Here are some of the model railroading resources we have found most useful:
Caboose – formerly Caboose Hobbies, the world’s largest (and greatest) model train store, located in Denver. Moved to Lakewood in 2016 and renamed Caboose.
Track Planning for Realistic Operation: Prototype Railroad Concepts for Your Model Railroad (3rd Edition) by John Armstrong – the bible for track layout and a very interesting read on how railroads are built and operated.
National Model Railroad Association standards – standards for model railroad trains including scale, trains, track, and digital command control (DCC).
Norms of European Model Railroads – Easements – one of the better descriptions of how to design and lay out easements (the transition between a radial curve and straight track or a reverse curve). This is a relatively simple concept, but most literature on the topic is impossible to follow.
AnyRail – model railway design tool.
Woodland Scenics – manufacturer of SubTerrain lightweight layout system, and scenery products.
Wiring for DCC – excellent site by Allan Gartner on all electrical and wiring aspects of model railroads, particularly DCC.
Technical Aspects of Model Railroading – lots of excellent pictures; very useful as a reference while reading Wiring for DCC as it follows many of Allan Gartner’s guidelines and practices.
Atlas Model Railroad Co. – manufacturer of track and switches being used.
Lunde Studios – manufacturer of highly detailed buildings in HO and N scale.
Small Model Railroads – site with useful content on all aspects of model railroads.
Martin & Rose – another site with useful content on model railroad construction.
Here are some interesting histories of railroads:
Royal Gorge Route Railroad – 12 miles of this fabled route through the Royal Gorge in Colorado are still in operation; the Santa Express operates here from mid-November through the end of December.