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A Brake for the Swamp Level Route

A hose level was used to create the level areas required for the layout - so I thought they were level. But my free-rolling car wheelsets found the minor variations in benchwork construction and decided to seek their own level. Nylon mono-filament fishing line to the rescue!...
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Tricks for Tracks – Painting Wheels

An easy way to paint wheels is to use the Floquil markers. Hold the wheel and twist the marker around the wheel. Hold the marker at a slight angle to avoid painting the axle points....
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Spring 2012 RPO, Vol 20, No 1

The Spring 2012 Issue of The RPO is Now Available Online

The Spring 2012 quarterly members newsletter of the Gateway Division NMRA, the RPO, is now available online in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format....
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Bill Giese's Beautiful Rock Island HO Model Railroad

Bill Giese’s Beautiful Rock Island HO Model Railroad

Bill Giese's Des Moines Area Rock Island HO scale model railroad features highly detailed city and industrial scenes filled with cars, trucks and people. The railroad, set in the late 1960s to early 1970s, is a walk-in design with a 76-foot single track main and 24-foot branch line us...
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Don Taschner's HO and HOn3 Scenic Model Railroad

Don Taschner’s HO and HOn3 Scenic Model Railroad

Don's 1950s transition era HO/HOn3 8’x22’ layout features great award-winning scratchbuilt and kit based structures, wonderful running equipment, and dual gauge trackage. The layout has a 130-foot double track standard gauge mainline for steam and diesel operations with an eight track...
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Sealing the Bottle

One of the most frustrating moments in model railroading is when you open an “almost” new bottle of paint and discover it is no longer usable. Happily, there is a simple, effective, and inexpensive way to save some dough and a lot of frustration....
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Pete Smith's Loon Lake Railway & Navigation Co. Sn3 Model Railroad

Pete Smith’s Loon Lake Railway & Navigation Co. Sn3 Model Railroad

Experience logging, mining and waterfront operations in Sn3 on this 28’x20’ layout. DC cabs with Soundtraxx controls. Shays and Heislers crawling on code 55 and 70 rail on the loop-to-loop 125-foot mainline....
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Ken Patterson's HO Scale Model Railroad

Ken Patterson’s HO and G Scale Model Railroads

photos by Ken Patterson Description here....
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WG&F Matson siding switcher.

Operation on the Webster Groves & Fenton Railroad

Matson switcher model railroad operations on the Webster Groves & Fenton Railroad....
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Curt Regensberger's HO Scale The Streator Connection Model Railroad

Curt Regensberger’s HO Scale The Streator Connection Model Railroad

The Streator Connection models the connecting point of the Santa Fe and Conrail railroads at Streator, Illinois. This 30’x32’ HO scale layout has 32" minimum radius curves, a maximum 1.3% grade, and is a loop-to-loop design with two independent mainlines. The layout features a large f...
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Winter 2012 RPO, Vol 19, No 4

The Winter 2012 Issue of The RPO is Now Available Online

The Winter 2012 quarterly members newsletter of the Gateway Division NMRA, the RPO, is now available online in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format....
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Rene LaVoise's HO Scale Sedalia & Warsaw Model Railroad

Rene LaVoise’s HO Scale Sedalia & Warsaw Model Railroad

The Sedalia & Warsaw is based on a Missouri Pacific branch line in western Missouri extending 43 miles from the connection with the Missouri Pacific at Sedalia to the Osage River at Warsaw. There are four intermediate stations - from north to south they are Mora, Cole Camp, Tahoma and...
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