trains Archives

Carve Your Own Vintage Railway Signs

Jordan has spent much of his life writing about his many geeky pastimes. He's particularly passionate about indie game design and Japanese art, but loves interacting with creators from all walks of life.

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March 21st, 2018March 20th, 2018

In one of his newest Maker Share projects, Dessie Gamble details how he carved vintage railway signs for museum exhibits.

Explore the Multifaceted, Century-Old World of Model Railroads

By Neil Besougloff

Neil Besougloff

Neil Besougloff has been a model railroad magazine editor for 20 years, the past 10 at Model Railroader magazine. Before that, he was a newspaper editor in Florida. He and his wife, Susy, live in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. In addition to model railroading, Neil spends his free time learning Spanish and tinkering with slot cars and a 1931 Ford Model A.

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July 20th, 2017July 19th, 2017

Model railroads are built in different shapes, scales, and sizes, from exact-detailed copies of railroad locales, to more fanciful designs.

This Handmade Model Railroad Spans Acres and Is the Work of One Man

By Andrew Wilcox

Andrew Wilcox

Andrew Wilcox is a creative director and filmmaker who lives in New York with his wife Debi, and his cat Mr. Whizzard

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July 18th, 2016July 15th, 2016

Bruce Zaccagnino is on “some kind of quest.” He’s built a spectacular, detailed model railroad that spans acres.

Making a Wooden Toy Train Crossing

By Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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@garethb2

April 20th, 2016April 20th, 2016

Have an idea for a part you wish you could add to a toy, say a toy train set? Desktop fabrication to the rescue!

Toy train used to calibrate fusion reactor

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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@seanragan

January 8th, 2010 6

While Princeton University’s National Spherical Torus Experiment was shut down for improvements over the winter break, scientists and engineers availed themselves of the opportunity to recalibrate the reactor’s neutron sensors. To do so, they assembled a circular toy train track around the torus and ran a toy locomotive carrying a chunk of neutron-emitting californium-247 along it for three days. The New York Times explains: