Author: Nate Hoffelder

  • How to Cut Down a Kato 110 chassis so it can be used in place of a 109 chassis

    How to Cut Down a Kato 110 chassis so it can be used in place of a 109 chassis

    Kato sells a line of 2-axle and 4-axle drive chassis. There have been times where I have had to cut down one of the 2-axle chassis (11-110) so I could use it in place of the other (11-109). I jotted down these instructions so I didn’t forget how. BTW, if you want to buy these…

  • Davenport  Switcher

    Davenport Switcher

    When I was at a train show in Suffolk last weekend, I picked up an N scale Davenport 0-6-0 diesel switcher engine for $10. It was made by Atlas, and once it was warmed up it ran rather nicely at around 15% power. I often buy cheap locomotives at train shows as a gamble that…

  • My First Kitbash

    My First Kitbash

    Back in April 2025, when I had been back in the hobby for just a few months, I kitbashed an HO scale van into a railvan.   I took an HO scale minivan and mounted it on a cut down Kato 11-110 chassis. The idea was to make a railvan which had been converted from…

  • ARU Model A4010 0-6-0

    ARU Model A4010 0-6-0

    A few months ago I decided to go nuts and spend over $100 to find out if the ARU Model A4010 0-6-0 Steam chassis was a viable replacement option for the vintage Minitrains 0-4-0T. It is. The attached photos are from the test fitting. The chassis is just small enough to disappear inside. All it…