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What's on your workbench? May 2026

Started by Eric Hansmann in General discussion Workbench: Onward into another month and more of your workbench and layout projects! The projects shared last month looked great! Thank you for sharing! I’m sure we will kick off May in fine form. I am...
General discussion Workbench 43 2 1,504 1778148398
Chicago Switching Layout

Started by Windswept Rails in Dream and design Switching Layout chicago street running industrial: Hi everyone, this is my first post (and a long one sorry!), but I have seen posts on here as a non-member and it's been invaluable for my research. I'm based in Scotland, so I can only use...
Dream and design Switching Layout chicago street running industrial 265 9 9,162 1778135474
HO Van Hobbies / Samhongsa Brass Alco S4 Driveline fix, DCC sound and CPR Paint

Started by MikeHughes in Locos and rolling stock: I ought to know better because these things take time and money, but I spied this old (~1983) Van Hobbies / Samhongsa CP S4 at the LHS while picking up a new Rapido S9 that had come in. Hard...
Locos and rolling stock 16 5 266 1778135386
Meet The KC&G: Mainline To The Gulf

Started by laming in Journals/Blogs: Hi All: This will be a thread dedicated to the dreams n' schemes concerning my HO scale Kansas City & Gulf proto/free lance theme, which will (eventually) include two separate layouts. One...
Journals/Blogs 4,149 28 85,206 1778134078
Your Fallen Flag Pics

Started by Bshoop in Locos and rolling stock: Hi, all! Forgive me if this has already been done on the Forum, and I just have never discovered it, but I thought it would be cool to have a thread where you could post your personal pictures of...
Locos and rolling stock 36 10 721 1778131107
Nicholas & Ashley Creek Railway - v2.0

Started by anteaum2666 in Journals/Blogs Layout: I officially "broke ground" on version 2.0 of the Nicholas & Ashley Creek Railway on February 19, 2026. It's been about 7 months since our move and I'm excited to get back in the game!...
Journals/Blogs Layout 46 9 1,510 1778127691
Different tightness back and front trucks

Started by jimcubie1 in Locos and rolling stock: Somewhere, I have seen advice on how back and front trucks should be tightened differently. As I remember, one truck should be tighter than the other. I think the idea was that one of the trucks...
Locos and rolling stock 10 0 228 1778125829
What's your model railroading tunes?

Started by BBQdave in General discussion: So as not to derail another thread, I'm starting a separate thread on music you listen to while at your workbench or running your trains. My layout is in the corner of the family room. My...
General discussion 58 5 663 1778125310
Let's see a model of... May, 2026 Edition

Started by Kevin Parson in General discussion: 📷
General discussion 42 2 983 1778123636
QSI decoders in BLI locos,...really Bad, or Misunderstood?

Started by railandsail in Track and electrical/DCC BLI: Over the years of my involvement in the hobby i've heard SO MANY complaints about those 'losey' QSI decoders that came with many of the BLI locos. And in fact I expressed the same sentiment quite a...
Track and electrical/DCC BLI 36 1 555 1778123132
N&W Diorama (When You Want a Little Slice of WVa.)

Started by Joseph Lavender in General discussion: When you want a little slice of the N&W but don’t want to commit to a layout just yet. I’ve been contemplating a N&W layout in Z scale for some time, and I wanted to build a...
General discussion 16 33 655 1778122424
MRH call for an article ... tough steam DCC installs

Started by joef in Getting started: We got this request for the loco book and I'd rather do it as an article in one of the magazines so we can do it justice. We are looking for someone to write this up ... Any takers?
Getting started 19 0 411 1778120909
Experience with Woodland Scenics Water Products vs. Enviro Tex

Started by remhed in Scenery and structures: I am getting close to pouring a river on my layout. Does anyone have any experience with the Woodland Scenics "Realistic Water" and/or the "Deep Pour...
Scenery and structures 9 1 226 1778120391
DCC Installation Recommendation

Started by Al Carter in Locos and rolling stock: Folks, Wondering if anyone would care to recommend a business that does dcc decoder installation. I searched a bit on this forum but didn't find anything in particular regarding specific...
Locos and rolling stock 8 2 394 1778119569
Best solution for missing ties

Started by CAR_FLOATER in Benchwork and roadbed: This may be a VERY basic question, but I'm going to ask anyway, because I have time to weigh all the options that I'm sure I'm going to get. You know when you do track work and have to clip...
Benchwork and roadbed 22 0 305 1778116301
Modernizing a building

Started by Kory Lawrence in Scenery and structures: I’m in the process of designing another layout, for reference I’m modeling roughly 2014 to present in Southwest Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh area. It’s going to be more of what I call...
Scenery and structures 18 4 527 1778115993
Fascia look

Started by Rick Beatty in Benchwork and roadbed: If I had gotten around to installing fascia ten or fifteen years ago I would have figured out how to install it so that seams and fasteners were not visible. Over the past few years I’ve...
Benchwork and roadbed 10 2 377 1778115906
HO Wheels and Trucks

Started by laming in Locos and rolling stock: Hi All. First: Getting ready to order some wheelsets to replace ALL plastic wheels on the rolling stock I have on hand, and would like to have a good mix of ribbed vs smooth back wheels. I...
Locos and rolling stock 99 2 6,441 1778114588
Great Northern Railroad Iron Ore Car 91000 Class 3D STL Designs

Started by philip cunningham in Locos and rolling stock 3D Printing: Great Northern Railroad Iron Ore Car 91000 Class 3D STL Designs Philip Cunningham Designing Canadian National Railroad (CN) and Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I)...
Locos and rolling stock 3D Printing 6 9 235 1778104736
Lindsey Motors

Started by mpwjohn in Track and electrical/DCC: Does anyone know how to install a decoder onto a Lindsey motor? just received two models with Lindsey motors in them. One is a small "critter" with four wheels and side rods....
Track and electrical/DCC 4 1 319 1778100746
Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 Eastern Leg

Started by Rick Beatty in Prototype railroading: The schedule for the trip east has been released. Major display stops are: May 30 – Omaha, Nebraska (near the Union Pacific's historic Milepost 0) June 3 – West Chicago, Illinois June...
Prototype railroading 76 4 1,118 1778099159
New spur being added

Started by cduckworth in Scenery and structures: I wanted to increase the switching time on the Rock Island crew and added another spur. Will have MFA feed mill (to be scratched built), the coal shed and a Skelly oil jobber. 📷 📷...
Scenery and structures 5 16 228 1778096580
Thomas the Tank Engine Installing Kadee Couplers

Started by JerryRGS in Locos and rolling stock: Has anyone installed Kadee couplers on Ho Thomas the Tank Engine? And Anne and Clarabell? And any of the other engines. What did you do to install the...
Locos and rolling stock 12 0 395 1778096398
Advice needed for Weathering a Black Freight Car

Started by pauldouglaskessler in Locos and rolling stock: I have this black Roundhouse MDC Canadian Pacific covered hopper that I plan to utilize for cement service. The build date is 1962 which is at the beginning of my era (1963 to 1972) so I don't want...
Locos and rolling stock 21 3 345 1778095879
Which HO scale trucks do people prefer on rolling stock?

Started by shoggoth43 in Locos and rolling stock: The Run Like a Dream series is a big proponent of standardizing on equipment. That said, what do people generally find works well for trucks and wheelsets? Is the Accurail Trucks and Intermountain...
Locos and rolling stock 81 2 2,076 1778092982
Rick's Diner - May, 2026 Edition

Started by Kevin Parson in General discussion: 📷 📷 📷 📷 📷 📷
General discussion 44 1 857 1778090027
iron valley railway

Started by newbie railroader in General discussion: this is my freelance railroad going through northern Kentucky on January 5th 1954. so mostly older frieght diesels and maybe some of the last steam trains. it will be in ho scale on a 4 by 8 piece of...
General discussion 36 7 971 1778086601
Smaller Truck Stop...

Started by Sumner in Scenery and structures: You can find the print files for these buildings on my thingiverse account ( HERE ) . . A couple years ago I had designed a truck stop that I hoped to use on the layout. Once there was a place for...
Scenery and structures 1 6 215 1778084612
Barchester, Pennsylvania

Started by Robert (Robin) Mountenay in Journals/Blogs: I haven’t been a regular poster here, though I have shared pictures of several of the layouts I’ve built, including my latest, Barchester. This layout depicted a central Pennsylvania...
Journals/Blogs 739 47 36,400 1778079697
stl files for 3D printer

Started by AlanLC in General discussion HO scale: I just got an Elegoo Saturn 4 Pro 16k printer and have printed a few things using Thingiverse files. Figuring out how to do everything has been pretty tricky, but I'm slowly getting the hang of...
General discussion HO scale 30 2 547 1778077422
Maryland Midland 2.0

Started by Nevin W. Wilson in Journals/Blogs: My previous version of the Maryland Midland was build in the attic of a farm house. We recently moved to a new town home that fortunately has a 18x23 finished attic so it will soon hold the new...
Journals/Blogs 184 7 10,312 1778074593
Athearn Genesis SD70 Truck Problem

Started by mechaniman in Locos and rolling stock: Has anyone had any issues with Athearn 3 axle trucks where one wheel on the front of the truck does not contact the railhead, acts like something is twisted. I...
Locos and rolling stock 52 2 6,582 1778072223
When did Westerfield kits shift away from the dark brittle resin?

Started by Rick A. in General discussion: I'm browsing on my favorite auction site, a lot of listings for Westerfield kits don't have photos of the box contents. Was the notorious brittle and abrasive resin used for any 1-piece bodies? Can...
General discussion 8 1 214 1778070284
Dipping my toe in the hobby - Need advice on dismantling a 30’ x 13’ layout

Started by Ted Canaday in Getting started: I was scrolling online auctions. This looked cool! I was the winning bidder. What do I do now? Actually, a little more thought went into this. I decided to get back into the...
Getting started 29 4 781 1778068653
Diesel Locomotive Truck Designs (hinged 3 axle design)

Started by railandsail in Locos and rolling stock: A recent posting on this site brought this subject of diesel locomotive truck design back to my mind. I went looking in the search box, but was not coming up with some of the info I was...
Locos and rolling stock 45 0 3,637 1778066298
Central Rail Link RR

Started by Eric Warhol in Journals/Blogs: Hi Everyone- My name is Eric. I've had a passion and love for trains and model railroading for as long as my memory can go back. I grew up watching mostly BN and SOO Line from the Twin...
Journals/Blogs 72 19 2,284 1778057959
Wheel replacement

Started by Pennsy_Nut in Locos and rolling stock: I'm not sure how to address this problem. I'm thinking of possible replacement with metal wheels. I model 1952, so 33" is probably the only size I will need. Most of my freight cars are Athearn,...
Locos and rolling stock 51 0 1,628 1778038440
Chicago and Erie Terminal Railroad

Started by dehanley in Journals/Blogs: 2 years ago my wife and I retired and moved back across country to our old home that had been a rental for approximately 20 years. Needless to say it was tired , worn out, and needed a major remodel....
Journals/Blogs 52 18 3,979 1778025444
Another Forum update? Grumble

Started by ACR_Forever in MRH forum help Forum: Sometime this afternoon, the red stripe on the LHS of each topic that denotes it has a new post became about 1/4 the width it was formerly. It's now virtually invisible on a hi-definition monitor....
MRH forum help Forum 18 4 508 1778022286
Weekly Photo Fun - May 3-9, 2026

Started by JC Shall in General discussion Photos: It's another week . . . post 'em if you got 'em. There were a few late-comers in last week's post . Check them out, then come back here afterward.
General discussion Photos 18 3 810 1778017860
Coil Car

Started by e-f-d in Journals/Blogs: I like building cars that are not available in O scale this time, it’s a coil car the model is the Greenbrier Transverse Coil Car in HO scale from Rapido 📷 the model in O scale is...
Journals/Blogs 62 22 2,325 1778007314
Cincinnati West-B&O/PC 1975

Started by RSeiler in Journals/Blogs: Welcome to the Cincinnati West thread! Thanks for stopping by. The photos are hosted here on MRH, so this thread will remain intact as long as MRH exists. Click on 'Read More' for an index with...
Journals/Blogs 4,625 28 528,136 1777997832
BIG BOY,....or big mistake ?

Started by railandsail in Prototype railroading: Did super power steam make it easy for diesels to sweep the field? Which railroads got it right?,...which got it wrong? Bigger isn't always better. Diesels get it wrong too. ...a...
Prototype railroading 156 2 2,322 1777982744
Question about N scale track compatibility

Started by jimfitch in Track and electrical/DCC: Will N scale Peco turnouts match up will with Atlas code 55 flex track?
Track and electrical/DCC 10 1 382 1777958274
Charley's HO 1939 SoCal Journal

Started by chepp in Journals/Blogs modular: Hi, folks! This is my introduction to journal entries based on my interest in the Santa Fe Second District (between Pasadena and San Bernardino, California) of the Los Angeles Division as it looked,...
Journals/Blogs modular 89 14 11,054 1777950675
BN "DARE" locomotive & caboose

Started by Craig Townsend in Prototype railroading: Over the past year or so I have stumbled across two interesting photos from the early 90's when the DARE program was in full force. The first was this Ed Weiss photo of a BN caboose with a...
Prototype railroading 15 4 515 1777936028
Amtrak trains flagging a crossing

Started by p51 in Prototype railroading: At Chehalis, WA earlier today, the crossing arm for the eastbound Main street grade crossing got broken off, so every train had to flag that crossing. I managed to catch the evening southbound...
Prototype railroading 7 5 337 1777929128
Making an arduino project 'permanent'

Started by DavidJones in Track and electrical/DCC: Rather than jumpers plugged in, how could I attach wiring to my R3 uno so that its a secure connection and doesn't come out? My board is like this one with sockets elevated above the board that the...
Track and electrical/DCC 12 0 427 1777924320
Portal Bridge Special

Started by peter-f in Prototype railroading: At Newark, preparing the special run to NYC for new Portal bridge (on return trip) 📷
Prototype railroading 16 8 557 1777923103
NCE D13W Current Keeper Question.

Started by Southgate 1 in Track and electrical/DCC: I've inquired of the great www, asking if current keepers work with NCC D13W decoders. All responses say yes, to connect it to the + and GD respectively. Theyre clearly marked on the decoder. I made...
Track and electrical/DCC 9 1 255 1777921325

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