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The dreaded X-Acto knife, again!! I'm cutting a piece of sheet styrene for a building, cutting a straight line along the side of my metal rule. No problems there. Only, in the process of holding the rule down with my left hand, I find out the hard way that I've got a finger sticking out...

I generally decide how much I"m willing to spend on something on eBay, and then watch the auction. If it doesn't go over my amount, I'll bid, if I still want it toward the end. I've found that there are times when I've decided that I CAN live without (whatever it is). Generally when I...

Yeah, Marx did make HO for a while, but it wasn't all that great. They had some neat stuff, though. I've got an old Pacific from the early '60s that has a smoke unit in it!!! American Flyer made it for a while, too. Actually, Athearn and Rivarrosi were making the early Lionel HO stuff!!!

Its not in that great a shape...someone may bid it higher...but its NOT going to be ME!!!! Same basic drive as Athearn had at that time....a rubber band down to the worm gear that drives the axles..... Lionel only made HO stuff for a few years...well relatively a few.....like from the late...

Well, only 3,300+ people looked at it. I could go back through my old MR's and find out who built the Narragansett RR.

I went out and bought a glass bread loaf pan. I let the shells soak for a while, and then attacked them with a toothbrush. I had problems with the silver, also. I was stripping an Athearn PA that I wanted in the Santa Fe Warbonnet paint.

I've used brake fluid to strip a couple Athearn models, and it worked great!! It didn't take all day, just a few minutes, and the use of an old toothbrush. After the paint is removed, you have to wash it well in warm, soapy water to get all the brake fluid off.

One thing about local auctions...you still have to know what you're getting into. I've watched one guy who runs an "antique store" spend $100 on an old Lionel engine. The box was bad, the frame was rusted and corroded, and I doubt that it even worked. BUT, he said he could sell it for even...

I sell some on Ebay, too. I try to describe the item as clearly as I can, and get some good pictures of it. Mostly, I look for good deals at the local hobby shop (usually old stuff) and then turn around and sell it. Two books I ALWAYS have close at hand when I'm buying something: current...

You mean there are speed limits when you're train chasing???? Dick

Actually, a little bit of both. My layout is going to wind up in the transition era, so that fits. However, when I was growing up, the M&StL didn't have steam running, so I'm kind of going to go with a type of "what-if"....What if the M&St L HAD made it all the way to St Louis, and used some...

David I used to work on telephones....Cat 5 should about 18 ga, with a full twist every 1 1/2 inches. If its plenum wiring, its teflon insulated. It IS tough to strip, and its easy to burn your fingers with, from pulling on it!!! But, with all this, it does make some nice wire for under...

Ralph, I remember the article about building a stand like this in MR. I don't know when, or what issue I read it in, but I'm pretty sure that I have it....SOMEwhere. (see, right now most of my mags are stacked in a closet....well, about 4 stacks about 3 ft high each). If you find out what...

The most useless item??? For me, after the waxed capacitors, and unmarked resistors, it would have to be a 4-gang variable transformer. I've always planned on building a good power supply, and a variable transformer is better than a rheostat for speed adjustment. NOW, though.....DCC comes...

CarlFidy, I chased the train for about 70 miles....I came from the east, and stopped in Carroll to get my first look at it, then chased it, and paced it for a while, before getting to High Bridge, just west of Boone. This was along US Hwy 30, the old Lindoln Highway. I tried chasing it...

Here is one frame of the video I made last week, as UP 3985 was running through central Iowa. This was taken west of Ogden, Iowa, at about 60 mph. Yes, I WAS there when it went over the Kate Shelley High Bridge!!!! Dick

Check out the Great American Train Show website...they have the schedule for the rest of this year, and the first of next year....www.gats.com Good Luck, Dick

Just to add a little more confusion here...Atlas makes both kinds of turnouts. In the standard Atlas line, they do route the power to the rails that are aligned by the points. The Custom Line of switches that they make (which are better, imho) they do NOT route power, therefore, both leads of...

Another good place to look is a store selling stuff for teachers. I wander through one every so often, they have such goodies as powdered tempera paints (in BIG jars), acrylics, brushes and just all kinds of neat things. You just kind of have to ignore all the books, though.... Dick

Its always sad to hear that someone has passed away...especially someone like Mr. Marletter. His stories of life on the railroad I found very interesting, and I looked forward to finding them. It is good, though, that he just recently spent time with some of his grandkids. My thoughts and...