MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 14 — Plethra o’ projects

Model Railroader video Plus Underground Week 14

Judging from the stack of stuff on David’s MRVP Underground workbench, he’s gonna need to work fast to cover all of those projects! But given time and motivation to stay busy, you can bet he’ll jump right into several modeling, weathering, and kitbuilding efforts in this episode. […]

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MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 11 — A virtual guest

Model Railroader Video Plus Underground Week 11

David has a guest? A virtual guest, that is. But he’s certainly no stranger to MRVP! By way of virtual meeting software, Off The Rails host Gerry Leone checks out the Underground action, lets us know about his new layout progress, and even offers up a great tip. […]

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Keep garden railroad buildings dry

scene of structures on a garden railway

It is difficult to keep garden railroad buildings dry. We have all spent hours constructing fine models of buildings for our railroads. Depending on your climate, they are not out long before they start to decay. More and more modelers are turning to plastic composite materials to build with, but certain plastic materials can be […]

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An easy Halloween project for your O gauge railroad

Halloween scene on toy train layout

An easy Halloween project for your O gauge railroad is sprucing up a store-bought holiday item to add to your layout. With a few supplies, you can complete this project. It’s appropriate for all skill levels, too, so the kids can help! While browsing the Halloween section at Menards, my husband found some fun décor […]

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Five modeling ideas from a General Electric Dash 9-44CW

Photo of six-axle road locomotive on sunny day

Five modeling ideas from a General Electric Dash 9-44CW: In late June 2022, my wife, kids, and I visited my brother- and mother-in-law in Milbank, S.D. The parsonage they live in conveniently overlooks the BNSF Railway Appleton Subdivision, which runs between its namesake in Minnesota and Aberdeen, S.D. When I woke up on the morning […]

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Remove leaf debris from trestles to keep trains running

Remove leaf debris from trestles: model trestles with leaves

In the fall, it seems all I do is remove leaf debris from trestles. If you have trestles on your railroad, you have probably noticed how they can become excellent leaf traps. Most of my main line is located under trees, and as a result I get piles of leaves. Often, I need to use […]

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The HO scale Eastern Loggers exhibition layout

Drawing of a logging railroad trackplan

Facts & features Name: The Eastern Loggers Scale: HO (1:87) in standard, narrow (3-foot), and dual gauges Size: 10 x 20 feet Prototypes: Pennsylvania logging railroads Locale: mountains of Pennsylvania Era: summer, early 1920s Style: sectional Mainline run: 60 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 6 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: […]

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A small S gauge layout with big ideas

A small S gauge layout

A small S gauge layout can give a lot of play value. For proof, check out John Mansueto’s layout in the November-December 2022 issue. It’s like many of the compact O and S gauge layouts spotlighted in Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces, the 2021 special issue from Classic Toy Trains. Spare bedrooms, garage stalls, […]

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