You didn’t ask about spacing, but many model railroaders
space their ABS or CTC signals about twice the length of their
usual train – if most trains are about 10 feet long, then a
20-foot block length is a good starting point. High-traffic lines
might benefit from shorter blocks, and low-density lines can
use longer blocks and still remain fluid.
Signals need to be placed where locomotive crews can see them
clearly from a reasonable distance – around a tight curve on a
tree-lined right of way would be a bad idea. Union Pacific specs
in the mid-1950s required signal masts to be located with a mini-
mum eight foot clearance from the nearest rail. Seven feet of
clearance had been allowed in the 1930s.
– MRH
Brake line repair
Every year, train models become more detailed, with smaller and
smaller parts. Some kits are harder than ever to build. Things like
safety chains and brake lines have become so thin and fragile
that removing them from parts trees has become difficult to
do without breaking them, even with a razor blade or clipper-
bladed tweezers.
When I was assembling an InterMountain kit of a cylindrical
grain hopper, I had a brake line that shattered about ½
inch from the end. The normal solution is to contact the
TIPS
