N Scale Trains for Small Spaces: A Working Guide to High-Performance Mini Layouts
Posted by Derek Olson on 30th Dec 2025
I'll never forget the first time I saw an N scale layout crammed into a space smaller than my kitchen table. A friend had built a twice-around mainline with a passing siding, a small yard, and enough industries to keep him busy for hours. All of it fit on a 2x3 foot board propped up in his apartment
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Best HO Scale Trains for Beginners: An Electrician's Honest Guide to Your First Layout
Posted by Derek Olson on 29th Dec 2025
I got hooked on model trains the way a lot of millennials did. My grandfather had a Christmas layout in his basement, and I couldn't stop thinking about those little engines circling through tunnels and past miniature buildings. Fast forward two decades, and I'm running HO scale BNSF freight operati
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Derek Olson
Posted by Staff on 28th Dec 2025
Derek Olson got hooked on model trains the way a lot of millennials did-through a grandparent's Christmas layout that he couldn't stop thinking about. Now 33 and working as an electrician in the Twin Cities, he brings a practical problem-solving mindset to the hobby, especially when it comes to DCC
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