January 2012 Volume 80, Number 8
Departments 5 Safety Valve
Letters from our readers
6 Dispatchers Report Product and industry news
28 Railbooks Book news and reviews
34 RMC Timetable Scheduled events and notices
85 Test Track Product reviews
96 Collector Consist Reflections: how far we’ve come! —Keith Wills
98 Editors Notebook Commentary—William C. Schaumburg
102 Classified Advertising Commercial listings
102 Exchange Place Non-commercial listings
103 Dealer Directory Recommended hobby dealers
105 Advertising Index Modeling
52 RMC/Dremel Kitbashing Award: Kitbashing a Pittsburgh Railways interurban car by Bob Dietrich
New wooden sides with arched windows change the appearance of an old HO scale La Belle Sacramento Northern kit into a Pittsburgh Railways car.
55 The Cheltenham granary by Trevor Marshall This interesting model features a stone foundation supporting a wooden structure with cribbed or finger joint construction.
61 Modeling less-common tank cars by Tony Thompson While not built in large numbers, these tank cars–an acid car and a general chemical car–are still great modeling subjects.
67 A thumbnail switcher by Tom Knapp
This tiny Nn3 center-cab switcher measures just 1.3 inches long and includes a DCC decoder.
73 Scratchbuilder’s Corner: Details, again by Bob Walker No matter what the scale, small details can have a large effect on a layout’s appearance.
Website Be sure to visit us at:
www.rrmodelcraftsman.com
80 The Scenery Clinic: Pt. XIX: Winter ground cover with a dusting of snow by Paul Scoles with Walt Appel
Careful blending of scenery material can yield the look of early winter.
77 Detailing a model for an operating layout by Scott Lupia When the author tackled this HO scale SP SD45, he set out to make a model that was both detailed and durable.
Prototype
73 CNS&M flagstop shelter by William C. Schaumburg This simple wooden shelter provided patrons with protection from the elements as they waited for the interurban.
Cover
A leased Berkshire leads a heavy eastbound manifest down the ladder track and past the tower at Essex Junction as it heads toward Whitehall on Dick Elwell’s HO scale Hoosac Valley Railroad. Photograph by Phil Monat.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN (ISSN 0033877X) is published monthly by Carstens Publications, Inc., 108 Phil Hardin Rd., Fredon Township, Newton, New Jersey 07860. Phone 973/383-3355. Henry R. Carstens, President; Phyllis M. Carstens, Secretary-Treasurer. SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.A. and possessions: $37.95 per year, $69.95, for two years, $99.95 for three years. Foreign subscriptions are $50.00 per year, $94.00, for two years, $136.00 for three years and must be in U.S. funds. Periodicals postage paid at Newton, NJ 07860 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN, 108 Phil Hardin Rd., Newton, NJ 07860. Copyright 2011 by Carstens Pub- lications, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. Canadian BN 12472 5060RT. Publication Mail Agreement No. 40957020. Return unde- liverable Canadian Addresses to: P.O. Box 503, RPO West Bever Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6
4 JANUARY 2012 Special features
40 Perspective: PGE\BC Rail centennial by Robert D. Turner One of North America’s most spectacular rail routes turns 100.
42 50 Years of excellence: Dick Elwell’s Hoosac Valley by Tom Bartley, with photos by Phil Monat
Set in rolling foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, this beautiful basement-size HO scale layout includes plenty of steam and diesel action amidst New England’s fall colors.
51 LED layout lighting by George Gibson LED strip lighting provides modelers with a variety of options when it comes to illuminating a layout.
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