Realistic Model Railroad Operation (Layout Design and Planning) Paperback – November 29, 2013

This is a thin, magazine sized paperback and I didn't expect much out of it. However, there's so much detail here, two weeks later I'm still working through it. While it's still more of an overview than a detailed manual, Koester packs in examples and enough text to give you a very good start on making your railroad operational. There's a very little bit to discuss solo operations, but this is targeted mostly at the norm of group operations.There's a lot inside of a thin book, but make no mistake about it, this is still an overview and a jumping off point. Don't expect this to be everything there is about operations. It's 96 pages with photos and diagrams, it's more advice and less a recipe book or operation manual. You'll still need to do some research into your prototypes to get full realistic operation, but at least this helps you figure out the questions you need to ask and some advice on solving the problems of adapting real life activities to a model.

This book is not or the faint-hearted. It could easily put some to sleep.That being said ...If you want to model actual operations like they did on the real railroads then this is the book for you!Tony steps you through different ways of operation on the real railroads and how to apply those things to the model railroad. One good example is using hand signals between switch men, conductor and engineer in the yard. None of us have room to swing a lantern as they do on the real railroads, but Tony shows how to mimic those lantern movements with hand and finger gestures that won't have you swinging your arms around wildly knocking over scenery in the process.If you want to model operations on your model railroad this is the must-have book on the subject!

Great read for model trains. This will help you get ideas and make think of things to use

Great layout information and run plans.

I'm always dismayed when I see ninety whatever pages. But then I really want to read it and I want to support MR so I buy it. This one is well worth the money, as is most everything from this author.

As with all of Tony Koester's stuff, it mostly deals with earlier era railroading, not much modern era info. Needs to be updated to include more modern / current operations. Detailed information if you are modeling an era prior to 1960's, after that and current era 2000's or later, not so much.

Great product, was delivered on time and the item was as described.

Another in a series of How to Books Presented by Model Railroader and Kalmbach!!!! This gives you an idea about how model railroad ops are supposed to work!

I'm a big fan of Tony Koester and the content of this book didn't disappoint; however the print quality did. It turned out to be a print in demand facsimilie of the original book. The pictures weren't up to the usual Kalmbach high standard, which was a shame. I have kept the book as I bought it for the words, but I am disappointed that Amazon didn't tell me that it wasnt an original print. I may well have bought it anyway, but for the time being I'll buy from the publishers directly.

THis book has been around "forever", but it is still by far "the best". It does a good job of explaining how real railroads work, and does it at just the right "level" of language and detail. Very highly recommended.

My father loves trains and is setting up a train layout in his basement. He needed understanding of the operations of train layouts. He enjoyed the book and found it useful with the texts and photos.

Inhaltlich voll in Ordnung - aber Druckqualität ungenügend: blasse Bilder, billiges (dickes) Papier. Das bin ich von allen bisherigen Heften dieser Reihe anders gewohnt.

Lots of good info and helpful tips