Extra Board
Welcome to Extra Board! This section is updated periodically with short features contributed by our readers, as well as some recent favorites straight from the pages of the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette. Check back as we continue to add new articles!
Locomotives of the White Pass & Yukon Route, Part 1: Alaskaʼs First Locomotives
The first locomotives to arrive in the Alaska Territory were built in 1881 by the Brooks Locomotive Works for the Utah & Northern Railway, before coming to the White Pass & Yukon.
Hobo Haven: A Shelter in Place Project
A run-down wooden boxcar becomes a haven for the down and out. Chuck Lind describes how he scratchbuilt this unusual model in O scale.
The West Side Lumber Co. in Sn3: Part 1
My primary goal was to construct a lay-out that would capture the “flavor” of the prototype West Side Lumber Co., but not be another “boring logging layout.”
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 537: A 1:20.3 Scale Three-Foot Gauge 2-8-0
Burlington 2-8-0 537 had outside frames with brake rods exposed under the driver counter-weights, a long smoke box, Burlington-style cuckoo clock headlight, and a bear trap spark arrester.
Building a White Pass & Yukon Railroad Pipe Flatcar in HOn3
In anticipation of hauling materials for the potential construction of a major pipeline originating from Alaska’s northern oil fields, the White Pass & Yukon Railroad rebuilt a flatcar to accommodate enormous 80-foot-long sections of 56-inch diameter pipe.
Colorado & Southern Business Car B-3 in On30
After purchasing a set of exquisite custom-made castings some years ago, I finally decided the time had come to build Colorado & Southern Business Car B-3.
Buffalo Creek & Gauley’s Dundon Shops in S Scale
It was in Dundon that the standard gauge Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad had what employees called the “Dundon Shops” where equipment was maintained and repaired.
Urban Narrow Gauge: Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn in HOn3
I was amazed to discover that between 1875 and 1940 the three-foot gauge Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad had its East Boston terminal barely a stone’s throw away from my first apartment in this area.
Long Leaf Sawmill in O Scale
I had already decided that my sawmill was to be a model of the prototype at Long Leaf, La. I was familiar with this sawmill, because I have been a long-time member of the board of the Southern Forest Heritage Museum, where the sawmill is located.
Adventures in 3D Printing
Taking advantage of 3D printing services offered by Shapeways makes it possible to create detailed custom models. Jack Burgess shows how he used modern techniques to create a convincing model of a Yosemite Valley side-dump car.
