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I found this website with a couple of photos of a Missabe model tower that might be what you are looking for. See if it helps. Shelton Could you give us the kit manufacturer? That might help in identifying which tower kit you are seeking to repair. -Ed

After some internet searching I found a close-up photo of the I-1 decapod drive wheels and it is clear that only the third (middle) axle has blind drivers. So, if I replace the 2nd and 4th axles (18080 blind drivers) with 18000 axles (flanged drivers) I'll have a correct configuration on my...

Dr Wayne, Thank you for the info. I may as well replace the drivers while I have the loco apart to paint. My problem was not necessarily the blind drivers as much as the drivers that don't touch the railhead. Well, anyway, I should fix that now. -Ed

I bought a Bowser 2-10-0 about thirty years ago and was surprised at the weight of it and its pulling power. I presently have the whole thing apart in order to repaint it and I am detailing the long-haul tender with the correct eight wheel trucks. It was running very smoothly at all speeds...

Thank you, TopTrain1! The Hercules tank car I have is obviously a Mantua shell on an Athearn frame and that is what made identification so difficult. Much obliged for the photo. -Ed

Nice photos. The night shots are the most dramatic and my favorite are the ones looking into the headlights as well as the final photo of the delapidated steam loco. -Ed

Floyd, I would expect that you would be satisfied with Overland, Hallmark, Balboa, Sunset and Key. These are good running locos, although some of the very early ones had open motors that were a bit noisy. Can motors are much quieter. In any event, assume that these locos have not been run in...

Hey Diesel, I think you have chosen a railroad to model with so much diversity. Since you may be leaving NYC someday, I wondered if you might find yourself living along the BNSF someday. Out here along the Washington/BC border there is some very scenic running along the ocean from Bellingham...

What a beauty! It takes only seconds to pull a ready-to-run loco out of a box, but it takes weeks to build a jewel such as your Roundhouse 2-8-0. The pride and attachment that you have over something that you created is well worth the extra time spent. Congratulations on this fine model. -Ed

"Track Planning for Realistic Operation" Third Edition, by John Armstrong seems to have a wide variety of layouts and some discussion on realistic operation. Its published by Kalmbach Books. -Ed

Hey Deckroid, I hope your wife finds that home on Vancouver Island. We found a home there and enjoy spending time away from the USA to be in the most gorgeous place I have ever been. Be asssured that there is lots of model and real railroad activity on the island. Its a foreign country, but...

Spawn of Chaos, Always nice to talk to a fellow Pacific Northwesterner! Rubber-band drive was successful and lasted quite a few years. The last run Athearn made of their RDC units were equipt with rubber-band drive. For those who may not be familiar with it, the rubber bands were used to...

Nice work! I found one of these kits at a train swap meet and put it together, then decided to illuminate the marquee a few years later. What a project that was! I do hope you can find a place for the theater on your layout. It is an 'attention-getter.' -Ed

My Pennline 2-10-0 was my pride and joy, factory painted and lettered for the Southern Pacific (!) It was really heavy and had great pulling power even though only four drive wheels actually contacted the rails. A rubber-band drive Athearn F-7 and an AHM 0-4-0 Dockside rounded out my motive...

Trains were an escape from the real world back when I was a kid. I used to daydream about my favorite ‘real’ trains when I should have been paying attention at school. Later in life I had to balance building a career and raising children with my trains, making sure that I didn’t spend too much...

I, too, am curious if anyone here has dabbled in Proto:87. It certainly represents a design goal to enjoy far more accurate modeling than we have ever attempted before. Along with accurate wheelsets and rail, we need to think about accurately sized couplers. But let us not forget that running...

In my early years of modeling, nearly all kits - whether plastic, wood, or metal - were made in the USA. Any RTR (Ready-To-Run) cars I bought, I often provided additional detail and even repainted and decaled them to suit a specific prototype. The few locomotives I bought were highly detailed...

Hello, David, and welcome to the Gauge. Your trains don't resemble my 1950's era southwestern USA trains, but that is the fascination of the hobby. Outside of the visual differences there are many similarities in modelling and we might be helping each other out in the near future. Please keep...

First thing I would do is to locate a large model train store even if you have to drive to the big city. Some of these old shops stash parts for years and may just have the Kato parts you are looking for. As far as the 'detail parts' you are looking for, make sure that they are the correct...

Dear Meo 916, Glad to see your approach into this exciting hobby. You are asking all the right questions, and what you should take home are the answers that are right for you. I don't subscribe to either RMC or MR anymore, but it was of benefit when I was just starting out. Trouble is that...