Model Train Media | PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale | Activity

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: It’d officially been 6 months since i started working on […]

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 18:57:20 +0200

It’d officially been 6 months since i started working on this layout. Progress has been rather slower than I’d hoped due to other stuff clogging up my time. At long last, though, I’ve begun an essential step in scenery—Ballasting.

Im using Woodland scenics gray blend fine ballast. Its a tad bit lighter than the ballast generally is in the…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: Its been a hot minute since the last update of my […]

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:01:09 +0200

Its been a hot minute since the last update of my layout. Well, there isn’t much to report on the layout itself (though I hope to begin ballasting very soon). However, I hae acquired a new locomotive that doesn’t quite match the theme, but is very cool all the same.

I told myself my next locomotive would be steam, and pre-ordered some Great…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: A few weeks back, I decided I was tired of running […]

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 20:10:04 +0100

A few weeks back, I decided I was tired of running club equipment at the club layout and decided to get my own DCC stuff. Up to this point, all my locomotives were standard DC. That would soon change.

I selected 2 of my favorite locomotives—A BN SD40-2 and a BNSF SD70ACe, both Kato—to be upgraded first. I ordered TCS K1D4 decoders. The decoder…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: Right off the bat when planning this layout, I knew I […]

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 23:04:53 +0100

Right off the bat when planning this layout, I knew I wanted a turntable and roundhouse. Consequently, the turntable was the first purchade i made for the layout. It is an old Walthers Cornerstone kit. I dont know when exactly it was produced, but copyright information on the packaging and instructions indicate its at least 30 years old.

The kit…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: A yard isn't much of a yard without spots for […]

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 04:26:33 +0100

A yard isn’t much of a yard without spots for locomotive maintenance, storage, and refueling. In my yard, those tracks have been nick-named the “interior yard track.” These interior tracks will be the last track laid on the layout until it is time to begin the second half. Funnily enough, they were the first pieces added to the original track…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: For this layout, I needed independent control of 3 […]

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 05:21:17 +0100

For this layout, I needed independent control of 3 separate blocks—The 2 mainlines, and the yard. I couldn’t find any commercially available 3-way controllers on the market, so I decided to build one, as opposed to buying3 different controllers, which would ultimately have cost more (although make no mistake: This was not rock-bottom cheap).…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: In my previous post, I briefly mentioned how I will be […]

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 22:43:40 +0100

In my previous post, I briefly mentioned how I will be using PC connectors as quick disconnects so i can easily detach my control station from the layout.

To build on that, I figured I’d make a post regarding the control station itself.

I started with a roughly 2 x 2 1/2 foot piece of 5-ply plywood i had laying around. I then drilled two holes in…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: The last day of 2025, I finally got around to starting […]

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:34:03 +0100

The last day of 2025, I finally got around to starting the wiring on the layout. On December 31st, I ran the the buses for the double mainlines. Each bus consists of 2 16AWG wires—1 red, 1 black. They run through little holes drilled in the 1x4s on the underside of the table. I also connected the first PC connector that will be used as…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: Once all the switches were installed, I was able to […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 19:08:39 +0100

Once all the switches were installed, I was able to finish permanent work on the mainlines, which consisted of only a few sections on the northern end of the yard. But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to run trains continuously, which wasn’t possible since I’m only building one half of the layout at the moment. That is, until I set up a…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: The previous post discussed the caboose industries […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:03:17 +0100

The previous post discussed the caboose industries ground throws on my layout, with a particular emphasis on #206S (the beside-switch variant). 5 of the switches on my layout are too far from the edge to comfortably reach with my arm, and therefore, I needed some other way to flip them. Caboose Industries had a solution, with their #105R…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: All the switches on my layout (for now, at least), […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:53:21 +0100

All the switches on my layout (for now, at least), are utilizing Caboose Industries ground throws. These ground throws are small, relatively inexpensive (in comparison to motorized switch machines) mechanisms that function similar to actual switch levers. The majority of the switches on the layout use #206S. This model features internal…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: Before I could finish the mainlines (at least, finish […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:42:18 +0100

Before I could finish the mainlines (at least, finish them as much as I could considering this is only half the layout), I had to lay switches. This was a pretty quick & easy process. Once I figured out where the switch needed to go, I placed two drops of glue—one at the end of the switch and another underneath the frog—and lay the…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: One of the major design features of the yard is […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:31:54 +0100

One of the major design features of the yard is the 180-degree curve that will eventually run around the roundhouse. There is no roundhouse yet, but I have nick-named it Roundhouse curve nonetheless.

I soldered 2 full-length (30″) sections of flex track together for each of the 3 tracks going around the curve. The first piece of track, which…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: One of the most important sections of track on the layout […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:16:40 +0100

One of the most important sections of track on the layout is the crossover between the double mainlines that is placed front-and-center on the layout. I toyed around with the placement of this crossover for a while before choosing this spot, since it will allow trains to come out of the reversing loop in the yard and move straight to the…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: Almost 3 weeks elapsed between the completion of the […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 04:23:19 +0100

Almost 3 weeks elapsed between the completion of the cork, and the start of laying track. This was because I had precious little time to work on hobby stuff throughout the month of November. December 1st, 2025, I finally lay the first piece of track. It was a 30″ piece of the yard lead, glued down using DAP Apex Plus siliconized caulk, clear.…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: Following the completion of the benchwork, I began […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 04:13:46 +0100

Following the completion of the benchwork, I began laying the cork roadbed. This process began on October 29th, 2025, when I drew lines with a sharpie, indicating where the track would go. The next day, I lay the first piece of cork, and for the next dozen days, that was all I did. I am using Midwest brand N scale cork roadbed that is glued…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: The layout has already been under construction for 4 […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 04:05:32 +0100

The layout has already been under construction for 4 months, so the first posts will be making up lost time.

The first month (October 2025) started out with Benchwork construction. Lots of time on my hands, an affinity for working with tools, and ADHD-fueled hyper fixation allowed me to complete this task in just 9 days, start to finish…

Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale: This post consists of a rather large lore drop for […]

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 05:57:21 +0100

This post consists of a rather large lore drop for the fictional railroad that will occupy my layout. There is quite a bit of creative liberties taken with the lore, including some re-writing of history.

The PC&NP is a fictional North Dakota-based class 2 railroad founded in 2010 by the merging of three Class 3 railroads—The Pioneer Central and…