Rivers and industries take center stage on the HO scale East Troy Industrial Park layout! This episode, David Popp dives into scenery by pouring a murky resin river for an authentic, deep-water appearance. You’ll also learn the math (I was told there would be no math) behind calculating resin volume for irregular shapes. Finally, we […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak has canceled several trains in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest today (Friday, Feb. 6), along with a second day of large-scale cancellations in the Northwest. Canceled today are Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service Nos. 300, 302, 305, and 307; Chicago-Pontiac, Mich., Wolverines Nos. 351, 352, 353, and 354; and Chicago-Quincy, Ill., Illinois Zephyrs […]
MUNSTER, Ind. — One aspect of the Federal Railroad Administration’s certification process for any new passenger route before revenue service begins is to supervise simulated scheduled operations. These replicate actual service except for a lack of passengers. Wednesday and today (Feb. 4-5), Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District personnel began those tests along the 8-mile Monon […]
Facts and features Name: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Aurora Branch Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 15″ x 72″ with 36″ extension Prototype: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Locale: downtown Aurora, Ill. Era: early 1950s Style: shelf Mainline run: 6 feet Minimum radius: none Minimum turnout: No. 4 Maximum grade: none Benchwork: 1∕4″ plywood base with frame (1 […]
You can make the best models in the world, but as soon as you can see the layout room wall behind them, they tend to lose their feeling of realism. Adding a backdrop behind your layout is a great way to extend the miniature world beyond what you’ve modeled. Back in part 2 of our […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak has extended cancellations on a number of Midwestern routes for several days following a week of well-publicized ice storms and heavy snows. Those conditions caused thousands of airline cancellations nationwide, as well as the suspension of the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle for days through the central U.S. [see “Amtrak […]
I grew up in rural northeastern Wisconsin where pickup trucks were (and still are) a common part of the landscape. From farms to small businesses, and downtowns to construction sites, trucks were everywhere. Ford designed the first generation F-100 in 1953 to meet the demand for durable vehicles that could be reliable workhorses, yet comfortable […]
Gerry Leone is goin’ to town… More precisely, the Smithtown site on his HO scale Bona Vista layout efforts to transform a drainage ditch into a scenic river! Watch as he uses clever caliper tricks to make precision-cut abutments, and then shim them for perfect track alignment. You’ll learn how to upgrade plain plastic with […]
BURGESS, Mo. — No injuries were reported after a CPKC grain train was involved in a low-speed collision with a stationary train near the Kansas/Missouri state line on Friday morning (Jan. 30) Missouri State Rep. Ann Kelley wrote in a Facebook post that the collision occurred about 8:30 a.m. Friday in a rural area north […]
HOMEWOOD, Ill. — The village of Homewood, Ill., will spend more than $64,000 to renovate the railfan viewing platform it opened in 2007. At a Jan. 27, 2026, meeting, the village board of trustees approved a $64,456.05 contract with BEAR Construction Co. of Rolling Meadows, Ill. The village had previously budgeted up to $76,000 for […]
Consolidation 2836 steams across a country road at Junction, Ill., with the every-other-day freight between Flora and Shawneetown in September 1954. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
TROY, Mich. — Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business will host “Rails to the Future: 200 Year of Progress, Building What’s Next,” a conference featuring key rail industry officials May 11-13 at the MSU Management Education Center in Troy. Keynote speakers will include Federal Railroad Adminstration Administrator David Fink; Surface Transportation Board […]
