With all the cool stuff that I have seen using the cricut machine, An idea hit me. Why not try to make detail parts. I have an old Athearn bluebox caboose that has those old end rails, so I thought about making the end rails closer to what is on the more modern cars. I started by scanning the end railing off a Walthers International caboose. Then using  paint.net I modified the image to fit the Athearn car. Then using Inkscape I saved the file in the svg format needed by Cricut.

I have been updating scenery and track work on my EK subdivision. This is the front area of my scrap yard. After 7 years, updating was necessary. Static grass wa snot used originally, but does seem to add a lot.  And yes, since I model the 90's..that old truck needs some rust !!

I created a calculator for estimating tonnage ratings for my locomotives. This is spreadsheet based (open office).  Using the estimator is fairly simple. If you know the actual  draw bar pull of your loco , enter that number. There is also an estimator at the bottom if you only know engine weight. 

Next is the Average car weight on ounces. I suppose it could be grams, as long as units are kept the same throughout.

This is an advertiser on MRH that I have made purchases from in the past.(modelrrsupply.com) Recently the post office lost a package and really were clueless. I had been in touch with Bryan about the missing package and had said he would make sure I got what I ordered. During our conversation he mentioned he wasn't sure anyone else had seen his ad on MRH.

Have you noticed that sound decoders drive people nuts over time? I have noticed this at my club where those things really add up on the decibels. A while back when I started adding sound to my locomotives at home, I knew I didn't want that much sound.

It seems time and time again there are how to articles online that reference this. The most mentioned cure... the mute button. It seems many forget that the volume can be adjusted to acceptable levels.

If you are like me and need to put numbers on number boards and get frustrated with decals try this. I print the number boards using paint.net ( like photoshop) I keep a blank image and type in the unit number. copy and paste and print. 

This is how they look when printed ( not the best pics, but you get the idea)

using an exacto knife cut them out.

I brought this up in another thread so I thought I would share it here where it might be seen better. I use Stretch Magic (SM)as an alternative to fiber optics for my LED lighting. I found that the 1.5mm clear fits nicely into the light hole in my locomotives. I tested this in an old Athearn blue box (pictured). The technique I used was the same as if using fiber optics. (SM and LED connected with heat shrink tubing). I also tested it in a run of 5 inches. I could not see any difference in light output. The longest piece I use in my lighting is about 1 inch, so it was perfect.