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There's certainly plenty of it out there, and it's not terribly expensive. O gauge has a reputation for being a hobby for trial lawyers and heart surgeons' budgets, but it doesn't have to be that way. Fortunately there's some inexpensive stuff being manufactured today, too. But I do like...

The guide I have is a couple of years old, but if indeed it's in close to mint condition, a starting point is $1,250 to $2,500. The closer it is to mint condition--remember, "mint" means "perfect," not "striking," so if there's even the smallest scratch on it it's not mint--the closer you'll get...

The Lionel stuff from the '70s is definitely underappreciated. Some of it was half-hearted, yes, but some of it was very innovative. I agree with you that a cheap low-end Lionel or Marx set is a great way to get started. You can have a reasonably nice train for well under $100 (sometimes under...

The smell of oil and ozone from those old motors reminds me of one of my best childhood memories, which was setting up a box of old Lionels with my Dad when I was 11 or 12. He did his best to explain to me how the trains worked and why they had a third rail (I was 12 and he had advanced degrees...

Ray, I don't have any pictures to share, but I love 3-rail tinplate. The Peter Riddle book Trains From Grandfather's Attic likened tinplate vs. model railroading as impressionism vs. realism. I like and can appreciate both of them. A well-executed tinplate layout is a thing of beauty. My Marx...

I've got a 50-pin SCSI cable, a 40-pin IDE cable, and a 34-pin floppy cable right here. There appears to be some very minor variance in the pitch, but that's probably due to different manufacturers. You have to look very closely to see the difference. The 50-conductor cable will allow one to...

Robin, it's never too late to switch to O. You know you wanna. C'mon, it's what all the cool kids are doing... Harold, I assume this is the old-style 50-pin SCSI cable?

I use XTrkCad, from www.sillub.com. Formerly commercial, now it's free. There may be others that some people like better but you won't beat the price. I like it but it's the only program I've used.

Thanks. I didn't notice the bottom on the mold in your picture. A bit of seepage doesn't bug me; it's just that it seemed like 1/3 of the plaster I poured in seeped out the bottom. So I'm off to find a suitable Lego base. Thanks again.

Hi Fred, another question for you. I tried building my first plaster building tonight, but the plaster is seeping under the bricks and onto the paper I put under it. How do you keep the plaster from seeping? Thanks for the great idea. I think the result is going to be lots of buildings, once...

Fred, thanks. I've dug out my childhood Legos stash, and DAP is on my shopping list. I've never used plaster before but you've got me wanting to try it.

Dash10, that looks amazing. What kind of plaster do you use? Now that I've seen what you've done, I think I'd like to try it myself.

Jesper, if it makes you feel any better, in the real world lettering is often a bit rough. Sometimes more than a bit. I was noticing the lettering on a bunch of railroad cars at a museum yesterday and the first thought that popped into my head was that the lettering on models looks too good...

Paper modeling is really, really big in Japan, so any search on Google for "paper models" will fairly quickly net you some Japanese structures. If they're too big for N scale, just reduce them before assembling.

Yep, that's what I'd do. Just go sparing on the oil. And make sure the track is clean; clean rust with a kitchen scouring pad if there is any. Once you get it running, run it at slow speed, gradually increasing the throttle, and fairly soon it ought to get used to running again and I wouldn't be...

I know for a fact the Flyer 21160 can be opened by removing a small number of screws, either two or four of them. It goes back together very easily. I worked on a 21160 this fall and just a little bit of oil on the axles and a little grease on the worm gear inside got it running very smoothly...

I use the Dollar Tree figures, since they're close enough for O scale and that's what I have. The buildings are undersize for O; they look closer to HO to me but I didn't measure them with a scale ruler. I could see using them in the background for some forced perspective on a Christmas layout...

Kris, I've been eyeing that same stash at the museum. You're right, the price is awfully good for the wisdom contained within. I really miss the building and rolling stock plans. I always look for old magazines at train shows, flea markets, rummage sales, and anywhere else I've ever had luck...

Duelbox, that's what it's all about. Enjoy your setup, and your time with the little one.

I remember Woolco. It didn't last as long in the States as it did in Canada. I think Woolco went under around 1982 or so here. My mom and aunt used to drag us there on their marathon shopping sprees. I think Kmart bought the building that used to house the Woolco we went to, and it's still open...