They are called Marx and while not as well known as Lionel - they were their main competition for many years...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Marx_and_Company

I have a number of sites here that can help you to identify the EXACT train you have--- just naming the year does not help much

http://www.toyandtrainguides.com/marxtin.htm

http://www.pufferbellys.com/services/locator.htm

This is a complete guide to everything you would need to know for toy trains

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~mcfadden/toy_train_links.htm

I believe that last link will help you more than anything else I could find... if not - let me know

**

Adding Power to a Lionel Train Set or Other Model Railroad Set

Whether you’ve purchased a Lionel train set or another brand of model railroad trains, you will need to know a few things about the power supply. This article offers some helpful tips from the National Model Railroad Association which can help you get off to a good start.

Something to remember is that the more intricate your layout, the more turns and other pieces, the more places you will need to add power, since those rail joints cause some resistance and the train will tend to slow down as it gets further away from the feeder wires coming from the original power source.

When adding power, always remember the “right-hand ruleâ€. What this means is that, looking from the direction of the power pack, when you push the direction switch to the right, the engine will travel the track counterclockwise.

This rule is important to remember, so that you when you add any additional feeders, you wire them just the same, otherwise it will short-circuit. When following the right-hand rule, the outside rail is positive and the inside negative. Two rail model locos all operate on Direct Current (DC).

The best way to keep track of your wires so that positive and negatives match up is to use color-coded wire. Doorbell wire works well. It normally comes in small coils of 25 to 50 feet and #18 gauge, meaning it can handle the normal draw for a model railroad – telephone wire is too small a gauge, stick with doorbell wire. The insulating jacket on doorbell wire is red or white. You can use the red wire for positive and the white for negative. Then you just have to remember red for the outside rail, white for the inside rail. Remember, the rails are just extensions of the power pack wires, and provide the electricity to the engine.

Next, you will need to connect the wires to the rails in your layout. The best way is to solder on the feeder wire to the outside rail, but since this is your first layout and that can get complicated, it’s probably a good idea to just use a rail joiner purchased from a hobby shop, or at least solder them to a rail joiner if you already have soldering equipment. Soldering to the joiner yourself has the advantage that you can keep the color-coding purchased rail joiners have the same color wire on both sides.

With multiple feeder wires connected to your track to give that power boost so the train doesn’t slow down after getting further from the power pack, you may be tempted to double up the wires on the original terminals of the power pack. But the problem is the power pack vibrates, since it’s running on alternating current (AC). Some people have had problems such as wires coming off, etc. So the best plan is to go with an 8 terminal block and connect the wires to that instead of overloading the terminals in the power pack. You can buy one from a hobby shop or an electronics store – or even an auto parts store.

Now just strip back the insulation on each wire a little bit so you can wire the feeders from the power pack across to the new terminal block. Then, make a loop with the wiring from the first terminal screw of the positive half of the board to the second one and follow up with the negative on the negative side. After that, it’s simple to just connect the feeder wires from the track to the screws opposite the ones already used. And this way, each terminal screw will only have one wire on it. You’ll avoid the vibrations from the power pack and have a lot fewer problems with wires coming loose, etc.

For adding power to your first model railroad layout, that’s about all there is to it. Once you’ve completed this project, you can begin to think about expansions. Most enthusiasts don’t want to stop with their first Lionel train set, but go on to build expansions, which get into some interesting scenarios with adding feeder wires for switches and other more advanced connections.

About the Author

Joe Kanooga is a father of two kids, a successful business owner and the author of numerous articles about Lionel train set. Click here to download our free model railroad guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.

I really don't find anything disrespectful about it (unless the original artist somehow took offence to it). Another question is are covers any good? It depends. For example Kean's cover of U2 'With or without you' was pretty bad. I don't know what Tom Chaplin was thinking about. On the other hand there're so many good covers:
Deftones - No ordinary love (Sade cover)
Muse - Feeling good (Nina simone cover)
Cardigans - Iron man (Ozzy cover)
and many many more.

Norman Lindsay - Australia's Most Controversial Artist

Norman Alfred William Lindsay was born in Creswick, Victoria on February 22, 1879. He was a prolific artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist and scale modeller. His father was surgeon Robert Charles William Alexander Lindsay and mother, Jane Elizabeth Lindsay. He was one of ten children

Norman Lindsay is widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest artists, producing a vast number of works in different media, including pen drawing, etching, watercolour, oil and sculptures in concrete and bronze. His sumptuous nudes were highly controversial. In 1939, several were burned by irate wowsers in the United States who discovered them when the train in which they travelled caught fire. His original artworks are keenly sort after amongst auction houses and range from the rare but affordable etchings through to the elusive and expensive oils and watercolours.   Lindsay was associated with a number of poets, such as Kenneth Slessor, Francis Webb and Hugh McCrae, influencing them in part through a philosophical system outlined in his book Creative Effort. He also illustrated the cover for the seminal Henry Lawson book, While the Billy Boils. Lindsay's son, Jack Lindsay, emigrated to England, where he set up Fanfrolico Press, which issued works illustrated by Lindsay.   Lindsay also worked as an editorial cartoonist, notably for The Bulletin. Despite his enthusiasm for erotica, he shared the racist and right-wing political leanings that dominated The Bulletin at that time; the "Red Menace" and "Yellow Peril" were popular themes in his cartoons. These views occasionally spilled over into his other work, and modern editions of The Magic Pudding often omit one couplet in which "you unmitigated Jew" is used as an insult.   Lindsay's creative output was enormous. Several accounts tell of his working practices in the 1920's. He would wake early and produce a watercolour before breakfast, then by mid-morning he would be in his etching studio where he would work until late afternoon. He would work on a concrete sculpture in the garden during the afternoon and in the evening write a new chapter for whatever novel he was working on at the time. As a break, he would work on a model ship some days.   He married twice with his second wife, Rose Soady being his most recognised model. His first wife was Catherine Parkinson with whom he had three sons, Jack Raymond and Phillip. With Rose he had two children, Jane and Helen.   Norman Lindsay died on November 21, 1969 aged ninety, His works are today held in private and public collections with a large number in the care of Australia's National Galleries. His popular facsimile etchings and the occassional original work can be found on the Norman Lindsay website

About the Author

Jamie Horne is a passionate Norman Lindsay fan and is the webmaster for www.bendigo.ws and other regional Victorian websites

You don't need to teach him to fight. I would not allow him to be dominated by a larger dog at this age. Keep him away from older, larger breeds. In another year, you're gonna be wondering how to get him to stop trying to kill the nearest thing.....mouse, cat, bulldozer, etc.

O Scale Model Trains – A Popular Choice

No matter how old you are, if you love trains, you will likely adore the O-27 scale model train. If you want trains that don't cost much, last a long time, and are easy to use, invest in O scale model trains. A lot of people who get trains as a hobby got their start with a Lionel, MTH, or American Flyer O scale model train that they set up in their home.

The German toy company Marklin developed the O scale train in 1900. Instead of providing a realistic train experience, they focused on making model trains fun. Before long, everyone used the O scale for their model railroads. Once the United States got through the Great Depression, it became standard to use O scale model trains. O scale tracks typically have three rails on them. You can find current O scale tracks in three or two track outfits, though (three rail tracks are powered). Since the advent of more realistic train operations, people have been passing over the O scale trains for HO and NO scale model trains. However, people still tend to start out their train collections with O scale trains.

What do O scale model trains do? Train scales are determined between the difference in size between their real counterparts. Regional scales tend to be a little different, though! O scale model trains in America are at 1:48 scale. However, British O scale trains have a 1:43.5 ratio. The rest of Europe has a 1:45 O scale ration. Therefore, you shouldn't count on all O scale model trains worldwide to be the same size. Make sure you know how different the trains can be as you shop for O scale items.

What exactly is the O-27 scale and how is it different? You can find this among several O scale tracks. A regular O scale model has a 31 inch diameter when it's made into a perfect circle. It's technically O-31 scale, but since it's the standard, it's just called O scale. However, O-27 scale gives you a 27" diameter if you lay out its track in a perfect circle. There are many different sizes of O scale track, like O-31, O-72, O-27, and O-54, so look out for these variations. As before, the number on the scale is the diameter of a circular track. With the smaller tracks, you can have a better efficiency of space, but it's not as realistic, and it can be harder for full sizes O scale trains to navigate the track. You can, though, mix and match your track sizes so you can make your own custom track that meets your desires.

O scale model trains are becoming more popular of late, despite the dominance of N and HO scale trains. Due to this newfound popularity, it's easy to find O scale equipment and trains nowadays. In the past few decades, O scale model trains have enjoyed a much higher level of detail. Since O scale standards tend to be confusing, it's hard to find consistent equipment. Make sure you know how different O scale is in each region, and whether or not you want two or three rail tracks. Despite all this, you can't go wrong with O-27 scale model trains, especially if you just want to get started with model trains as a hobby.

About the Author

Mike Foster is a model train enthusiast and enjoys helping others learn about this fascinating hobby.

For more on O scale model trains, visit his website: http://model-train-essentials.com

The 2344 is always going to be loud. In fact, you'll often hear them referred to as "coffee grinders." This is due to the way they're geared-they have a big motor which is spur geared to a secondary drive shaft that's then worm geared to each of the axles. This is a superb design that gives you lots of torque at the low end(allowing good low speed operation), but as a side effect is loud.

I have a 2056 and several related engines(2055, 2046), and can tell you that they also make a rather unpleasant grinding at high speed. I've torn them all down, replaced parts, and tried every trick I know. I can't get rid of it.

The gearing in the 2026 is very similar to that in the 2056, so that's also where the sound is coming from.

You should lubricate them after every few hours of running, or if even if they've set more than a week or two without running. Put a tiny drop of 3-in-1 oil(tiny as in the amount that the tip of a straight pin will hold) behind each wheel, on each motor bearing, and on any other moving part you see. Put a squirt of a good quality lithium grease on each gear face.

Enjoy your trains. Postwar Lionel trains are a real joy to operate, and will likely outlast you.

The Harlem Globetrotters Tickets

The Harlem Globetrotters is an exposition basketball team that fuses athleticism and comedy. In 1926, it was instigated by Abe Saperstein in Chicago, Illinois, and the team adopted the name Harlem because of its association as a major African-American community. Over the passage of time, they have played more than 20,000 exhibition games in 118 countries. The team's signature song is Brother Bones' whistled version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" and Globie has remained to be their mascot since 1993.

There is no apparent accord indicating the very beginnings of the Globetrotters. The official history comprises of several details which are evidently fictitious, such as the team being organized in 1926 in the Savoy Ballroom, which opened in 1927. What is clear is that the origin of the Globetrotters takes place in the South Side of Chicago in the 1920s, where all the original players grew up. Most of the original players, not necesairly all, have attended Wendell Phillips High School. When the Savoy Ballroom opened in November of 1927, one of the leading attractions was the Savoy Big Five, a basketball team that played expositions before dances. In 1928, several players left the team in an argument over bringing back other players who had left the team.

That fall, numerous players led by Tommy Brookins formed a team called the "Globe Trotters" which would tour southern Illinois that winter. Abe Saperstein became involved with the team, although to indistinguishable extent. In any event, by 1929 Saperstein was touring Illinois and Iowa with his basketball team, namely the "New York Harlem Globe Trotters". Saperstein decided to choose Harlem as their home city given that Harlem was well thought to be the center of African-American culture at the moment in time, and an out of town team name would give the team more of an air of mystery and secrecy. After four decades of subsistence, the Globetrotters played their first "home" game in Harlem in 1968.

Progressively The Globetrotters presented comic routines into their act in anticipation of them becoming more famous for the purpose of entertainment rather than sports. The Globetrotters' acts often present implausible coordination and adept handling of one or more basketballs, which encompasses passing or juggling balls between players, balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips, and making unusual, difficult shots.

Amid the players who have been Globetrotters are NBA greats Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, Connie "The Hawk" Hawkins and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, in addition to Marques Haynes, George "Meadowlark" Lemon, Jerome James, former Temple coach John Chaney, and Reece "Goose" Tatum. Another popular team member in the 1970s and 1980s was Fred "Curly" Neal who was the finest dribbler of that epoch of the team's history and was instantaneously identified owing to his shaven head. Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Ferguson Jenkins and Lou Brock also played for the team at one time or another. In 1985, the Globetrotters signed their first female player, Olympic gold medalist Lynette Woodard, and just three weeks later, they signed their second, Joyce Walker.

After being defeated by the Washington Generals in 1962, the Harlem Globetrotters only lost two more games in the next 38 years (12,596 games). More often than not, they played a "stooge" team owned by Red Klotz, which also appeared as the Boston Shamrocks, New Jersey Reds, Baltimore Rockets, or the Atlantic City Seagulls. On January 5, 1971 they lost in Martin, Tennessee in overtime to the New Jersey Reds; the 100-99 score ended an alleged 2,495-game winning streak (which meant that the Globetrotters were playing 277 games per year up until that date).

Over and above to their hundreds of exhibition games, the Globetrotters have faced some competitive action since the mid-1990s. On September 12, 1995, they lost 9185 to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's All Star Team in Vienna, Austria ending a suspected run of 8,829 straight victories in going back to 1971 (despite the fact that 8,829 games in twenty-four years would mean the Globetrotters were playing nearly 368 games per yearor more than one game a day, every day, for twenty four years). The 48-year-old Abdul-Jabbar scored 34 points. The Globetrotters won the other 10 games throughout that European tour.

A shot documentary was also shot on former Globetrotter Mel Davis, which was directed by his son, Hubert Davis. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 2006.

A competitor on the April 6, 2007, episode of the NBC game show Identity correctly identified "Stranger" #12 as being Eugene Edgerson.

The Harlem Globetrotters have made manifold appearances on the animated show Futurama. These episodes feature fictional Globetrotters like Ethan "Bubblegum" Tate (played by Phil LaMarr). In the 31st century, it gives the impression that the Globetrotters have a planet all their own, and in the episode "Time Keeps on Slippin'", the Globetrotter Homeworld challenges Earth to a basketball game (for absolutely no stakes beyond the shame of defeat). At a certain point in the episode, "Bubblegum" declares everyone in Farnsworth's Smell-o-scope room (the Professor, Amy, Zoidberg, and Hermes) an honorary Globetrotter. The Globetrotters appear again in Bender's Big Score, who help out Professor Farnsworth in figuring out the technicalities of Paradox-free Time Travel.

An episode of All in the Family had Lionel Jefferson agreeing with Archie Bunker that racial quotas and affirmative action are not a good idea and making a comment "because 88% of Americans are White, what if there was a law saying the Harlem Globetrotters were forced to have 88% of their team have White players?" Archie makes an expression maybe that idea could mean something.

A 1991 episode of Saturday Night Live presented a satire reconciliation of sports with "The First Black Harlem Globetrotter". Michael Jordan plays a fictional player called "Sweet River Banes", who apparently is the first black member of the Globetrotters in the 1920s.

The Harlem Globetrotters appeared briefly in the Simpsons episode namely "Homie the Clown" in which Krusty the Clown idiotically bets all his profits from opening a clown college in opposition to the Globetrotters stating that he "thought the Generals were due."

The Harlem Globetrotters have also made an outstanding appearance in a special Scooby Doo episode called "Scooby Doo meets the Harlem Globetrotters". In addition, The Globetrotters also appeared in a commercial persuading benevolent support for the Disabled American Veterans where they are shooting baskets with disabled veterans who are playing wheelchair basketball.
For more information about The Harlem Globetrotters Tickets Visit:
http://www.ticketluck.com/sports-tickets/The-Harlem-Globetrotters/index.php

About the Author

Macie is a staff writer for Ticket Nest ( www.ticketnest.com ) and enjoys writing about her travel, theater and concert experiences. She can be reached at macie@ticketnest.com

Assuming you have a three-rail O gauge train set-

Your best and least expensive option would be to get Lionel O27 track. You'll need 8 curves, and a few sections of straight track. I would suggest 8-10 straight track sections.

You'll also need a transformer to provide power to the track. I would suggest locating a current production Lionel CW-80, which is a very nice, sturdy transformer with plenty of power.

Finally, you'll need some way of connecting the transformer to the track. The device used for this is called a lockon-it's just a small spring clip with terminals. These are cheap- get a couple of them. Skip the one that includes the wire, and instead get some 16 gauge hookup wire from your local hardware store.

Both of these can be found in abundance on Ebay. If you'd prefer to avoid the hassle, however, you can either use one of the large reputable mail-order dealers, or a local authorized Lionel retailer(look on www.lionel.com to locate one).

Here are a few mail order dealers I can recommend without hesitation. I've used all of the listed ones personally.

Justrains in Newmark, Delaware
http://www.justrains.com/

Sommerfeld's Trains in Milwaukee, WI
http://www.sommerfelds.com/

Gryzboski's Trains in Pennsylvania http://www.grzyboskitrains.com/

Charles Ro in Massachusetts
http://www.charlesro.com/

Train World/Train Land in New York
http://www.trainworld.com/

Maintenance Guide for Lionel Set Model Trains

Here are a few guidelines for performing cleaning and routine maintenance of your model trains. Regardless of whether you have a Lionel set or any other brand, performing maintenance helps avoid trouble later on.

For Lionel set locomotives, maintenance checks can be performed by removing the cover to see the inside. To remove the cover on steam engines, you must first remove the screw located underneath the smokestack. For diesel engines, remove the body by spreading at the sides so that the pins will be released then pull upward. Then flip the locomotive upside down to clean the wheels. You can use an X-acto blade to peel off the layers of grime. You can use an eraser pad to finish removing dirt and debris from the wheels of your model trains.

In addition to clean wheels, locomotives need oil applied to the moving parts to keep them lubricated and working properly. It is recommended to refer to your owner’s manual for instructions on applying oil. When applying the oil, keep a close watch to prevent over-oiling since excess oil has the tendency to drip out and can disrupt the electrical conductivity if it drips on your rails. Thin oil is recommended, such as 3-in-1.

Another part of the locomotive that requires cleaning is the commutator and the brushes. If these parts are not cleaned, dirt and dust can build up preventing the motor from picking up electrical power. Eventually, the locomotive will fail to operate. However, this cleaning is only needed about once a year with normal use. A technique for cleaning the commutators is to have the locomotive run slowly without the body. Then apply Rail-Zip cleaner to a rag and use that to clean the commutator as it spins. The brushes also need cleaning. These can be cleaned by spraying them with television tuner cleaner, which can be purchased from electronics stores. Allow the cleaning solution to drip of and wipe the area dry. After cleaning you are ready to put the body back on.

The wheels of freight cars also require routine maintenance. Even with shining rails and running locomotives, every Lionel set still needs clean wheels to run smoothly. An easy way to get the wheels cleaned is by mounting a straight section of track onto an 18-inch, 2x4 board. Then put a paper towel or rag and place it over the heads of the rails and drip rubbing alcohol onto the rag. Next, trickle a few drops of Goo-Gone onto rails before running the cars on the rails a few times. Continue running the locomotive back and forth over the rails until the wheel look clean and shiny.

Lionel train sets are built to last. Customer satisfaction levels are among the highest of any brand of model trains. Nevertheless, even the best train sets and locomotives require maintenance and cleaning to continue to operate smoothly. Following these procedures can ensure years of happy railroading.

About the Author

Joe Kanooga is a father of two kids, a successful business owner and the author of numerous articles about model trains. Click here to download our free Lionel set guidebook filled with hobby tips, ideas and information.

The best thing you can do is buy yourself a copy of "Greenburg's Pocket Price Guide to Lionel Trains." These are readily available online or in a book store, and are relatively inexpensive.

Next, open the book, find the section on grading in the front, and read and study it carefully.

Look at each piece carefully, and decide how it grades. Be conservative-many people trying to sell want to badly overestimate the grade.

And, no, "mint condition for its age" is not a legitimate grade. Mint means "Brand New all original, unused and unblemished." A piece which is mint should be clean, shiny, and have no rust, paint chips, or handling marks.

Now, look up the pieces in the guide by the number marked on the side of them. Find the listed price.

Take this price and subtract 30% from it, as Greenburg's prices are inflated. This will give you a realistic idea of what everything is worth.

Why Lionel Trains Continue to Grow

Despite Joshua Lion Cowen’s belief in the value of his Lionel toy trains and the success that it will eventually enjoy, he most certainly would not have imagined that the popularity of his products continue to be strong today, especially given the revival in model train collecting in recent years. Lionel model trains were a pioneer in the model train and railroad business, and gained a strong foothold in the industry due to its impeccable attention to detail and quality, partly because of the large group of skilled toy train craftsmen that Cowen employed for his business. This attention to detail spawned countless Lionel trains set which were incredibly realistic and provided fans with endless hours of fun and pure joy. The popularity at its height resulted in a high percentage of Americans that owned at least one set of these toys. They were also a top choice for gifts for every occasion, from Christmas to the New Year.

An amazing fact that is not commonly known about the creator of Lionel trains is that Joshua Lionel Cowen was not originally an American. He moved to the country and settled down with his family, before falling in love with trains as well. These large locomotives were growing in popularity as a mode of transport at that time, and Cowen decided to translate his love for them into model toys which could be enjoyed by people all over the world. He also wanted Lionel trains to be a source of inspiration and learning for locomotive fans worldwide, and knew that they would become popular and sell like hot cakes due to their importance in many countries as a source of transport and a strong economic factor. Within a few years of starting his toy train business, Lionel trains quickly became successful, evidently through his move to bigger offices and the growing number of employees to cope with rising demand and popularity.

The durability of toy trains and model railways has proven itself over the last few decades. When Lionel trains first came out, they were a huge hit and many were fascinated by the detail and quality afforded to each train set. Building and setting up a railroad set with live trains were also a sight to behold, and they still are today. Despite the advent of cars and subsequently, planes, trains were also a necessary mode of transport in many countries, especially in those where financially it was more affordable to use these to transport various products within the country or across neighboring countries. Till today, trains can sometimes be more cost effective than using airborne transport, even if the cost of fuel for locomotives has risen considerably due to its increasing scarcity. With trains having an enduring presence even in the modern world, it is hard to imagine a dwindling interest in model Lionel trains.

While it is more difficult to get hold of a Lionel train model set nowadays due to decreasing production and the fact that other toy train producers are coming out with cheaper alternatives, there are still plenty of options for model train set collectors and aficionados. The Internet is definitely an option, with many fans and collectors going online to trade in their favorite sets and models, especially with Lionel prewar trains. If you look hard enough, there are bound to be bargains and a few gems to be found, with collectors all over the world. In fact, with a more specialized production of the train sets, Lionel trains have increased in value, especially for older vintage models which have become increasingly difficult to locate. There are many individuals who have grown rich as a result of their hobby and love for collecting toy trains, and Lionel trains are often a major factor in their success.

About the Author

Greg Howard is a collector of Lionel trains set and often provides insights on making your Lionel trains purchase. For more info on Lionel model train sets, please visit Greg's site.

ronaldo by a thousand miles. why?

ronaldo can play on the left, right, and a striker.

messi can only play on the right.

ronaldo is good in the air.

messi is too short to header any balls in the air.

ronaldo is faster and stronger.

messi is just fast.

ronaldo has good free kicks

messi is horrible a free kicks

Adding Power to a Lionel Train Set or Other Model Railroad Set

Whether you’ve purchased a Lionel train set or another brand of model railroad trains, you will need to know a few things about the power supply. This article offers some helpful tips from the National Model Railroad Association which can help you get off to a good start.

Something to remember is that the more intricate your layout, the more turns and other pieces, the more places you will need to add power, since those rail joints cause some resistance and the train will tend to slow down as it gets further away from the feeder wires coming from the original power source.

When adding power, always remember the “right-hand ruleâ€. What this means is that, looking from the direction of the power pack, when you push the direction switch to the right, the engine will travel the track counterclockwise.

This rule is important to remember, so that you when you add any additional feeders, you wire them just the same, otherwise it will short-circuit. When following the right-hand rule, the outside rail is positive and the inside negative. Two rail model locos all operate on Direct Current (DC).

The best way to keep track of your wires so that positive and negatives match up is to use color-coded wire. Doorbell wire works well. It normally comes in small coils of 25 to 50 feet and #18 gauge, meaning it can handle the normal draw for a model railroad – telephone wire is too small a gauge, stick with doorbell wire. The insulating jacket on doorbell wire is red or white. You can use the red wire for positive and the white for negative. Then you just have to remember red for the outside rail, white for the inside rail. Remember, the rails are just extensions of the power pack wires, and provide the electricity to the engine.

Next, you will need to connect the wires to the rails in your layout. The best way is to solder on the feeder wire to the outside rail, but since this is your first layout and that can get complicated, it’s probably a good idea to just use a rail joiner purchased from a hobby shop, or at least solder them to a rail joiner if you already have soldering equipment. Soldering to the joiner yourself has the advantage that you can keep the color-coding purchased rail joiners have the same color wire on both sides.

With multiple feeder wires connected to your track to give that power boost so the train doesn’t slow down after getting further from the power pack, you may be tempted to double up the wires on the original terminals of the power pack. But the problem is the power pack vibrates, since it’s running on alternating current (AC). Some people have had problems such as wires coming off, etc. So the best plan is to go with an 8 terminal block and connect the wires to that instead of overloading the terminals in the power pack. You can buy one from a hobby shop or an electronics store – or even an auto parts store.

Now just strip back the insulation on each wire a little bit so you can wire the feeders from the power pack across to the new terminal block. Then, make a loop with the wiring from the first terminal screw of the positive half of the board to the second one and follow up with the negative on the negative side. After that, it’s simple to just connect the feeder wires from the track to the screws opposite the ones already used. And this way, each terminal screw will only have one wire on it. You’ll avoid the vibrations from the power pack and have a lot fewer problems with wires coming loose, etc.

For adding power to your first model railroad layout, that’s about all there is to it. Once you’ve completed this project, you can begin to think about expansions. Most enthusiasts don’t want to stop with their first Lionel train set, but go on to build expansions, which get into some interesting scenarios with adding feeder wires for switches and other more advanced connections.

About the Author

Joe Kanooga is a father of two kids, a successful business owner and the author of numerous articles about Lionel train set. Click here to download our free model railroad guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.

Weathering Techniques for Lionel Model Trains HO Sets

Weathering your train makes it look more realistic. Weathering adds the appearance of dirt, rust, and even graffiti to your train, making it look like a train that’s paid its dues and been around for a while.

Here are some weathering tips and techniques for transforming your model trains from fresh-out-of-the-box shiny and new to working engines and cars. These techniques should work great with most model trains HO and O scale. While Lionel trains are the most popular brand, these weathering techniques work the same way with any brand.

Some of the conditions you might want to simulate on your model train cars are the effects of weather, dirt, age, and even bumps and scratches. To do this, you’ll need paint and paint brushes, hard-wire brushes, chalk, crayons, toothpicks, and either photos of real aged railroad cars or access to real-life cars to see where and how exactly they age. The more the better, so you can pick several different looks for different cars, or even different parts of cars. Keep in mind that no two cars will age in the same way, or at the same rate.

Paint colors will vary depending on what effect you’re going for, but good colors will be rust, orange, browns, black, earth tones, white; you can mix and match, or combine colors to get the colors or effects you have in mind. Even if you use a color called rust, remember that there is a wide range of rust, so you might want to have it darker in one place, and lighter in another.

Use a dry-brush technique (use a hard-bristle brush dipped into the paint, then wiped mostly dry with a paper towel) to apply the paints to your Lionel train. A vertical stroke, top to bottom of the car gives the appearance of streaking, as a normal car exposed to the elements would.

If this is your first time weathering a model train, you might want to practice first, either on a piece of paper or cardboard, or on an old model train car, if you have one. You might be able to find an inexpensive car at a garage sale or thrift store to use as your practice vehicle. Use your practice time to get a feel for how much paint it takes to get the color you want, and how much pressure to use to get the streaking look you want before moving on to your good cars.

Another way to weatherize your model trains is washing. There are different methods of washing, but in essence it consists of mixing your paint with either alcohol or a thinner, and applying a thin coat on your cars. Depending on the look of each coat, and what look you’re going for, you can apply several coats of wash, keeping each one thin.

Using chalk is also a way you can make model trains look realistic. Make a powder of chalk, either by scraping it with a knife, or rubbing it with sandpaper, and apply the chalk dust to the car. Then seal the chalk onto the car. Model Master Lacquer is one product that can be used for this purpose.

Model train weathering powder comes in a variety of colors, and is a chemical powder than can be used not just on model train HO cars, but in your layout as well: on buildings, water towers, or whatever else you have that you want to weather.

Graffiti is one thing that will automatically lend an air of legitimacy to your model train. You can add graffiti to your Lionel model cars using graffiti decals, which are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and words. Or you can let your inner artist out, and paint your own. This is another technique you might want to practice first, to make sure you have the size, scale, and flourishes right.

In summary, these weathering techniques work great with Lionel trains and any other brands. The main goal is to create real-life effects. Any technique that helps you achieve that goal is okay. There are no limits to what you can do. Pretty much anything goes when it comes to weathering model trains HO and O scale. Beginners can use the techniques presented here to get started then create their own methods as they get a feel for it.

About the Author

Joe Kanooga is a father of two kids, a successful business owner and the author of numerous articles about Lionel trains. Click here to download a free guidebook for model trains HO and O scale and filled with hobby tips, ideas and information.