Want to add some fun and a great bit of realism to your layout? Consider adding model railroad signals. Watch as modeler and DCC expert, Steve Barkley, describes how a signal driver card operates your model railroad signals system. Actually, they operate like a decoder for your signaling system. Steve grew up in the 1950s watching the Northern Pacific railroad operate semaphores to give a green (Go), yellow (Proceed with Caution) or red (Stop) signal to oncoming trains. He wanted the same kind of realism for his NP layout which models from Livingston to Billings, Montana. He found some DCC companies manufacture signal driver cards that operate either colored lights or semaphore systems. Choose the model railroad signals system that’s right for your railroad in the era in which you model and get ready for an added texture of realism for your pike!
Tags: Free Videos, Wiring
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30:44If you’re building a long backdrop for your model railroad layout, you’re going to have to connect the boards together using nails or staples, which means you’ll end up with a fairly visible seam. Expert modelers generally have a couple options during the process of model railroad backdrop construction to cover this seam, but we’ve
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4:11There’s nothing quite like a poorly blended backdrop to take a viewer out of the staged reality of a model railroad scene. But, you can avoid this issue and maintain a fluid scene by making the joint between landscape and backdrop as flush as possible. Good news is, painting model railroad backdrops that smoothly transition
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4:47For the next stop on our tour of the Colorado and Southern Railway, we explore the layout and scenery of Baldwin. Baldwin, which is located in Gunnison County, Colorado and serves as midpoint in the Ohio Creek Extension, was once an important hub for the C&S Railway. Toeing the narrow ledges of coal mines buried
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6:04Forced perspective can be one of the most useful tools the model railroader has at his disposal. You can add a great amount of depth to your scene and create impressive illusions with proper angles and well placed model railroad scenery. These illusions are often necessary for building a convincing model if you are working
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video didn’t describe how to use the card or set up the system. very poor !!
Hi, John. Sorry about that. We’ll have to look into that one. A local club here in town is using JMRI to operate their signals.
Very good written article. It will be useful to everyone who utilizes it, including me. Keep doing what you are doing – i will definitely read more posts.