Railroading makes surface of work flatter, improves floss coverage, and some say it maximizes light reflected by floss.

A short cut is to railroad only half of stitch that lies on top, as this is one that is seen most clearly, although some stitchers say that they can see bottom leg of stitch clearly, too.

If you are unsure whether or not to do it, try an experiment. Do a row or two of "unrailroaded" and some of "full railroaded." You'll see a definite difference. Now do a row of "half railroaded." What do you think? Is there enough of a difference to merit extra time?

If you are using blended floss (2 colors) I don’t think it matters what side of needle either of color is on, and it doesn’t need to be consistent. It only matters that it’s flat.

And if you're doing satin stitch or bargello or some other stitch which has long stitches, your work will definiately be better if you railroad.

I encourage everyone of you to write down your car's setup info. It's not only useful, but it will multiply how much fun you get outta your RC cars, trucks, and buggies. Heck, this little tip works on real life stuff as well.

There is one more use for this very important RC tool, and that is to write down your lap times. In order to improve and gauge your racing level, you need to be aware of your lap times. Most racing clubs can print out a copy of days races for you or post them to thier club website, but to really measure your success, you should keep a log of how you do from week to week. If you do, I promise you, you will find a whole new appreciation of RC cars hobby. You will find your mind focusing and aware of ways to improve, such as cornering better, or controlling your throttle just right. It really comes down to way human mind works. When it focuses on a goal, it tends to make make strides in that direction subconsciously. So take my advice... write it down and measure.

If you are looking for more information on how to drive and wrench your RC cars better, you can download my ebook, The RC Insider's Unfair Advantage Radio Controlled Car Secrets Guide, at now at: http://www.rccarsecretsguide.com