Model Railroader May 2006

From the Editor
Time-saving techniques

News & Products
Toy Fair show report and product announcements

Railway Post Office
Letters from our readers

Information Desk
Postwar passenger car fleets

Workshop
Compact workshop Q’s & A’s

Step by Step
Make your freight car roster prototypical

COVER STORY
Designed for the railfan
Visit this spectacular Appalachian layout

Kitbash like the prototype
Modeling an ex-Illinois Central SD20 in HO scale

Common materials are all you need

PROTOTYPE INFORMATION
Modeler’s guide to steel boxcars
Spotting features for more realistic freight car fleets

Scratchbuild a city centerpiece
A turret makes this HO building stand out from the crowd

Model realistic tall grass
Techniques to make convincing fields and prairies

Southern Ohio’s best kept secret
Local railroading is featured on this HO club railroad

Small layout contest rules

Build a train order board in N scale
Modeling a non-operating version with brass parts

DCC Corner
Downloading new sounds for a LokSound decoder

Product Reviews
Life-Like HO scale Alco RS-27 road switcher