How Atlas Model Trains Became Famous

by Ferdinand Emy

Just like many other companies in the model train industry, the story of atlas model trains is a story of resourcefulness, entrepreneurship, and hard work, mixed with a passion for a hobby that produced a company that grew larger than what anybody would have envisioned at the onset.

Origin of atlas model trains goes back to the early decades of the twentieth century, when Stephan Schaffan Sr. established what would become atlas model trains. Back then, it was a tool company, and not a model train company and Stephan Schaffan sr. Was so ridden with insufficient human resources that he had his son Stephan Schaffan Jr. Came and aided him with the business.

Stephan Schaffan Jr. Wasn’t happy with the money that he gained at his dads business (that is if he earned anything at all). He was a young and inventive man who liked machinery. He would go after work and built model airplanes at his house. There was a local airplane model shop where he inhabited, and he would visit it ofttimes. He applied to pester the possessor by asking for a side job that he could do to gain extra money, to which the possessor would always deny him.

Notwithstanding, one day, the possessor of the store grew so lethargic of Stephan Jr.’s incessant and badgering requests that he gave him a large quantity of old railroads and model trains that he didn’t want to use anymore, in the hopes that Stephan would go away and leave him for crying out loud.

Little did he know that these old railroad tracks and models that he discarded so without apparent effort would finally become what today is known as atlas model trains.

Stephan Jr. Went back home and worked on those trains. Being an inventive and intellectual young man, he designed a switch set, which would become the staple of atlas model trains, and that allowed the user to commence and stop the trains by manipulating the voltage on the tracks.

Thereafter, Stephan Jr. made more productions which made the constitution grow even more, while his fathers business started to look little in comparison. someplace along the line, the first name was dropped and the constitution took the name of atlas model railroad, because most people know it by the name atlas model trains.

Now with atlas model trains officially existing, Stephan created assorted gimmicks that saved work for the persons who relished the model train hobby. example, he created pre-assembles’ tracks, that saved his clients the problem of assembling it themselves. generally his innovations made track assembling much having little impact. Atlas model trains is today one of the known names in the industry. because Stephen Jr. is no longer alive, atlas model trains and his bequest made model trains a much more accessible hobby for train lovers.

About the Author:
Ferdinand is the author of the book: Introduction To Hobby Trains get an insight into this lovable world of hobby for people of all ages.

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July 3rd, 2009 | Posted in hobbies | No Comments

Landscape Designing For Your Model Railroad

<div style=’font-style:italic;’ class=’byline’>by Bill Murphy</div>

Obtaining all your supplies is just the start when it comes to model railroading. The next step is to do the landscaping with the help of foam spacers. They can be shaped to the design you’d like and then sealed with a fiberglass or hardener to protect them. A wire frame can be used to reinforce a larger landscape and some modelers will even bring in sand, dirt or stone for a more realistic look.

It is worth noting that the addition of real-life materials can actually diminish the authentic look that you may be trying to achieve because of the extra texture that is added. Most of the dirt isn’t fine enough to give the look of “earth” in a miniature unless it is coated with a finer powder or dust. You will need to keep the scale in perspective and work up to the tallest items such as mountains. This will help to form the valleys and lakes or stream areas to make them seem more natural.

After doing the base, you can start to have a little fun. By painting all the surfaces, you will cover any extra glue and then you can begin to start to place items like stones and coverings. You can stipple on some grass with a fine brush to make it seem a little more realistic being careful to plan as you go.

For instance if you are going to have a lake or pond place a narrow lake bed of earth around it and have a ragged edge encroaching onto this rather then taking the grass all the way to the waters’ edge. In real-life ebbs and erosion will cause the bank to be washed away and tree roots to be exposed etc. ” planning to emulate this will add a realistic touch that even the most demanding of viewers will comment on.

The easiest way to add the track is to just glue it down. The most realistic way is to make a bed of crushed rock and add wooden beams but this is very time consuming and not very common. You can even find software that will help you with your design and layout. Be careful to keep in mind that there will be maintenance and you will need to be able to access your tracks for cleaning and repairing at later times.

The last step is to create the “vignettes” or small scenes. This is when the imagination of the model railroaders really can really make the layout come to life by creating the tiny scenes.

Having the right theme for your city or train station is as crucial as keeping the right scale. You have the option of erecting the houses and buildings yourself or buying them already done and just placing them correctly. The human eye is capable of detecting even minute differences so staying true to scale is important in keeping the layout realistic.

Landscaping involves so much more but you’re probably anxious to put on your engineer cap and start planning your project. Start by turning on the light and enjoying yourself!

<div class=’resource’><div style=’font-style:italic;’ class=’about’>About the Author:</div>

<div class=’links’>One of the most important parts of your landscape – that’s also one of the hardest to make look real – is <a href=”http://www.themodelrailroader.com/landscaping/how-to-model-water-on-your-model-railroad-layout/”>model railroad water</a>. Get some helpful tips for creating realistic water at <a href=”http://www.themodelrailroader.com”>TheModelRailroader.com</a></div></div>

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July 2nd, 2009 | Posted in models | No Comments

Radio Controlled Model Aircraft – Learning How To Fly One With Ease

<div style=’font-style:italic;’ class=’byline’>by Paul Mancini</div>

Radio controlled planes make an interesting hobby for a lot of people. These small airplanes have the ability to conduct verycomplex maneuvers in the air, similar to their full-sized brethren. Many of these airplanes can be flown in a large garden or at the local park.

RC planes come in a whole variety of styles. Most of them are modeled on the design of large aircraft. Of late special RC planes have been made to mimic jet aircraft. Some are light in weight while others heavier – with heavier models generally requiring more technique to fly them properly.

Though more tiny than their real counterparts, radio controlled model airplanes can perform many of the maneuvers of the regular plane. They are remotely controlled by radio and are generally bought with instructions on how best to fly them.

It is actually quite simple to fly radio controlled model planes. You can learn some excellent flying tips from local clubs, periodicals and books. One good  place to begin the process of learning how to fly model aircraft is through the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The AMA can provide you with hundreds of tutorials on how to fly various types of radio controlled model airplanes. They also have tutorials for more advanced flying techniques, such as the maneuvers that will blow away your friends, and bring more enjoyment to your pastime. The AMA publishes a weekly periodical to help you keep abreast of RC plane information. Another huge benefit from joining the AMA is that you are offered insurance with your subscription, and updates on radio control model planes events throughout the USA.

If you’d like to learn about flying radio controlled planes on your own, you will first need to get acquainted with the different parts of the model.

The fuselage is the main body of the aircraft. It is the part to which everything else attaches. The wings provide the lift that the aircraft needs to fly. They could be found at the sides of the aircraft. The elevators control the elevation or altitude. By manipulating them you can make the aircraft go up or down. The ailerons will cause the plane to roll over. They are located on both wings. The rudder will control direction of the plane depending on the direction in which they are pulled.

You should also know that there are 4 forces that act on the RC model airplane – the lift that keeps the aircraft in mid air, gravity that wants to pull it down, thrust that moves it ahead, and drag that reduces the velocity of the airplane.

You’re probably wondering which aircraft is the easiest to start flying with? We would recommend starting with those marked ‘Ready to Fly’. These planes come as the complete model with pre-installed radio and servos, and are quite literally ‘ready to fly’ right out of the box.

As a newbie, it is also best to start with electric engine aircraft. They easy to pilot, and all you need to do is to charge the radio and batteries for a flight. Once they get discharged you simply recharge for your next flight. If you are intent on flying in a smaller space you should consider ‘mini’ versions  – these are very tiny and have the ability to easily take off and land in smaller areas. These ones can also be flown at  low altitudes and are suitable for enclosed spaces.

<div class=’resource’><div style=’font-style:italic;’ class=’about’>About the Author:</div>

<div class=’links’>Paul is a national correspondent with more than fifteen years editorial experience. Paul is currently engaged as a columnist for fuzing.com, and is considered the resident guru on <a href=”http://www.fuzing.com/qrx/radio-controlled-planes” title=”Radio Controlled Planes”>Radio Controlled Planes</a> and <a href=”http://www.fuzing.com/qrx/radio-controlled-airplane” title=”Radio Controlled Airplane”>Radio Controlled Airplane</a>.</div></div>

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July 1st, 2009 | Posted in hobbies, models | 1 Comment