Free software available online, such as Sketchup, can be used to design models that are produced by 3-D printing services like Shapeways. Alex Marchand followed this path to model a CSX class U-13 phosphate hopper in N scale. When I was in high school in the late ’90s, I saw a TV show that ran […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page The command control sound effects offered on many new locomotive models are far more than just “cool” features. As Model Railroader magazine’s contributing editor Andy Sperandeo demonstrates in this video, the bell and whistle sounds can be used in a prototypical manner to […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page MR Contributing editor Tony Koester makes his point – point rails that is! In this video installment, Tony demonstrates how to add the movable points, a switch rod, and guardrails on the turnout he’s built for MRVP’s HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound layout. […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page MR contributing editor Tony Koester now has all the essential components of the handlaid trackwork installed. In this video, David Popp takes up the effort to add a Blue Point switch control, cut gaps in the rail to isolate the frog, and then […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Tony Koester continues with final preparations before he starts adding rails to the turnout on MRVP’s HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound layout. In this video you’ll see Tony’s techniques for spiking and gauging the rails, building a frog, plus a quick tip for testing […]
Author Rob Foreman described how he scratchbuilt an 1870s-era railroad water tower from stripwood and styrene in the August 2015 Model Railroader. Get inspired to try a scratchbuilding project on your model railroad. […]
Three colors of paint, an airbrush, and a couple of hours is all MRVP’s David Popp needed to enhance three different types of N scale diesel locomotives with realistic weathering effects. In this video, David shows the paints and airbrushing techniques required to give the Red Oak N scale units, or practically any other diesel […]
1. Hardy African iceplant makes a great groundcover, here blooming in late May. On the right is Angelina stonecrop, with yellow-green leaves, rising to 4-5″ tall. (All photos were taken on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad unless noted.) Photos by the author Don Parker 2. This small, yellow-flowering stonecrop (probably Sedum acer ‘Aureum’) is […]
1. White moss thyme (Thymus praecox ‘Albiflorus’), 1-2″ in height, with tiny white blooms in June, trails over the water’s edge. No need to trim this thyme, with the possible exception of shearing old growth in early spring. Two months beyond blooming thyme, Dan Saporito left a few gray twigs in place to give it […]
Name: Tehachapi Subdivision Scale: N (1:160) Size: 11 x 13 feet Prototype: Southern Pacific RR and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. Locale: Tehachapi Pass and Modesto in California Era: early summer 1995 Style: island Benchwork: L-girder Height: 38″ to 48″ Roadbed: cork Track: code 80 flextrack Mainline run: 75 feet Minimum radius: 17″ (main […]
Name: All American Railroads Scale: S (1:64) Size: 20 x 24 feet Theme: freelanced Locale: generic North America Era: 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 116 feet Minimum radius: 42″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: 42″ Roadbed: cork on plywood Track: Shinohara code 100 Scenery: drywall compound over extruded-foam insulation board […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page MR contributing editor Tony Koester continues handlaying a turnout on MRVP’s HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound layout. In this episode, Tony shows how to sand, prep, and stain the wood ties prior to installing the rail. […]
