Product Feature - Noch Laser Cut Minis for HO and N

Some of the most popular elements of our store layouts, both on our Noch pre-formed layouts in HO and N and our Karl Gebele built display layout, are the finely detailed plants and vegetation. Many of these details are created from the Laser Cut Minis line from Noch.  First launched in 2009, these amazing products won a Product of the Year award from Eisenbahnmagazin for Model Railroad Scenery that year and are one of our best sellers for scenery products.

Made from blends of tear-proof paper and cardstock and easily affixed with a drop of white glue, Laser Cut Minis can add a level of detail not previously available to any HO, TT or N scale layout.  Add amazing flower boxes and vegetable gardens to your towns and reeds, ferns, and lilypads to riverbanks and woods. Noch has recently expanded the line to include small laser cut structures such as a bee-keepers hutch, a railroad signal box, a bus-top as well as non-vegetation details such as patio slabs, lumber, marker posts and more!  Click here to see all the Noch Laser Cut Minis on our store website. We stock the full line!

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Product Feature - Viessmann E-motion Series

We have just received a new 23 minute (!) long video from Viessmann demonstrating the full line of eMotion products as well as the HO scale Plasser & Theurer Stopfexpress 09-3X track maintenance car with its animated ballast tampers.  This is an amazing product line and has been one our best-sellers since it launched. Figures range from firemen to farmers to chickens and a rearing horse, and other products include fountains, railroad water cranes, a children's see-saw and even a helicopter with moving blades. Like the Faller Car System, these products allow you to add animation and movement to your layout beyond your trains. They are also a guaranteed highlight if you have children or other visitors to your layout.

iPhone & iPad Apps for European Model Railroaders - PART TWO

The Apple app store for iOS devices is full of useful items for model railroaders. Here are a few more of our favorites. Click on the titles of each app to go to the Apple app store.

		Clinometer $0.99 One of the trickiest bits of layout building is getting grades and inclines correct. This is where Clinometer comes in. It uses the iPhone's built-in gyroscopes to become an accurate inclinometer to measure percentage grade. There are plenty of other apps that work as carpenter's levels or inclinometers but we like this one as it was the only one we found that displays grade as a percentage, which is the measurement model railroaders often use. This app works best with the newer iphones which have one perfectly flat side so you can leave the phone on your grade to measure it without having to hold it in place.

iPhone & iPad Apps for European Model Railroaders - PART ONE

With the impending arrival of the Roco Z21 digital system and its tablet based control system we thought we would take a look at some other model railroading related apps for those who own an Apple iPad or iPhone (we will try to cover Android apps at a later date). Click on the titles of each app to go to the Apple app store.

SEPTEMBER 2012 ONLY:  To promote the app, VGB has made all 2010 back issues and some special issues of the magazines available for FREE during September 2012.		Bahn-Kiosk Free app with in-app purchases Bahn_Kiosk is the free mobile app from VGB, the distribution group for MIBA, Eisenbahn Journal and Modelleisenbahner magazines.  The app lets you purchase and read the monthly magazines as well as special issues and other books and publications right on your iOS device. This is a great way to get access to the latest German model railroading publications without have to pay for an expensive overseas subscription. While the magazines are in german, the app is localized for a  english so non-german speakers will still be able to find their way around the app.  All the publications have a preview of the cover, table of contents, and first few pages you can download without cost. The digital magazines cannot be transferred off your device but the app does support printing from iOS.

Using ESU Switchpilots for bi-polar Switch Machines

ESU 51800 Switchpilot

One of our favorite products is the ESU Switchpilot line of accessory DCC/Motorola decoders. The basic ESU Switchpilot (ESU # 51800) can control 4 twin-coil switch machines or 8 electrical loads such as lights, uncoupling tracks etc.  It also comes with two connections for controlling servo motors (which can be used for animation or throwing turnouts). The Switchpilot Servo (ESU # 51820) is the all-servo version of the Switchpilot decoder with only 4 servo connections.  Both versions offer a wealth of programming options that let you completely customize the way the decoders operate. We don't know of any other accessory decoders that feature the wide range of control and customization that the Switchpilot offers.  Additionally ESU also produces the optional Switchpilot Extension (ESU # 51801) which adds 4 twin relay outputs linked to the Switchpilot/Switchpilot Servo 4 main outputs.  These relays are great for isolating electrical loads, polarizing turnout frogs, or any other wiring situation you may encounter.