In this Sidetrack Series departure from the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park Project Railroad, you’ll learn how to use brass wire and flat bar to create durable, small-diameter brackets and tension wires for the scratchbuilt generator structures. Throughout the demo, Eric shows viewers how to use specialized tools, including wire nippers and metal-bending […]
The initial segment of the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout edges closer to completion! In this episode, you’ll see how Cody Grivno and David Popp refine roadway detail and paint a touch of earth-tone color over the plaster covered terrain. Be sure to keep up with the construction progress by linking […]
In this episode covering the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout, the construction crew dives into adding scenery and details. They first demonstrate techniques for shaping and smoothing scenes representative of rolling Wisconsin terrain. And then you’ll see the process for adding a grade crossing where the road meets the rails. Be sure […]
Open houses, whether at model railroad clubs or private home layouts, offer fantastic opportunities to connect with fellow modelers and share the hobby. It’s also a joy to see what makes a layout tick and how one differs from another. While hosting an open house requires careful planning — as Arlan Tietel thoroughly explains in […]
Host David Popp shows viewers how to build realistic scenery around the high embankments of the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout. In this instructional video, you’ll learn how to use foam board, packing peanuts, and plaster cloth to create a durable base for additional ground cover and fine scenery materials. It […]
Enthusiasts of railroad engineering will enjoy this helpful, instruction episode, which details how to build and install bridges and abutments on a model train layout. Following the Canadian National prototype, this video focuses on a 70-foot single-track deck girder bridge and a 30-foot single-track through girder bridge. Learn how to properly use a Walthers bridge […]
This article was originally published in the November 2002 issue of Model Railroader. Hosting an open house is a great way for model railroaders to share the hobby with others. But coordinating one that people will never forget requires not only good planning, but practice. In the past two decades, I’ve hosted several open houses, […]
Retired Model Railroader Managing Editor Jim Kelly remains active in honing his N scale skills and craftsmanship. The result has been the fourth incarnation of his Tehachapi Pass layout. Set in 1985, both the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and Southern Pacific traverse the 2% grade between Bakersfield and Tehachapi, Calif., with the famous Tehachapi […]
Follow Model Railroader magazine Editor Eric White as he demonstrates how to scratchbuild generators for the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park Project Railroad. Using manufactured shipping containers as a guide, Eric constructs the generator structures using .040″ styrene sheets. He details the process of cutting and assembling the frame for the units, and […]
Trains.com staff members David Popp and Cody Grivno share their techniques for install printed backdrops on the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout. They use SceniKing paper backdrops and unique craft scissors to seamlessly blend printed scenes—including a river, barn, and tree line—into the painted sky. All of that, plus more scenery […]
Watch David Popp demonstrate his technique for sliding into a scene — it’s a slippery slope, as he creates realistic rolling hillsides and drainage ditches using foam material and Sculptamold! Elsewhere on the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout, Bryson and Cody showcase a new 3D-printed resin depot. All of that, plus […]
Donald Haney shares video of the overhead layout he built for his infant son. Get instructions and a diagram in the Fall 2025 issue of Classic Toy Trains! […]
