If you love traveling around the country on the rails like I do, you probably want to know how to model modern Amtrak passenger train consists. Amtrak’s consists vary between regions and train-by-train. For instance, there is a height limit in the New York City area so any train going in or out of New […]
I always wanted to build a Sinclair gas station. As a kid, I remembered a Sinclair gas station in Pennsylvania with a large dinosaur statue on the front of the building. You had to walk through its legs to get inside. I wanted a similar style of structure for my garden railroad. I started with […]
Industries in northern Ohio: The track and buildings are relatively level, but the walking area follows the contour of the ground. The entrance at the east is the highest, with the track and buildings being about one foot higher than the path. As you proceed to the west end, the path descends a little, so […]
I love Lego, and I love trains. When I first saw the SoundTraxx Blunami decoder being demonstrated inside a Lego locomotive at Trainfest, I knew that I had to install my own decoder in a Lego locomotive. What you’ll need Obviously, you will need a locomotive. Trains.com producer Ben Lake donated his Lego Creator No. […]
Model railroad layout photography tips: Taking great shots of your layout has never been easier. Digital single lens reflex cameras or even the camera in your cell phone take a lot of the guesswork out of photography, if you know what you’re doing. This article will focus on the basics of photography, so that you […]
For many, particularly those with limited space, having model trains means that the trains will in some way intersect with everyday life. Obviously, if you live by yourself, this can look like whatever you want it to be. I’ve known single model railroaders who have taken train décor to the ultimate level, filling every available […]
Explore Gregg Condon’s HO scale (1:87.1) model railroad based on 1950s-era Milwaukee Road operations along the Shullsburg Branch in Wisconsin! You’ll enjoy following the action over the rails, plus all the realistic scenes, structures, and details modeled around and about the right-of-way. All of this is a pre-cursor to even more in-depth coverage of the […]
Malcolm Furlow’s waterfall modeling technique: Malcolm Furlow’s article presented here originally ran in the August 1980 issue of Model Railroader magazine. While many of the brands Malcolm used in the article are no longer available, most all the products have modern substitutes, allowing a modeler to still complete similar projects. As a case in point, […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Multi-talented artist and model railroader Malcolm Furlow demonstrates techniques for simulating metal oxidation and corrosion on styrene parts. He then turns to aging plaster and plastic components used to represent masonry. And if that’s not enough, Malcolm also shares a few additional […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Malcolm Furlow, a multi-talented artist and MR mainstay in the 1980s, shares his techniques for distressing, scraping, sanding, and staining wood used in model railroading projects. […]
An aerial view from the 1940s shows the roundhouse for Cincinnati Union Terminal, opened in 1933. Marsh Photographic Studios photo […]
If you’re like me, you love riding Amtrak and modeling the trains you have ridden. But scale passenger equipment can get expensive, especially if you add lights and figures. The first two Amtrak cars that I got were Superliner coach and diner cars; I thought I needed to save up for a whole train. This […]
