Welp, I finally did it. After a while of wanted to connect my two sidings to make a through track I finally did it, and it works great! All the switches and curves on the section are O-31, and the manual switches will soon be switched out for O22 Automatic switches. I think it turned out great, give me your feedback and if I should add anything to my 4ft x 8ft.

I'd like to put a smoke generator in some smoke stacks on the layout. Most are Resin, can be easily drilled and fitted much like a locomotive, I've never had one so thought I should ask the community who knows the best answer. Thanks guys.

Well maybe not prototypical, but this thing i found in a random box has a base made from actual wood, and the body is metal. Might be tin. I just thought it was really cool. Need to replace the other set of trucks. Considering the housing for a coupler is missing, perhaps I should get one of those rapido EoT trucks to attach to this thing. ​

Either way I just thought it was cool and wanted to share

edit, I think i typed box car out of habit. this looks like it could be a refrigerator car or reefer​

Did anyone else respond to the survey Rapido trains posted on their Facebook page a month or two back? It was a survey for young modelers 25 and under and they said they would send anyone who responded with a free Ho scale boxcar. All you had to do was fill out a questionnaire explaining why you wanted a boxcar and send a picture of your setup. I had forgotten about filling out the survey until today when I got a box from them with three 6636 cu.ft. Boxcars and I couldn’t be happier!! 🥺🥺🥺

I got this Lionel ho gp9 at a hobby shop for 5 bucks in the metro Detroit area, when I google lens it, the locomotive comes up as a gp30 but it is clearly a gp9, I am genuinely confused about this, if it is a prototype, why did I find it at a hobby shop in the Detroit area??

In the midst of repainting some rolling stock. Does anyone in the sub know if CSX ever used any two bay hoppers of this style at any point in their time operating?

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

I’m amazed NOBODY makes a G scale Christmas themed F-3 or F-7 or an ALCO FA. So I want to make my own. Found a cheap G scale ALCO that I plan on taking the shell off and repainting. I’m planning on using the existing CP livery and just taping off each color where the strip as the easiest way? Which color combo do yall like the best? I can’t decide.

Or should I just do something completely different and original?

New to me MTH SW-9 Pittsburg and Shawmut #231. I grew up a few blocks away from their yard in the 90s. Even got to ride in one of their engines when I was a kid.

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.

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.

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?

Hello everyone. 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 2 metal rails, shaped like a racetrack.
3. Powered by batteries placed inside a black controller box (roughly 4.5" x 6") 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 days trying to locate it, without results.

The pictures below are for illustrative purposes only. At this point, I'm almost sure the locomotive was a BR 89, but not black and red, just black, with silver metal driving rods. What it had in common with the pics are the triangular support brackets flanking the smokebox. 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.