WOW!!!! Finished! The Chama Coaling Tower is DONE! Toy Man Television 2026-09-26 | WOW!!!! Finished! The Chama Coaling Tower is DONE!
Modeling the Huge F Scale Trestle at Garagemahal - Part Two - The Trestle Bents (Legs) Toy Man Television 2023-04-09 | This week we are continuing work on the huge trestle that crosses the big 12-foot high canyon on the large-scale railroad at Garagemahal. In part one of this series, we modeled the main structure of the trestle. If you missed that video, you can watch it here: youtube.com/watch?v=l0gmKf3N3I8The Trestle connects the switching yards and locomotive shops to Alamosa, Schitt's Creek, and through the outside wall to the garden railroad in the yard. This week we are building the bents, the tall legs that support the deck and track. Bents are support structures built from square beams. Often such structures are bridges where the supports are round posts or piles driven into the ground rather than bents made to stand on concrete footings. But in our case, we are building a trestle with bents. If you've followed the first video closely, then you'll have all the techniques you need to model this bridge and the track! Don't hesitate to watch the video again if you need a refresher. We hope you enjoy modeling this bridge as much as we did!Trestle Hardware:albanycountyfasteners.com/4-40-stainless-steel-trim-head-hex-cap-screws/1022-100000.htm#modelrailroader #gardenrailroad #gscale
Bitter Creek Models HO Scale Coal Jimmies - Used as 1:20.3 scale Mine Cars Toy Man Television 2023-04-04 | We bought 2 Bitter Creek Models 4-wheel coal Jimmies at the Ogden Train Show a few weeks ago and are starting construction on them. We are planning to use them as F Scale mine cars. When we spotted these at the show we thought they might work as static Fn15 mine cars at our Lark Mine in the Grande Cañòn. And it seems that it's going to work just fine!! bittercreekmodels.com#modelrailroad #hoscale #HOn3
Modeling the Huge F Scale Trestle at Garagemahal - Part One - The Trestle Deck Toy Man Television 2023-04-02 | This week we are starting on the huge trestle that crosses the big 12-foot high canyon on the large-scale railroad at Garagemahal. The Trestle connects the switching yards and locomotive shops to Alamosa, Schitt's Creek, and through the outside wall to the garden railroad in the yard. The first part is designing the trestle based on the Rio Grande Southern prototype and cutting out the wood from red cedar. Then constructing the trestle deck. The stringers, bridge ties, rails, and guard rails. Trestle Hardware:albanycountyfasteners.com/4-40-stainless-steel-trim-head-hex-cap-screws/1022-100000.htm#modelrailroader #gardenrailroad #gscale
Karyns Kreation - Glennas Kitchen Diorama Toy Man Television 2023-03-28 | Karyn has created a forced perspective diorama of her mother Glenna's kitchen. A great way to relive fond memories from childhood while creating a work of art. The diorama is 100% scratch built in about 1:24 scale; however, the scale is relative as it's modeled in forced perspective. The front of the diorama is in a larger scale than the rear. So while the "shadowbox" diorama is only about an inch and a half deep (30mm) it seems much deeper. The diorama is made from laser-cut plywood, balsa wood, paper, cloth, and Sculpy Clay. With a few odd craft items, bead caps, and so on tossed in. #dollhouse #diorama #modelrailroad
Adding Color the Outdoor Cement Scenery on our Garden Railroad Toy Man Television 2023-03-26 | Last fall we finished the cement (mortar) scenery on our outdoor railroad. And the final step was adding color and waterproofing. And then we waited for snow... And the snow came. And more came... And still more. As of a few hours ago we now have the most snow on record here. Over 740 inches (18.8 meters) in the mountains. And it's still snowing.... ANYWAY, that's a good test for our scenery. NOW, we used several techniques in different areas as a test. And two of the areas came through great. Several areas lost their color. One area totally failed, the cement cracked and failed. So a good test? We think so. We now know what works and what doesn't. Take a look...#gardenrailroad #gscale #modelrailroad
Beautiful Garden Railroad! Its SPRING! Lets revisit a great garden railroad Toy Man Television 2023-03-21 | Its SPRING! And as the garden is reborn we are revisiting the Wiese garden layout. Mostly because it's beautiful, but also because "they" stole the rights to the video! A bit of history: I have been buying music from libraries for about 30 years! WITH MUSIC RIGHTS. We have proper music rights to use all the music we use on the on channel on YouTube. Without getting into the details, we had the first version of this video flagged by a bot that said we did not have rights to one piece of music we used. So they took ownership of the ENTIRE video. AND YouTube lets them do that. And all attempts to prove we do in fact own rights to that music have. been met with "NO YOU DON"T!" Prove you do... And the company we bought the music from could not help. And YouTube thinks the best way to fix the problem is for creators to use YouTube music.... Gee. NO THANKS. I've spent thousands on music rights and damn it, I'm using my music! SO, I lifted out the "offending" music and remixed the sound. And so the problem is solved. HOWEVER, I'm a bit upset that I paid for this music, and some music rights broker who does not own the music or rights can. just claim they own the ENTIRE video and there is nothing we can do about that. Oh YouTube? Are you going to just let this sort of this thing happen? And say the only fix you can come up with is making us use your music? ANYWAY, Please watch, enjoy, and watch again, and like, and share. Because it's the only way we can fix this. #gardenrailroad #garden #modelrailroad
The Great Train Show! Salt Lake City 2023 Toy Man Television 2023-03-19 | The Great Train Show, previously known as The Great American Train Show, is a national touring train show. It only visits Salt Lake City every five to ten years so this was a great opportunity to catch this fun show. The Great Train Show is produced by TrainShow.com which produces several other touring shows including the World's Greatest Hobby on Tour, Great Midwest Train Show, and Greenberg's Great Train & Toy Show. Following one week after the HUGE Ogden train show, the Great Train Show offered a totally different experience, different dealers, and several different clubs. #ntrack #modelrailroad #trainshow
Cutebee Laser Cut Wood Book Nook Eternal Library Toy Man Television 2023-03-14 | Karyn built the laser-cut wood kit "Eternal Library" book nook by Cutebee. It's a prepainted wood kit with battery lighting AND a translucent "skylight" that also lights the diorama. As with her other "book nooks," these dioramas are the same size and shape as a book so that they can. be placed on a bookshelf amid the books as a "Book brought to life" As always Karyn added a few of her own details including her signature water globe. #lasercutwood #crafts #booknook
HUGE TRAIN SHOW! The Ogden Utah Train Show 2023 Toy Man Television 2023-03-12 | After two years on hold, the huge Hostlers Ogden Utah Train Show is back! This huge show fills several large halls in the historic Ogden Union Depot. Ogden was the original division point between the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific starting in May 1869. After the Driving of the Golden Spike in May 1869 at Promontory Utah, the division point was moved 75 miles south to Ogden because Promontory was in the absolute middle of nowhere. Soon thereafter the Central Pacific became the Southern Pacific. The current depot is the second Ogden Union Station as the original wood structure burned. The Hostlers put on two amazing train shows each year, the Ogden show and the Evanston Wyoming show that is held in the Evanston Union Pacific shops and roundhouse about 60 miles northeast of Ogden.#trainshow #modelrailroad #hoscale
Karyn builds and reviews Rolifes Book Nook Time Travel Toy Man Television 2023-03-07 | Rolife is best known for their wonderful laser-cut wood "Book Nook" kits. A book nook is a book-sized and shaped diorama, often depicting a popular book title. The fun is that these can be set on the bookshelf with books creating a miniature world amidst the books. They often feature light-up features. Time Travel is a book nook of a British train platform, but it really evokes the Harry Potter books. Karyn's build includes a real miniature clock so that the diorama also functions as a clock! Karyn also made a few other fun changes to the details. #lasercutwood #rolife #modelrailroad
Karyns Wood 1856 American Locomotive - Laser cut wood locomotive from R Duck Locomotive Works Toy Man Television 2023-03-05 | Karyn has built the R Duck 1856 4-4-0 laser-cut wood locomotive kit. It makes a great companion to her custom-lettered caboose, which we looked at last week. These are non-operating static models of a variety of railroad prototypes. In this case, an "American type", or 4-4-0 locomotive was common in the United States before 1890. R Duck offers an eclectic mix of prototypes from America and Europe from the earliest steam locomotives to more modern diesel locomotives. As with most laser cut models, they are as much a wood puzzle as a static model. Super fun to build! rducklocomotiveworks.com#modelrailroad #woodart #lasercutwood #nevadanorthernrailroad
Garden Railroad Drainage System - Our Elevated Outdoor Model Railroad Gets MUCH NEEDED Drainage Toy Man Television 2023-02-28 | There has been a lot of flooding on the garden railroad! No harm done as it is quite waterproof... But we opted to add a system of drains to ensure it stays high and dry!Karyn came up with a simple way to build drains from one-inch to three-quarter-inch PVC adaptors. Simple to modify and install, and totally water-proof and sealed to the roofing material covering the OSB roofing wood that makes up the base of the railroad. As it's an elevated wood outdoor layout, care needs to be taken to keep everything from being damaged by rain and snow. So far the design it working out perfectly! #modelrailroad #gardenrailroad #gscale
Karyns Wood Caboose Featuring Dirt the Cat - Laser Cut Wood Caboose from R Duck Locomotive Works Toy Man Television 2023-02-26 | Karyn has been building several laser-cut wood train models from R Duck Locomotive Works. R Duck offers custom artwork. The modeler can specify any road name or car number on the side of the model. These are non-operating static models of a variety of railroad prototypes. In this case an early offset cupola wood caboose Cerca 1890. R Duck offers an eclectic mix of prototypes from America and Europe from the earliest steam locomotives to more modern diesel locomotives. Karyn also wanted to feature Dirt the Cat, the famous shop cat from the Nevada Northern on the rear platform looking back on the journey. While she was working on the model we received the sad news that Dirt had passed... Not surprisingly the NN received tens of thousands of condolences from Dirt's fans worldwide. Karyn sculpted Dirt from Sculpty Clay and added the necessary "dirt" with artists' acrylics. rducklocomotiveworks.com#modelrailroad #dirtthecat #lasercutwood #nevadanorthernrailroad
Train Show and Steam Train Schedule Summer 2023 Toy Man Television 2023-02-21 | What are the BEST train shows and steam events coming up in the western United States in the Summer of 2023? This is not a complete list by far. We are still waiting for a finalized schedule on the Union Pacific Big Boy. But as of now, the Ogden Train Show is back bigger than ever!!! And our first look at what promises to be one of the best NMRA Conventions, The NMRA Pacific Southwest Regional Convention in Flagstaff Arizona June 7-11.We will be adding more information as we get it so STAY TUNED!! #trainshow #modelrailroad #bigboy
Garden Railroad Scenery From Cement Mortar and Extruded Styrene Foam Insulation - Cliff Faces Toy Man Television 2023-02-19 | We are back to making scenery from extruded styrene foam insolation cement mortar mix on the garden railroad. Extruded styrene is most often used on indoor model railroads and it works great. We are building the basic form from extruded styrene foam insolation both inside and out. Outside has proven to be a learning experience, or should we say a challenge? But we think this will work long term even though we need to rework and replace sections as problems come up. SO.. is it hobby railroading or experimentation? Well, it's both. So far we have built stonework around the tunnel portal directly on the cinderblock wall and retaining walls from pressure-treated plywood with wire reinforcement, both seem to be working fine. But putting cement mix over the extruded styrene is more of a problem. So this week we are testing several suggestions from friends and even comments here on the channel. #gardenrailroad #modelrailroad #narrowgauge
Scales and gauges Part 16 - HOn 2 1//2 - HOn30 - HOe Toy Man Television 2023-02-14 | This week we are looking at HOn 2 1/2 HOn30 and HOe. The truth is these are all basically the same thing. Ho. trains that run on "N Gauge" track, 9mm. Also used in "O" scale as On18. HOn2 1/2 is the same as saying HOn30 Two and a half feet, or thirty inches. HOe is an expression for any European (e) narrow gauge modeled in HO scale and using 9mm track. HOn30 was quite popular in the United States in the 1980s, but its popularity has fallen off. Several great products were imported into the US from Japan by Joe Works. HOe and OOe are still very popular in Europe, especially in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Garden Railroad Portal Part Three - The Stone Retaining Walls Toy Man Television 2023-02-12 | In this video, we're building the "Stone" retaining walls. Watch as we make the wall up out of "large boulders" from mortar to create a sturdy retaining wall!This wall will help to keep the railway tracks in place, and it'll look amazing doing it! We also do some more mountains above the wood portal. We are continuing to build the portal between the inside and outside. And "finding" problems with our technique. And finding solutions for those problems. We are making scenery for our "F" scale. (G scale) outdoor garden railroad from mortar mix and carving it to look like stone and rocks.#modelrailroad #gardenrailroad #modelrailroader
How To Lay Track on a Garden Railroad Toy Man Television 2023-02-07 | Let's take a look at how to lay track on a ground-level garden railroad as well as an elevated wood benchwork outdoor railroad. We are using "G" gauge LGB track as well as Llagas Creek 1 gauge track. Both types of railroad power trains using track power, one using an 8 amp walkaround and the other using a DCC command control system. The ground-level railroad uses aluminum rail on LGB ties, and the other uses Llagas Creek code 250 nickel silver on Llagas Creek plastic ties. There is also an indoor section hand laid on wood ties and Ozark Miniatures tie plates and Llagas Creek code 250 and 212 nickel silver rails. The indoor section also uses Llagas Creek brass switch stands. #llagascreek #gardenrailroad #gardenrailroadtrack
Garden Railroad Portal Part Two - Cement Cliffs, What Worked, What Didnt! Toy Man Television 2023-02-05 | This week we will attempt to make some scenery on the garden railroad out of cement or really from mortar mix. We were inspired by stonework at Disneyland, which is made the same way. Ours is, however, MUCH smaller!As we had no idea what we were doing, there was a "learning curve". Which is to say we messed up quite a bit. But three steps forward, two and a half steps back and we are figuring this out. The first part involves forming and carving stonework over cinderblock. This worked well. Then we tried forming and carving stonework over pink insulation foam, extruded styrene sheets. This worked.... well.... Not so well. At least the first time. But trial and error. And more errors. And finally success. It's a great process and adds to the overall look of a garden railroad. As our railroad is built above ground it's important in order to create a more realistic look. #gardenrailroad. #backyardrailroad. #modelrailroad.
Scales and gauges part 15 HOn3 - OOn3 - HOm - HOn42 Toy Man Television 2023-01-31 | HO scale is the most popular model railroad (model railway) scale, and while "standard gauge", 4 feet 81/2 inches, is also the most popular gauge for HO scale, HOn3 is also quite popular in the US. In the United Kindom however, OO scale is more popular and the three-foot gauge version of that is OOn3. In other parts of Europe and Japan, HOm (meter gauge) and HOn42, 42-inch gauge are also quite popular. In Switzerland HOm with a center rack rail for cog wheel railroads is also often modeled. Where in Japan HOn42 is often modeled because Japan the standard gauge is 42 inches. The high-speed Shinkansen trains run on "wide gauge", 4 feet 81/2 inches. Yes, that is standard gauge in much of the world, but in Japan, it's considered wide gauge!
Garden Railroad Wood Portal on Tunnel Between the Inside and Outside Railroad Toy Man Television 2023-01-29 | Back to the garden railroad to get caught up on the cement scenery and the tunnel between the inside part of the railroad and the new outside part of the elevated yard railroad. This week the wood portal on the tunnel. When last we looked at the outside railroad we had finished the wood benchwork and track as well as cutting the hole in the side of the shop and laying track and running trains from "Schitts Creek" inside the bathroom in Garagemahal to the Jimminy Christmas Mine area just outside. As winter was closing in, we built the portal and, importantly, the door on the portal to keep the weather out and the cement scenery outside. This week we follow the step-by-step construction of the outside wood portal with "dog door" weatherizing.
Scales and Gauges Part 14 - HO Scale Toy Man Television 2023-01-24 | In the 1950s HO scale emerged as the most popular model railroad scale. By far! In fact, it launched fine-scale model railroading as an affordable, fun, realistic hobby. HO scale is one-half the size of O scale model railroad models. These smaller and much more realistic model trains were also much more affordable. And coming at a time when plastic modeling was becoming a national pastime, HO scale was soon more popular than all others scales and gauges combined.
Ophir Tintic and Western Train Show at Thanksgiving Point 2023 Toy Man Television 2023-01-22 | First train show of 2023! BUT IT WON'T BE THE LAST!! Train shows are back after a couple of years of most of them being shut down. Thanksgiving Point is back to its usual size and fun!The venue was packed with modular railroads and displays and dealers. Massive screwing around! Good fun for everyone. HO scale, N scale, Lionel and American Flyer, and a MASSIVE Lego railroad. Well, two actually... There are several great train shows in the Wasatch area and all have announced a full schedule for 2023. We will keep everyone posted on the community tab as to where and when. AND if you know of something fun coming up comment in the comment section.
Farewell to Dirt the Cat on the Nevada Northern Railroad Toy Man Television 2023-01-17 | Fifteen years ago a kitten was born under the rotary snowplow in the shops of the Nevada Northern Railway. The little fellow was rescued by the crews there and grew to become known as Dirt the Cat. King of the Shops. The Nevada Northern is a fantastic place equally distant from Salt Lake City, Reno Nevada, and Las Vegas. While the trains and locomotives usually get all the attention, over the last ten years a cat has routinely stolen the show. Dirt the Cat. Sadly Dirt passed away and crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few days ago. But his legend lives on. Over the past few years, Dirt has become an internet sensation. And with his passing in 24 hours, his pages were visited 610.000 times with 18,500 likes and 3,100 comments, and 7,800 shares. In 24 hours... Well, fame never went to his cute (if not dirty) head. To us, he was just Dirt. King of the Nevada Northern Shops. facebook.com/nnry1
DeAgostini 1:8 scale Ford GT40 - Amazing model of an amazing automobile Toy Man Television 2023-01-15 | The first editions of our 1:8 scale DeAgostini Ford GT40 have arrived! The Ford GT40 was an AMAZING super performance race car from the late sixties and early seventies. For more information on the Ford GT40 and to see a special promo from DeAgostini DO CHECK OUT their website:bit.ly/3x6fXesThis is our third DeAgostini 1:8 scale diecast automobile. DeAgostini makes models and diecasts in many scales and of many subjects. Our friend Don has built two of their wooden ship models. The quality shows in all of their offerings! A unique aspect of DeAgostini is its subscription system. As the larger and more complicated kits are expensive and take months to build, they are sold as editions, sets of parts that usually assemble quickly. Also, each edition includes with the assembly instructions a written history, a magazine with historical photos, and information about the prototype. While we have found we can often complete the assembly of the edition in a few minutes, we spend an hour going through the magazine. While a person can sign up to have one edition delivered each week, we have found it better to have ten editions delivered each month or so. As I say, the assembly of each section can be done in a very short time, but it's MUCH more fun to spend an afternoon or evening or two building our model! And then look forward to the next large box from DeAgostini while going through the magazines. Our other two DeAgostini 1:8 scale automobiles are a GAZ Soviet-era four-door sedan. NOW, while the prototype is of little interest to us, the model is sooo fascinating that we simply could not resist. The other is a 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang in Guardsman Blue and Wimbledon White. EXACTLY what we have in the garage. So how could we say no? And now the Ford GT40. Larry Miller had six of these ten-million-dollar cars! AND our friend at Millers track and garage would let us into the collection to simply be in the same place as the best collection of super Fords on the planet. And so here too, how could we pass this amazing model up?#scalemodelcar #modelcars #plasticmodel #diecastcars
S scale Model Trains - Scales and Gauges Part 13 Toy Man Television 2023-01-10 | S scale trains, more than American Flyer, but yes, that too! From the very early days of standardized scales, there was S scale. Which is half of gauge one. The S stands for sixty-four, one sixty-fourth scale. From S-scale GPD Trains:S Scale is one of the oldest model railroading scales. The earliest known 1:64 scale train was constructed from card in 1896. The first working models appeared in England in the early 20th century. Modeling in S Scale increased in the 1930s-1940s when CD Models marketed 3/16″ model trains.American Flyer was a manufacturer of Standard Gauge and O gauge “tinplate” trains based in Chicago, Illinois. It never produced “S” Scale trains. Chicago Flyer was purchased by A.C. Gilbert Co. in the late 30s. Gilbert began manufacturing “S” scale trains in around 1939 that ran on three rail “O” gauge track. This was known as 3/16″ O Gauge. Gilbert stopped producing trains during WWII. When the war ended, Gilbert began producing true “S” Scale “S” Gauge trains in 1946.The term “S Scale” was adopted by the National Model Railroading Association (NMRA) in 1943 to represent that Scale that was half of 1 gauge which was built to 1:32 scale. A.C. Gilbert’s improvements in 1:64 modeling and promotions of S gauge largely shaped the world of 1:64 modeling today.S gauge entered what many consider its heyday in 1950s (although there is more available in S scale today than was available during this period) . However, during that period, Lionel outsold American Flyer nearly 2 to 1. American Flyer’s parent company went out of business and the brand was sold to a holding company that also owned Lionel in 1967.In the 1920s and 30s toy trains were built of plated & lithographed tinplated steel. Since they were toys and not models per se, wheels and couplers were oversized. They were designed more for ease of use and robust service rather than pure fidelity of reproduction. Details were often represented as simple graphics on the models or even omitted altogether. Enthusiasts of toy trains are sometimes known as “tinplaters.”Very little “S” scale equipment was ever “tinplate.” American Flyer does have oversized wheel flanges and couplers. A better term for American Flyer enthusiasts is “Highrailers.” Highrailers, both collectors and operators, are a large and enthusiastic group with a brisk trade in both vintage and contemporary models. Many annual public events are held to promote and proudly display Highrail equipment.Lionel re-introduced S gauge trains and accessories under the American Flyer name in 1979. Another S manufacturer, American Models, entered the marketplace in 1981 and is now also one of the major S suppliers. S-Helper Service, another major S gauge manufacturer of locomotives, rolling stock, track and other products, began operations in 1989 and delivered their first S products in 1990. In 2013, S-Helper Service was sold to MTH Electric Trains. And while the S scale market has seen a number of brass model manufacturers, today the major brass model supplier in S scale/S gauge is River Raisin Models. Today’s S gauge/S scale modelers have a greater selection and higher quality products, from a wide range of manufacturers, that at any time in the past. In addition to the basics of locomotives, rolling stock, and track, various manufacturers now offer S scale structures, detail parts, figures, other scenic items, bridges, and more.gpdtrains.org/exhibits/s-scale/#:~:text=S%20Scale%20is%20one%20of,3%2F16%E2%80%B3%20model%20trains.
Archies Shoe Shop on our 1:20.3 Model Railroad - Karyns Homage to her Grandfather Archie Toy Man Television 2023-01-08 | Karyn has recreated her grandfather's shoe repair shop in 1:20.3 scale for our large-scale model railroad. She scratch-built everything with 3D-printed windows. The full interior is "cobbled" together (appropriate as it's a cobbler's repair shop) all the interior details from wood and bits from the parts bin. The only thing not scratch-built is Archie's figure, "Engineer Bill" from Ozark Miniatures. "Bill" was recarved to look like Archie working from photos of Karyn's grandfather. The equipment inside consists of a giant shoe buffer, about six feet long with many buffing and smoothing wheels on a long axle given by a large electric motor. The motor is controlled by a fuse box with a shut-off handle.Another machine is a five-foot-tall stitcher for attaching soles to shoes. Also a heavy sewing machine, a coal furnace, several chairs, and a workbench.ozarkminiatures.com/collections/fine-folk-figures-1-20-3
Why are some model cars made in 1:24 scale and some in 1:25 scale? Scales and gauges Part 12 Toy Man Television 2023-01-03 | Why are some model cars made in 1:24 scale and some in 1:25 and what does that have to do with HO scale trains? Well... now THAT'S interesting. Play the video to find out!It's important, well interesting....FUN? to understand how models were made in the "olden times". Like before 2001. When model prototyping and even full-size car prototyping were done by hand by expert model makers. Before CAD (Computer Aided Design) and 3D printing and CNC (Computer Numeric Control) replaced model makers and sent them home to build model cars and model railroads and model airplanes and well... screw around with models. Back then models were prototyped in a larger scale, in the case of automobiles in 1/8 scale or 1/10th scale. HO and O trains were prototyped in 1/29 scale. And the pattern models are still out there, however many are in museums... Check the links in the show for the link to the International Model Car Builders Museum in Salt Lake City. OH heck, here's the link. Look for some of these prototype models. youtube.com/watch?v=2NZFthb82Nk&t=3s
How To Build Model Railroad Benchwork - Joe Adaires HO Scale Model Railroad Benchwork. Toy Man Television 2023-01-01 | One last model railroad at the Color Country Model Railroad Club open house. Joe Adaire and his wife are building a tremendous HO scale model railroad. At this point, it's mostly benchwork and track. The scenery is just started, so by visiting now we can see the bones of the layout. The benchwork that is used is the system known as "L" girder benchwork. A system that has been around for decades. This is a simple explanation while checking out this beautiful start to a fun Southern Pacific HO layout.
A Christmas Card! Toy Man Television 2022-12-31 | Our friend in Great Britain sent us a Christmas Card! Merry Christmas from "That Big Train Guy!" Do check out his channel! And Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!Simon reviews large-scale trains, and garden railroad items. Always "F" scale, which is to say 1:20.3 model trains. Bachmann and Acucraft generally speaking. Most people want to call these G scale or G gauge trains.. WELL, that is a story for another day.
Scales and Gauges Part 11 European O Scale Toy Man Television 2022-12-27 | Well just when you thought that American O scale was confusing we dive into the deep end... European O scales and gauges. Just as the US has the NMRA Europe has MOROP European Federation of National Model Railway Associations and the NEM 010 standards:So O followed by:• no letter = standard gauge (prototype: 1,250–1,700 mm or 49.2–66.9 in)• m = metre gauge (prototype: 850–1,250 mm or 33.5–49.2 in)• e = narrow gauge (prototype: 650–850 mm or 25.6–33.5 in)• i = industrial (prototype: 400–650 mm or 15.7–25.6 in)• p = park railway (prototype: 300–400 mm or 11.8–15.7 in)Moreover, in the beginning, the Europeans favored adjusting scale instead of gauge…1:45 scale1:43.5 scaleSome of the scales:O 16.5 Same as On30 except:HO track (16.5mm) BUT at 1:43.5 scaleO Scale 1:48 scale (1/4” to the foot)Of France 1:43.5 Scale or 7mm scaleQ or SMO 1:45 scale Scale 7 Brittan (7mm to the foot) 33mm gauge 1.3”. ScaleSeven Group - Sort of British Proto48 For 43.5 scale. 1435mm gauge. 56.5” Standard gauge of 4’81/2” 2 Foot gauge:O14 14mm gauge. (0.55”) Accurate 2’ gauge in 1:43.5 (7mm to the foot) 609mm or 2’O12 also 1:43.5 scale 12mm (0.47”) TT gauge for 2’ gauge (2.045’)OeNarrow gauge. 16.5mm track (HO) For modeling:German 750 mm gauge (2’5.5”) 25.4mm too narrow or 0.500 microns in scaleAustrian 760mm gauge (2’5 15/16”) 1.57mm too narrow or 250 microns in scaleSwitzerland 8S0mm rack (2’7 ½”) 38.1mm too wide or 1.8mm in scaleOn42. 42 inch gauge. Australia .875” gauge 7/8” or S gauge track Exact scale and gaugeOften cheated with HO track. On 30Om. (On22.5) Meter gaugeProblem is O at 1:43.5 (France) and 1:45 scale in Germany and most of Europe. So which scale? Oj Japan 3’ 6’ gauge 12.7mm gaugeAre we confused yet?
Four Garden Railroads for Christmas! Toy Man Television 2022-12-25 | We are at four of the amazing garden railroads of the Color Country Model Railroad Club in Saint George. As the weather HERE outside is PERFECT we are playing trains!First up the railroad of Werner Balsterholt. A small double loop, tucked alongside the garage. Fun consent operations, yet with sidings and many switching options. Next up is the backyard railroad of Larry Schneider. Covers the entire backyard! Able to run two trains, alternate between four trains, AND a trolley! And an amazing photo backdrop of Saint George's Red Mountain and Pine Valley Mountain. Lots of structures, functional power lines on power poles, and an ever-expanding mainline. Onto the raised layout of Dick Saunders. Both raised AND ground-level garden railroad. Beautiful scratch-built wood structures and long trestles. Continuous running by both an old west mine train and narrow-gauge dog-bone style mainline. Such attention to details! SUCH FUN!!!Then off to the railroad of Tim Fitch. Nationally known HUGE railroad in his backyard overlooking the amazing scenery Southern Utah is known for. Tim is adding 800 new feet of track. Check out the new areas! Two desert bluffs with a lake and two waterfalls. Several welded steel truss bridges including one for people to walk over to reach the inner parts of the railroad. Enought talk.. LETS LOOK!
Scales and Gauges Part 10 O Scale Proto 48 - 100% Accurate O scale Toy Man Television 2022-12-20 | Proto 48 is the most accurate O scale standard gauge model railroad modeling standard. Proto 48 follows exactly 1:48 SCALE. Gauge follows that scale exactly. Therefore, standard gauge is not modeled at the usual 1.25 inches, but rather at 1.177 inches. The wheels are an exact AAR profile duplicating the prototype wheels. Instead of the usual oversized "O" scale "tire" and flange, the Proto 48 wheel is prototype 5.5 inches or 0.115" with a flange of 1 inch which is 0.02".Therefore, all wheels and axles need to be replaced. This makes Proto 48 not compatible with any of the other "O" scale standards that use a prototype gauge of five feet which is to say 1.25 inches in "O" scale. The scale wheel shape also makes it not compatible with existing "O" track components like switches (points) of switch components like frogs, points, and guard rails. This means that all tracks must be hand-built and hand-laid. Where Proto 48 IS compatible is with narrow gauges. Narrow gauge "O: scale has always been near prototype in wheel profile and the narrow gauges have always been correct. A three-foot gauge track measures an accurate 3/4 inch. A two-foot gauge track is an accurate 1/2 inch. A meter gauge track is an accurate 20.8mm. An On30 (On 2 1/2) (also known as Oe) is an accurate .625 inches (16.5mm)proto48.org
Doug Cohens Figures on Jim Harpers Proto 48 Railroad AND Sculpted Historical Figures Toy Man Television 2022-12-18 | We are looking at Doug Cohen's figures, many are painted figures on Jim Harper's great Proto 48 model railroad. But Doug's principal interest is historical and fantasy figures which he sculpts and paints. Doug gives us a brief overview of his process which involves forming a wire armature and layering Magisculpt over that. He works in layers and small areas. He paints with Reaper paints. A water-based acrylic paint. Here too he works in small areas using several colors at one time blending right on the figure following the contours of the miniature.
Scales and Gauges Part 9 - Narrow Gauges - On3 On2 On30 Toy Man Television 2022-12-13 | Modeling narrow gauges, starting with the "O" scale narrow gauges: On3, On2, and On30 (On2 1/2). Many of the problems with O scale and gauge disappear when modeling narrow gauge railroads. The naming convention for narrow gauge model railroads is to state the scale, then a lowercase n for narrow gauge, and then the prototype gauge in feet or meters. Or in the case of 2 1/2 foot gauges, often stated as 30 inches.The problem comes from mixing standard and narrow gauges in a duel gauge track configuration. A problem arises with standard gauge O scale being usually modeled at five feet with oversized flanges. The gauge and more importantly wheel flanges are accurate in the narrow gauges, or the gauge is, and the flanges and wheels are close to scale. But the gauge and wheels in standard gauge are quite wrong. The flanges are huge. The gauge is wide, or the scale has been adjusted to 1:47 scale or 1:43.5 scale making the standard gauge models off if not incompatible. This makes the switch (points) frogs incompatible on the shared rails. There are cheats in frog design or the ultimate fix is to narrow the standard gauge to prototype 4' 8 1/2" AND narrow the wheels and reduce the flanges on the standard gauge models. A scale called AAR Fine Scale later named Proto 48. On Our MRS railroad, we had a short section of dual gauge at the mills. Our solution was to never run large flanges into this area, using only equipment with flanges the same size as the narrow gauge flanges. AND it was just a stub siding and easy to push cars into. More on Proto 48 next week!
Jim Harpers Proto 48 Model Railroad of the Sacramento Northern and the Southern Pacific. Toy Man Television 2022-12-11 | Back to the Color Country Model Railroad Club open house at Saint George Utah and a revisit to Jim Harper's Proto 48 layout of the Southern Pacific and the Sacramento Northern. We have visited Jim's railroad in the past but no Color Country open house would be complete without a visit to this AMAZING railroad. The layout depicts the Sacramento area in the 1950s and the junction between the electric Sacramento Northern and the Southern Pacific. We have been doing the series on Tuesday's shows on scale and gauge in a model railroad. 0 scale, better known as O scale is a 1/48 scale (1/4" scale) and a track gauge of 1.25". This makes the gauge five feet, which is wrong for standard gauge railroads that are 4 feet 8 and 1/2 inches. While most people accepted the error, others wanted to improve the situation. One "fix" was to make the trains 1/47 scale so the track gauge was correct. Also known as Q scale or SMO scale. Another fix was to keep the 1/48 scale but make the gauge correct 1.77 inches. The wheel shape is also rebuilt to a proper 5.5" width with a scale flange. More on all of this on the Tuesday show!
Scales and Gauges Part 8 - Why did Lionel Use Three Rails? Toy Man Television 2022-12-06 | Why did some of the early model train manufacturers use three rails? Lionel, Marx, and Marklin used a center rail. Why? Prototype railroads don't have a center rail. Or did some of them have that? Well....So a look into early model trains and motor technology reveals the answer. Early electric motors were often AC motors. And while later DC motors were the norm, in. 1910 such was not the case. And for several good reasons. But this opens up a problem in track design. when a train goes around a reversing section of track the polarity changes. With DC motors this is a simple fix using two DC reversing switches. But in AC the direction of the train is determined not by track polarity but by the polarity of the coil magnets in the motor. I early models this required a switch on the locomotive. Later a relay in the locomotive could reverse the direction but the AC current at the track stayed the same. So the easy fix was to run the hot leg of the AC current through a center rail and the neutral at both outside rails. Problem solved. But at the expense of a realistic track. But as these were toy trains, it didn't seem to matter. Until later when people wanted a better-looking track.
David Merrills Beautiful HO Scale Model Railroad - Color Country Annual Layout Open House Toy Man Television 2022-12-04 | We are still at the Color Country Model Railroad Club in Saint George Utah for their November open house. This week we are visiting David Merrill's HO-scale railroad. The highly detailed model railroad features western scenes and scratch-built and craftsman structures. AND a fantastic photo backdrop of western mountains. One area depicts Utah's Park City, where the original three-foot gauge Utah Eastern, later the dual gauge and then standard gauge Denver and Rio Grande Western, met the standard gauge Union Pacific. The best-known structure was the Silver King Coalition Mines tipple right in Park City. The building stood for almost one hundred years before it burned. But to this day it is the symbol of Park City and is featured as the city logo. It has been scratch-built in every scale, and the one here is among the best! WOW!
Scales and Gauges Part 7 - Why Did Many European Companies Change O Scale to 1:43.5 Scale? Toy Man Television 2022-11-29 | Last week we looked into the 1:43.5 scale, WELL we now know WHY they switched 1:48 "O" scale to 1:43.5. And surprisingly it's because of HO scale!! HO scale was the largest model train scale from about 1950 to about 1990. In fact, it owned over 50% of model train sales. And yet 2 rail "O" scale was still a large part of the scale railroad market. And model companies like AHM (Rivarossi) wanted to offer their line in both scales. NOW, we need to look and how plastic models are made... The injection molds are milled from steel mold blocks. The negative shape of the model is carved into the block by a milling machine with a reduction pantograph. The pantograph had a tip on one end and a small rotating tool at the other that carves into the mold block. As the stylus (tip) moves up the tool carves down. In this way, a prototype model can be placed under the stylus and a negative of the model will be carved into the mold block. However, the prototype need not be the exact same size as the finished model. An oversized prototype model can be used and the pantograph set to a proportion of the reduction. A 2X oversized pattern model can have the pantograph set to 1:2 reduction and the mold will come out the right size. So if the pattern model is built to 1:29 scale the pantograph can be set to 3:1 and the mold will come out at 1:87 scale and make an HO scale model. Set it to 1.5:1 and the mold will produce a 1:43.5 scale model. And so... 1:43.5 became the standard "O" scale for these models to be offered in both HO and O. And later, much later, these 1:29 scale prototypes were used to produce 1:29 scale models that run on #1 gauge track. But that's another story...
Worlds Largest Department 56 - Lionel Train Christmas Railroad? Terry Schramms 1500 Sq Ft. Display Toy Man Television 2022-11-27 | Over 400 Lionel Locomotives, Over 2,000 Lionel train cars, 578 Department 56 Snow Village scenes complete with all the figures and accessories for each scene!!Terry Schramm has been collecting trains and other collectibles his whole life and has amassed this vast collection and built this massive 1500 square foot Christmas display. It is so immense that he needs to have it up and work on it all year round. All of the collection is in mint condition, most looking like it has never been played with or even run very much. Some VERY rare items that date back as far as 1910. The display is open to the public most years in mid-November as part of the Color Country Model Railroad Open House. FUN GAME!! For adults and kids..Can you spot:1. Graceland2. The Budwiser Clydesdale Wagon3. The ski resort with aerial tram, skiers, and sleigh riders. 4. The Tajmahal5. Mc Donalds with Golden Arches6. The Rio Grande Challenger7. The Pioneer Zypher 8. The Union Pacific M 10,0009. The California Zypher (there are several)10 The Southen Pacific Daylight collectionBonus! The Griswald's Christmas home complete with Uncle Ed's motor home..."That there's an RV!" (much harder to spot... look for the house with the wild Christmas lights)
Scales and Gauges Part 6, O Scale, Q Scale, SMO Scale and 7mm Scale Toy Man Television 2022-11-22 | One of the most altered scales has always been "O" scale (0 scale). Because the gauge was cheated to five feet at 1:48 scale, many serious modelers wanted to alter the gauge to a proper 4' 8.5" In America many scale modelers took up the gauge and scale and many high-quality models were built to O SCALE, 1:48 scale, even though the cheated 1 1/4' gauge was off by a scale 3.5". or .08". About the width of the rail. Some altered the gauge to a 1:48 scale 4' 8.5", a scale and gauge called Proto 48. More on that later! In Europe, this cheat was also thought of as a problem but rather than alter the gauge, they changed the scale to 1:45 to improve the situation. Originally called Q scale (the Q being a modified O), this scale was later renamed SMO, for Scale Modified O.Then in France and Italy, the scale was further modified to1:43.5 or 7mm scale, or 7mm to the foot. This now makes the gauge too narrow! So why did that do that? Well... that's another story. But it is actually a great idea. Well.. Sort of.... BUT teaser: it explains why 1:29 has been used in large-scale garden railroads...
S Scale in Fine Scale - John Pratts Wonderful Scratch Built S Scale Model Trains Toy Man Television 2022-11-20 | Off to the home of John Pratt to see his "S" scale modular railroad and HUGE collection of fine-scale brass and craftsman S scale locomotives and cars. While most "S" scale railroads are "toy trains" there is a long history of S fine scale. S scale is generally associated with American Flyer toy trains, or really S gauge as American Flyer didn't really stick to scale but did use S gauge as their track standard. But at one time S was simply a common model railroad scale. Over the years S has become a much less modeled scale in the fine-scale crowd, but a few die-hard modelers still prefer S as their scale of choice. Back to the models of John Pratt. Most of the freight cars are scratch-built and are some old craftsman kits. The passenger cars and locomotives are a mixture of brass models, kits, and scratch builds. From the S Scale SIG:sscale.orgS Scale is the common name for modeling at 1:64 or 3/16″ to the foot. Railroad modeling in S Scale is principally divided into standard and narrow gauge modeling. Standard gauge modelers represent a real world track gauge of 4′ 81/2″ using a track gauge of 22.42 mm or 0.883 of an inch. Narrow gauge modelers typically fall into three classes: Sn42 representing a real world 42″ track gauge at 16.5 mm or 0.650 of an inch, Sn3 representing a real world 3′ track gauge at 14.3 mm or 0.563 of an inch and Sn2 representing and real world track gauge of 2′ at 10.5 mm or 0.413 of an inch (the same as HOn3 gauge track.)The standards or recommended practices for modeling in S have been uniformly set and adopted by both the National Association of Model Railroaders (NMRA) and National Association of S Gaugers (NASG). Complete standards are also available from the S Scale SIG on this site.Dating back to the 1930’s, S Scale trains were first commercially produced in the U.S. by Cleveland Models primarily through kits composed of cardstock and wood. In the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s S was primarily associated with the American Flyer line of toy trains. All that time a small but dedicated group of modelers kept scale modeling at 1:64 alive through conversions of Flyer and other rolling stock and engines, scratch-building and the products of a small group of dedicated manufacturers such as Ace and S Scale Loco and Supply. S became know as the scratch-builders or modelers scale for good reason. S Scalers were often some of the most innovative and inventive model railroaders.The 80’s and 90’s saw S emerge as a mainstream scale with the introduction of manufacturers like American Models, S-Helper Service, PBL and S Scale America. Brass importers such as Overland, Omnicon and the S Scale exclusive River Raisin Models all contributed models equal to or in may cases bettering those found in other scales. Vendors such as Lehigh Valley Models, BTS and Banta introduced outstanding structure kits while Titchy and Grandt Line provided precision detail parts.Today’s S Scaler is faced with enough products to satisfy the average layout builder the quality of which equals or exceeds the best in the industry. S offers all the essentials for a dedicated hobbyist to build an outstanding model railroad. Manufacturers like PBL or S-Helper Service have set the de facto standard in their respective categories. River Raisin Models in standard gauge and PBL and Train and Trooper in narrow gauge have all raised the bar for brass imports. A whole host of additional manufacturers provide a wide range of detail parts, structure kits, rolling stock and locomotives. Now is better than ever to consider modeling in S Scale.Follow us on FacebookCopyright © 2022 The S Scale SIG. All images and articles remain the copyright of their authors. We gratefully thank them for their use. Site developed by Chris Borgmeyer. Learn more at crookedriverdesign.com.
Scales and Gauges Part 5. O Gauge or O scale? Toy Man Television 2022-11-15 | One of the most altered scales has always been "O" scale (0 scale). From the beginning, it was used as a track gauge only by toy train manufacturers, and O scale, 1:48, by many modelers. O gauge and scale has been so reworked that we will need several weeks to sort it all out. In the beginning, O gauge track was used by several companies like Lionel and Marx for their three rail toys. Not meant to be thought of a scale, they simply called these toys "O gauge". More on this in a couple of weeks! In America many scale modelers took up the gauge and scale and many high-quality models were built to O SCALE, 1:48 scale, even though the cheated 1 1/4' gauge was off by a scale 3.5". or .08". About the width of the rail.
The Intermountain Train Show 2022. Utahs NMRA Train Show! Toy Man Television 2022-11-13 | We were off to the 2022 Intermountain Train Show. This year in Layton Utah! The NMRA train show is Utah's oldest train show. Originally the show was held at the Utah State Fair Grounds. Now called The Fair Park. For years though it has been moving around while staying on the Wasatch Front, the greater Salt Lake City metro area. As always this was a fun show!!One of the most EXCITING tables was the Golden Spike Model Railroad Club. Another very old Utah tradition. Originally they were also at the Utah State Fair Grounds but with renovations, they were forced to move. They started over in the basement of the Wasatch Warm Springs pool. The railroad was actually UNDER the pool. The pool had been closed for years but was reopened as the Children's Museum and the railroad was part of that. Well... the Children's Museum moved to a better space but well... the layout needed to stay right there under the old pool. This worked out well however until.... The earthquake in 2020. The old building was badly damaged and the club was locked out. Eventually, they were allowed back in to rescue trains and a few things, but once more needed to start over. They now have a new space in an art space downtown! And we are invited to take a look!
How Did the Track Gauge Become Model Railroad Scale? Toy Man Television 2022-11-08 | We looked into the original model railroad track gauges and their relationship to full-sized standard gauge track gauge. NOW let's see how those became the original model railroad imperial scales. The original model railroad track gauges set by the Society of Model Railroad Engineers were not chosen at random. Nor were they based on simple inches. They were picked to match the imperial miniature scales already in use. They did however cheat. They used five feet as the full-sized standard gauge in order to avoid complicated fractions. Therefore 0 gauge was set as one and a quarter inches to match the existing imperial scale of 1/48 also known as quarter-inch scale. So if the standard gauge were 60 inches instead of the accurate 56 1/2 inches, 1 1/4 inches is accurate for 0, or 1/48 scale. See, simple. #1 gauge is set to 1 3/4 inches so that it becomes 60 inches in 1/32 scale. And so on...
Ultimate Halloween Decorations! - Ammon Smiths 30-foot-tall Frankensteins Monster Toy Man Television 2022-11-06 | Is this the ultimate Halloween house decoration? Decorating for Halloween has become a passion for many! Ammon Smith, who only uses scrap wood and odd bits for the hardware store has been decorating his house for years. This year he has built a 30-foot-tall Frankenstein's Monster from wood, chicken wire, cheap sheets from Amazon, and spray foam insulation. A bit of paint and WOW!! Amazing. He has also built a "spook alley" in his driveway. A new feature he added last year adds fun and interaction to the decorations. People now come from miles away, in one case from Europe, to see the fantastic decorations. Ammon never charges, in fact, he hands out the BEST candy as trick-or-treats.
Track Gauges & Scales Part 3 - Scales - Imperial Scales? Toy Man Television 2022-11-01 | What's in a scale? When building a scale model what is the appropriate scale? Well, what is a scale? And how did "standard" scales come to be? Why is 1/24 popular for car models? Why are O-scale trains 1/48 scale? Well as always there is more to the story than one might guess. Our story starts, again, in Great Brittian in 1824. The foot and inch are born. Or rather set in stone. given definition by the crown. And here we are 200 years later building 1/32 scale models without knowing (perhaps) how that came to be. So lets dive into part 3 of out story.....
Halloween at Frankenstein‘s laboratory Toy Man Television 2022-11-01 | We’re back to Ammon Smith’s house for his Frankenstein laboratory
Beautiful Backyard Garden Railroad Part 2 Toy Man Television 2022-10-30 | We are back to Dean & Anne Wiese's amazing "G" scale garden railroad in their backyard in Utah. The railroad has about 300 feet of track, dozens of all-weather structures, and around 40 miniature pine trees. As it's a large railroad with many little scenes and trains we will be back again next week with more of this fun railroad. The Wiese's are members of the Utah Garden Railroad Society and we will be off to several more of their railroads in upcoming weeks.
Track Gauges & Scales Part 2 - Model Railroad Gauges Toy Man Television 2022-10-25 | This week we are focused on standardized model railroad track gauges, from the earliest attempts by the Society of Model Railroad Engineers in 1896 to a quick look at more modern standards. Model track gauges were originally quite large. 0 gauge was the smallest at 1.25". The largest was 12" This was in 1896 but soon technology allowed for much smaller gauges. Moreover the scale standards were changing but that's a future story!
