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After building houses for four decades, I learned that foundations matter. A crooked foundation means a crooked house, no matter how fancy the trim work. The same principle applies to model railroading, and in N scale, your couplers are the foundation of every operation you'll ever run. I've conver …

After spending 40 years building houses, I've developed a pretty simple philosophy: buy quality tools from companies that stand behind their work, or you'll waste more time fixing problems than actually getting things done. That same logic applies to N scale model railroading. I've been running tra …

I'll be honest with you: a 4x6 table sounds like a lot of space until you actually start laying track on it. Then you realize every millimeter counts, every curve radius decision haunts you, and that turnout you crammed into the corner is going to derail trains until the end of time.I've been there. …

I made every mistake you can make with N scale curves. My first layout used 9¾-inch radius track because that's what came in the box. My brand-new six-axle diesels derailed constantly. My 85-foot passenger cars looked ridiculous, lurching around corners like drunk elephants on roller skates. It took …

I spend my weekends wrestling with a garden railway in Golden, Colorado, where the altitude, UV exposure, and temperature swings actively conspire to destroy anything smaller than a breadbox. My background in wildlife biology taught me one thing that applies directly to model railroading: you have t …

I've built four model railroad layouts since retiring from construction in 2018, and if there's one question I hear more than any other at club meetings, it's this: should I stick with HO or switch to N scale for better detail in a smaller space? After 40 years of measuring twice and cutting once, …