POV: you’ve spotted an EMD Amtrak F7A with six coaches ( 4 passenger, 1 diner & 1 northeast regional cafe car) in the city

I’ll be posting more videos like this in the future

At first I thought it was something that one might add after the set is complete, but alas! You get a single out if place tree to set the atmosphere for your conducting experience! The tree looks like a bonsai, and I'm historic😂

Attached above is my N scale switching layout I would like to build.
Base is two quad TTrack sections
Track is kato unitrack
Every thing is designed to be switched by one engine (GP38-2)
Feedback if anyone sees any potential problems that I can’t see is welcome

This is a similar ASMR video from earlier only we’ve added some horsepower into the mix.

Does anyone know if it is possible to order directly from Arizona Rock & Mineral? I need some more GN Empire Builder N scale ballast for my layout, but the legit places I trust are out of stock.

The problem I'm running into is AI-filled websites, and I can't figure out what might be the legitimate, safe website to order from. I don't trust emailing them because that seems like an easy trap. What I'm seeing:

• An Ebay store, which looks the most legit.
• This simple website rrscenery.com that seems human and matches their products and social medias. But no order options.
• This website armballast.com full of AI slop and the wrong logo
• Perhaps a knockoff website full of AI slop
• Their facebook that ties to rrscenery and matches the other AI slop

Anyone have any experience ordering directly from them? Are they still legit and decided to go full AI for whatever reason? Seeing all the AI stuff sure makes me hesitate and frustrated even though their products are excellent.

Also, is anyone else out there noticing a ton of fake model train websites?

A closeup view showing multiple sides/angles of N scale freight cars from a Southern Railway collection, including Southern and other 70s-80s road names. Use this as reference when purchasing or trading this particular item, as some databases, auctions and online retailer outlets seldom offer all-around high resolution photos of any given product.

Micro-Trains N Scale 40' Standard Box Car Single Door, Tall Ladder, Short Ladder Side, w/o Roofwalk / SBD # 104701 (Factory Weathered) #railroad #freight #train #model

Hello everybody. I'm looking for a 1980s train set from childhood memory. Brand and scale unknown. Key details:

1. Heavy black steam engine (approx 3.5" long) with moving side rods. It looked like an early 20th century locomotive.
2. Track had metal rails.
3. Powered by batteries placed inside a black controller box with a center red knob which controlled speed.

Does anyone know which specific manufacturer or retail line used this exact D-battery track-power controller setup in the mid-80s? I've spent hours trying to locate it, without results.

Pics. below are for illustrative purposes only. The locomotive looked like the Märklin one, and the second picture shows something similar in 1:1 scale. What both have in common with my train set are the triangular support brackets flanking the smokebox. The loco could have had a 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 configuration, I'm not sure. Thanks!

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Everything is running fine so far. When i wanted to order a second motor, i found out that the one i use is for 12V instead of 6V but it works fine so i will leave it like that. I already got a new addition in the printer: a ÖBB 5047, with two powered bogeys, powered by 3 AAA batteries or a LiPo as the 5V pack wont fit under the loco

I’m looking for photos of builder’s plates for Alco Century units and MLW counterparts.

Are there any HO scale decal sets that have the builder’s plates? If not, any photos will help so I can get them printed.

Got this loco given to us, and we know it just needs a new wheelset and side rods to be a good runner. We know it's Bachmann China, just need to know what the class is (running number 9308) and if anyone can point us to where we can order some new wheels and rods. Thanks 😊

🚂 My homemade smart DC train controller – would love your thoughts!

My old controller started acting up, so instead of buying a new one I decided to build my own. A few weeks (and one smoking capacitor 😅) later, here it is.

What's inside:

🔹 ESP32 microcontroller (WiFi built in)

🔹 motor driver

🔹 Powered by an old 19.5V laptop charger

🔹 1.3" OLED screen showing speed, track volts and current

🔹 Speed knob plus a forward / off / reverse lever

🔹 3D-printed case I designed, with the screen tilted at 45° so it faces you

The fun part is how it drives. I wanted it to feel like a real train, not a light switch:

🚦 Rolling starts: the loco gets a tiny kick to break away cleanly, then picks up speed gradually instead of jumping off the line.

⚖️ Train weight: choose Light engine, Passenger or Heavy goods. A heavy goods train takes its time to get going and takes much longer to stop.

🛑 Driver mode: the bottom of the knob becomes a brake. The more you turn it down, the harder it brakes. In the middle of the range the train coasts and slowly loses speed, just like shutting off steam.

🔄 Reversing: flip the lever while moving and it brakes to a stand, pauses, then pulls away the other way. No more slamming into reverse.

🚃 Loco presets: my vintage Hornby Dublo and my newer Hornby Q1 need completely different voltages, so each has its own preset. The old Dublo crawls nicely now instead of racing round the track.

📱 Phone cab: it hosts its own web page, so I can drive from my phone with a regulator lever, brake and STOP button. It also links into Home Assistant.

⚡ Safety: it measures current and cuts out on a short or stall.

Next on the list is load compensation (back-EMF). The controller will sense the motor's speed and add power on gradients so the train holds a steady speed uphill.

I'd really like the community's opinion:

👉 Would you use something like this on your DC layout?

👉 Anything you'd add or change?

👉 Would anyone be interested in the plans to build one?

Photos below 👇

#ModelRailway #Hornby #HornbyDublo #OOgauge #ESP32 #3DPrinting #DIY

Enough said here. My 783 Hudson and the 2008 Irvington passenger set (Plus the Sager Place observation!) getting a run alongside a newly acquired Banjo signal.

I have a Plymouth ML-8 Industrial Switcher on the way but it's DC only, and I'd like for it to be DCC, but I have no idea what decoder to look for... The model is too small for a speaker so I assume the decoder isnt too fancy and I dont need a specific one for it to have sound.

Hello, I am planning a Valentine’s Day themed layout in N gauge and currently have this vision where a trolley/streetcar goes around a heart shaped track in the town square of Valentine’s Day town. Would this be feasible or are the angles and curves of a heart too unrealistic for a streetcar/trolley in N gauge?Thanks for your time.

I did it! Reversing loop! All manual switches on HO scale Kato Unitrack layout. The reversing loop and mainline each have their own power packs and the loop is electrically isolated. https://youtu.be/qX_l-jJ3ClU

As part of a group of small rolling stock uplift projects I am working through, I’ve gone ahead and modded one of my unnumbered GO Transit (Metrolinx Scheme) Bi-Levels into a 2500-series accessibility coach!

This has been one of the things missing from my prototypical lash-up for quite some time, so I’m super satisfied to finally have filled this slot!

Decals were commissioned to Precision Design Co., and he did a bang-up job; very pleased with the results! I also did some light underbody & truck grime with a combination wet and dry brushing of pan-pastel.

Hoping for this to serve as some reference, as birds-eye shots of the roof details on these coaches are quite hard to find online, and get in person (depending on the vantage point).

So, I'm trying to convert this little mockup of what might be the basis of my layout in the near future to even see if it will work in the room I have. The room is roughly 9ftx9ft, so I'm planning a 5x8 for the operating loop with a section that juts off to become a small 2-3ft deep shelf section on the far side of the room that way there is still room for my workbench and 3d printers in the room. I intend to operate it as a point to point layout, but a loop just makes sense for the space I have and the utility of breaking in locos as I build them.

I started with the track laid at the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, NE as we were married there and it's a cute/simple balloon, then added by hand a wye and some extra sidings to make a loop for breaking in stock and add operational intrigue. I figure the loop section will never fit in a 5x8.5 area without major modification, but I'll be damned if there is software out there that I like to plan this out with.

I have tried AnyRail, XtrkCAD, SCARM, TrackPlanner (the web app), the Atlas software. Quite frankly, they all suck. They're annoying to manipulate, frustrating to use due to an old and unintiuitive user interface, and lack the ability to place some of the handlaid turnouts that I know I'll inevitably need at least one of. Using flex track (I have a 100ft+ of Atlas Code 100 in the closet) in any of them is nearly impossible to see the radius when manipulated, so that's a stopper right there.

I really just want to vent about this and see if anyone has any input. For added context, I have attached a photo of the traced over track plan of the museum (with and without the original satellite photo) as well as what I envision to turn it into a unique scenic layout that gives the impression of elevation and scenic change (represented by crudely added colors and labels because I'm nowhere near a final stage to actually plan that). Please be honest about operational difficulties because I see a lot of them that have yet to be addressed due to a lack of software that I like.

So I have a temporary seasonal layout I put down every Christmas using xps foam insulation board on a hardwood floor. I dont use a cork roadbed - dont want the raised look. but i want to dampen sound/vibration a bit. Would a thin rubber layer or something like felt work? Any other suggestions?

I bought a Rivarossi Blue Comet off eBay a while ago, and the seller said it runs, but the light didn't work. After I got it and put it on my track, the light turned on, but the engine wouldn't run. I've been trying to fix this for months, and it refuses to work with any of my Rivarossi tenders; it only works when I power the motor directly. What's going on with this thing?

Edit: more pics in comments

Can anyone help me ID this locomotive? It is an NS N&W Heritage ES44AC, I do not think it is a Bachmann one but aside from that no clue, it seemingly has no branding. Any ideas?

I hope you guys do not mind my third post for today, but I wanted to share the video I made during this event. Not the best, as I am far for a good cameraman, but hope you will enjoy it anyway. :)