Amtrak

 INTRODUCTION The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, dealing as AMTRAK (reporting marks AMTK, AMTZ), is a passenger railroad service that offers medium and long-distance intercity transportation in the United States and nine cities in Canada. Founded in 1971, AMTK began as a quasi-public corporation to operate U.S. passenger rail services. While it is managed as a …

Stucco 

Hello. I’m Phil from Arizona Rock and Mineral Company. We’re going to show you how to apply stucco to a carb matte Board building. This is a real old one. I’ve had one of these on the layout for over 40 years. A couple of decades ago, I thought no matter what color I painted, …

CSX Transportation

INTRODUCTION CSX Transportation (reporting mark CSXT) is a Class I freight railroad operating in the eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles (34,000 km) of track. The company operates as a subsidiary of CSX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. CSX …

CIRCUS TRAINS

A circus train is a method of conveyance for circus troupes. Circus trains began in the 1870s, by replacing the shows that moved by slow animal-drawn wagons.  Over the years these trains grew in length as the train cars switched from wood to steel construction.  Circus trains typically consisted of three types of cars: large …

Track cleaning

TRACK CLEANING FOR MODEL RAILROAD LAYOUTS A dirty track can be a frustrating problem for many modelers. As dust settles on the rails and oil and other dirt accumulate, electrical conductivity between wheels and rail deteriorates to the point where reliable current supply to the motor and onboard systems is no longer possible. The result …

ICE HOUSES

Ice houses were a new concept when the country’s railroads finally began to use them to replenish the ice necessary to keep their customers’ perishable items from spoiling in transit. Railroads were reluctant users of refrigerated cars in the first place, but large shippers such as meat packers, breweries, and produce suppliers demanded they use …