by mike | Nov 21, 2017 | Detailing Track, Modeling Techniques, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
Studying full-size turnouts helped me realize they can be as individual as fingerprints. Even after off-the-shelf components became widely available each railroad company had their own style tweaks. By contrast model railroaders are accustomed to cookie cutter...
by mike | Nov 13, 2017 | Detailing Track, Modeling Techniques, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
In this craft we accept a massive degree of compression and reduction without a second thought. According to my track charts, the siding I photographed in Part One is 1,893 feet long. Reduced to quarter-inch scale, that distance is 39.4375 feet. Take it down to HO and...
by mike | Oct 31, 2017 | Detailing Track, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
Will you follow the dogma of convention or another path? Convention says track is: • A means to an end. • Any track will do as long as it’s cheap. • Appearance is nice but secondary to operation. Just get it down and let the trains roll. Context Influences Our Choices...
by mike | Sep 28, 2017 | Detailing Track, The P48 Experience
The amount of variation in full-size turnouts is staggering. I admit I had no idea how extensive it was until I began work on the book and I’m still learning about turnouts. This post can’t possible cover all the variations but will look at two common scenarios....
by mike | Sep 19, 2017 | Detailing Track, Modeling Techniques, The Art of The Craft, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
What color is track? The flippant answer is: it depends. More accurately, it depends on the locale, the volume and type of traffic; the age and a host of factors. The truth is that track isn’t a uniform single color but is comprised of multiple tones. I confess now...
