museum is well worth seeing. The museum is located in Point Richmond, California (just north of San Francisco, at the north end of the East Bay).

Indiana Model Railroad Layout Stretches 7 Miles

The Greater Midcontinent Railroad Company was founded in 1991. The HO scale model railroad layout occupies approximately 20 by 30 feet of the basement of the Garrett Historical Society Museum. The model railroad layout has about 7 scale miles of track, which typically takes 20 minutes for trains to complete a circuit. Prototypical operations are duplicated with the aid of a computerized system which controls the model railroad layout.

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Multiple commercial brands of model railroad software are available and can be used in helping to plan your layout. These are basically of 6 types:

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• Model Railroad Track Planning Software

• Model Railroad Operation Software

• Computer Integration and Control

• Model Railroad Inventory/ Collectors Software

• Computer Simulation Programs

• Programs to Create Designs, Signs, Decals, Brick Walls, etc.

Which type of model railroad software you choose may depend on how much you like to spend time on your computer and what your ultimate goals are. There is a certain fascination in developing your plans on the computer and being very organized in your track planning even to the point of knowing exactly what materials you will need and how much they will cost. Many of these model railroad software programs will allow you to run virtual trains on your computerized layout so you can get an idea of how your railroad will operate when you actually build it.

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Perhaps you don’t have the time or space to actually start building a model railroad yet. Using the planning software can provide you with the fun of at least developing your basic plan and design until you have the capability of going ahead with physically building the layout.

Some of the model railroad software is relatively simple and fairly easy to use after a few hours. Other programs are very powerful, but complicated, with high learning curves; but once you master them, you could have a fantastic virtual railroad on your computer that has very detailed graphics and may be a lot of fun to build and operate without ever having to lay your hands on a section of model track.

Model Railroad Track Planning Software

One of the easier model railroad software programs to master is the Track Planning Software available for download to your Windows PC (No Mac version) from the atlasrr.com website and works fairly well for simple layout designs.

Another program reported to be very easy to use with a short learning curve is Anyrail (http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html). It requires Windows Vista, XP or 2000.

XTrkCAD is a free program available for download for Windows, Mac or Linux. (http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/HomePage)

Railmodeller (http://www.railmodeller.com/) is an excellent program for the Mac that I found relatively easy to use within just a few hours. The track plans drawn on the track planning page of this web site were all created using this software.

SCARM(Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeller) is definitely worth a look. A lot of work has gone into this layout design software to make it user friendly. It's only for Windows though. No Mac version available (yet).

RR Track for Windows is an excellent program for sectional track users and is easy to use. You can view the layout as a track plan or just the terrain or both together. It has 3D views as well.

Cadrail (http://cadrail.com/) is a more complicated program with lots of bells and whistles and may be more familiar to those who have had some training in computer assisted design. A companion program containing information about the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad can be purchased on their website as well.

Other notable model train software programs include 3rD Plan-It by Eldorado (http://www.trackplanning.com/), and 3D Railroad: Concept and Design √ by Abracadata. Another one worth mentioning is called Train Player (http://www.trainplayer.com/) within which you can obtain over 100 predesigned track plans that you could use or modify for your own railroad.

Wintrack is another great program for PCs developed in Europe. One of the best things about this software is the remarkable 3D image that you can generate after you have completed your track-plan.

For those who wish to build their own tracks and turnouts, Templot is the way to go. This computer program can generate infinite types of templates to use for constructing tracks, turnouts, crossovers, slips or just sections of track to fit in between others, etc. in any gauge, for any period or prototype, for any radius. You can link them together on screen to create your entire layout track-plan; and use them on your workbench to create the tracks you need to complete your layout. This one is for PC users - No Mac version available.

So what is the 'best' track-planning software?

Tough question. Some of the programs have steep learning curves, so you end up spending all your railroad-building time on learning the software. Some are free which is good for simple layouts. The more expensive ones do a better job with elevations, 3D views and more choices from their libraries of tracks and structures. Your choice may depend on what operating system you have in your computer - Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. Overall, you have to decide on which features are most important to you. Here is a link to Model Railroader's forum with several opinions on the subject...

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/228700.aspx

Operation Software / Hardware for Model Railroads

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Easy Model Railroad Inventory by RCL Software (Freeware) is much more than an inventory program. The operations portion of the software is the most useful part of it and is one of the best programs out there for setting up operating sessions. The only problem is that it is no longer supported by it's developer, and it's hard to find.

Layout Command Controlis an enhancement to DCC layouts using circuit-boards and software to improve speed and reliability, and makes operation of multiple locomotives and devices easier. The platform is standardized by the NMRA so that the products made by different manufacturers are interchangeable.

Traxx ID √- Model Railroad inventory/Operations Management Platform. Now you can not only know what your railcar inventory is, but you can know exactly where they are on your layout.

TrainTraxx.com - The Operations simulation software that can be used in conjunction with the Traxx ID hardware to create a complete inventory system so that you always know where your railcars are on the layout due to tags placed on the bottom of each car and detector devices placed under tracks in the classification yards. It can also integrate with JMRI so you know where your trains are and you can operate them with the software. Watch the videos on the their website so you can see how it works.

RailPro by Ring Engineering is one of the easier systems out there to help with model railroad operations. This uses color touchscreens and Direct Radio Technology and essentially replaces DCC systems. It is supposedly much easier to set up and manage than DCC, although it hasn't really caught on in popularity. Here is a video review...

DCS (Digital Command System) by MTH is another viable option for MTH trains, Lionel or any other AC-operated locomotives running on HO, O, S or G scale track, with or without wires. You can operate your entire layout wirelessly from your smartphone - even program up to 90 minutes of automatic train operation. Start up costs are very reasonable and setup is reported to be 'easy'.

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Computer Control

JMRIis a program that allows you to connect your DCC system to your computer. It requires separate purchase of an interface module like a Digitrax PR4 if you're using Loconet for connections, or NCE-223 if you're using the NCE system. After it is set up, you can see your entire layout on the computer screen and operate all power blocks and turnouts just by clicking on them. Can be used on both PC and Mac.

CTI-Electronics (Train Brain) - the first fully integrated computerized model railroad control system. For PC only. See the other page on this site showing how this CTI Train Brain worked on Bob Fahrney's computerized layout.

ITrain √- Easy to use computer control with client server technology to allow extra computers to be used as extra overviews or as controllers for different parts of the layout.

Model Railroad Inventory / Collectors Software

Model Railroad Collector √- highly rated inventory/ value pricing program for Windows

Model Railroad Inventory Database √- Purely an inventory program

Train Simulator Software Programs

Trainz √ by Auran (http://www.auran.com/trainz/) has lots of detail and lots of graphics that you can use for either simulated railroad operations, (including learning how to drive trains around on a virtual railroad), or for layout planning to the nth degree. This simulator is now available for PC and Mac. There is even a version for iPad!

Microsoft Train Simulator√ - another simulator program with lots of bells and whistles. Multiple add-ons are available for running many types of trains through different locales and scenery.

Running a Steam Locomotive√ gets rave reviews for learning how steam engines work and how to operate some of the most popular and classic locomotives ever made.

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Computer Requirements for Model Railroad Software

Most of these programs have demo versions that you can download and practice with before you buy. I would highly recommend doing this. You may find out that pencil and paper are more to your liking albeit less technologically advanced.

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If you decide to purchase one of these high-end programs like Trainz Simulator, Engineers Edition Deluxe, be sure your computer has the strength for it. (Make sure you look at the system requirements for the particular program you wish to purchase and be sure your computer has all of those requirements and preferably more.) Also note that some are available only for PC’s and not for Mac’s. I know Railmodeler and Trainz are available for the Mac. 3D Railroad Concept and Design is only available for PC and the Classic version of Mac OX-10, not for Leopard. All of them have PC versions. Cadrail is PC only.

Keep in mind that many of the above-mentioned programs that are for 'PC only' can be installed and used on a Mac computer if you use Winebottler, Crossover, Bootcamp or Parallels to run Windows within the Mac. Similarly, they can often be run on Linux if you have Wine or Crossover installed. Check the specific requirements for each program before you buy it.

Model Train Graphics

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This is another type of model railroad software that you will almost certainly find useful for your train layout not so much for planning purposes, but more for creation of signs, decals, old classic advertisements for your buildings or billboards, simulation of brick or stone walls, stained glass, window treatments, wallpaper, etc. Most of these are produced by Evans Designs.

From 'Model Railroad Software' to 'Homepage'

3d Overview of Cadrail-built layout with photo backdrop

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