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Modeling a 2-Bay Short-Taper Offset Hopper in HO Scale

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CG 55T Offset 14

HO-scale modelers are blessed with a lot of coal hopper models and kits to work with. One fairly common car that’s still tough to model is a 2-bay short-taper offset hopper. This car is distinct because of the smaller and more steep angles in the side sheets to get from the inside of the car to outside the ribs and the three thick rivet strips at the ends and center. This car was also longer than most 2-bay cars at 34′ versus the 33′ of a more common offset. Most people would be content to just use a 33′ car (and I don’t issue any judgment here), but I’m kind of a hopper nut, so…

Athearn made an old blue-box … Read more →

Weathering an Old Coal Hopper

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MON 50T hoppers HO scale

(Note: for a more complete, step-by-step process, read ARRM’s more recent article on weathering coal hoppers as well)

Coal hoppers endure some heavy use and exposure to the elements. The loading process and constant scraping of coal on the slope sheets and sides during unloading quickly wears these cars down and produces some neat weathering that begs to be modeled. Younger steel cars tend to show bare metal slick spots, especially on the slope sheets. These metal spots tend to show a bit of rust around the edges, but over time, the whole interior can turn to rust that continually regenerates through the loading and unloading process. Here’s my process for detailing and weathering old “rust bucket” hoppers using a … Read more →

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Digital Fast Clock

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A couple weeks ago, I added the “Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock.” Since then, I’ve created a digital version in Microsoft PowerPoint for those interested. It’s ultimately simpler than the analog version because it’s all text, but it works in essentially the same manner. You can change the fast clock ratio by adjusting the transition time between slides (instructions included), and you customize the appearance as much as you like by changing the colors, size, fonts, etc. in the “Slide Master” templates. For the calendar version, you can easily … Read more →

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

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Poor Man's Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

Many who build a layout aspire to realistic operations with their trains. One of the staples for realistic operation is a “fast clock” that displays time at faster-than-real-life speed so that a “model day” takes less than 24 hours. The fast clock is usually expressed as a ratio where the first number indicates how much faster the clock will run compared to actual time. For example, 2:1 indicates a 24-hour model day will take 12 hours (30 actual minutes per modeled hour); 6:1 indicates a 24-hour day will take 4 hours (10 actual minutes per modeled hour). The ratio is usually driven by how compressed the layout is and how long it takes to do the work, but 6:1 is … Read more →

Double Pinwheel Helix

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Double Pinwheel Helix 6

Lots of track plans need a helix, especially if you’re trying to build a double-deck layout to capture your favorite mountain railroad. Ever wonder why I draw most of my helices on Appalachian Railroad Modeling track plans as octagons? Here’s why…

I’ve never heard any model railroader talk about how much fun it was to build a helix, but I know plenty who dread this step in their construction. Building a helix is daunting because it’s a whole lot of track and subroadbed crammed into a vertical circle, and it’s usually hidden, so its construction needs to be bulletproof. My layout requires not one helix but two, so I wanted to find a way to make them in the most … Read more →

Two Key Questions for Track Plan Compression – Derby, VA Case Study

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Derby, VA track plan ideas

One of the toughest parts of prototype modeling is knowing where and what to compress to keep as true to the prototype as possible for a given space. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to compress any scenes, but that’s a fairy tale for all but the most compact of prototypes. We’re stuck with the challenge of trying to find the right balance of scenery elements and operations to model our prototype within our space constraints.

The coal mining town of Derby, VA on the Interstate Railroad offers a good case study of how to compress a prototype operation to fit into a range of spaces with different trade-offs, and it’s covered in good detail in Ed and … Read more →

Modeler Spotlight – Bob Chapman

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C&O 2-6-6-2 in HO scale by Bob Chapman

Bob Chapman HO scale layoutBob Chapman standing in front of Cincinnati Union Terminal on his HO-scale Cincinnati-based layout

I had the privilege of visiting Bob Chapman’s HO scale, Cincinnati-based layout recently to see his work first-hand, and it was a non-stop parade of beautiful trains and meticulously built models.

B&O 4-6-2 Royal Blue in HO scale by Bob ChapmanB&O class P7A 4-6-2 Royal Blue speeds by on Bob Chapman’s layout

Bob loves many railroads, so his … Read more →

A Special Train for a Special Day

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CSX ET44AH 3621 Barboursville, WV

by Jonathan Spurlock

CSX’s former C&O line to Logan, WV and the coalfields in the region left the main line at Barboursville, WV. The Logan subdivision then traveled near some of Barboursville’s residential district before heading mostly south to Logan and beyond. The line was usually kept in a well-maintained condition but I can seldom remember seeing a train. Even in my grade school years, we had a younger-than-Little-League baseball league that played games literally a stone’s throw from the tracks. Even at 9 years of age, I could throw a rock better than a baseball, but that’s another story.

Many years later, one of the saddest days of anyone’s life happened. Dad completed his earthly journey and … Read more →

Moving Train Order Signals on the C&O at Man, WV

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by Jonathan Spurlock

C&O LogoMy dad was an operator on the C&O at Man, WV, and I can still relive the first time I ever saw him hand up orders to the crew of a moving train. I will always think of him as one of the bravest men I ever knew. You can read more about this in my first article, Passing Train Orders on the C&O at Man, WV.  One of the last things he did before handing up the orders was to change the train order (T.O.) signal for the appropriate track, something I’ll explain here … Read more →

Passing Train Orders on the C&O at Man, WV

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C&O GP7 5865 at Man, WV

by Jonathan Spurlock

C&O LogoMy late father is one of my heroes. Now, I’m sure many boys – and girls – might say this about their dads but there was one time where I don’t think I was ever more proud of my dad!

He had been hired by the C&O in the fall of 1969 and started as an “operator” in one of the “cabins” on the line not too far from our house. Sure, it took a time or two for his 11-year-old son (me) to finally catch a little of what he was talking about, but … Read more →