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 […]
In this episode, David Popp builds out a river with rapids and waterfalls for his Olympia & Sand Creek On30 logging layout. He gets things started by sharing his proven method for installing styrene dams to contain the resin “water” pour. Next, David focuses on creating the riverbed with a mix of sand, rock, and earth. […]
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 […]
Menards O rail maintenance office Scale: O (1:48) Price: $49.99 Manufacturer: Menards, 5106 Menard Dr., Eau Claire, WI 54703; menards.com/trains Menards O rail maintenance office features: Factory-assembled scene Factory-installed figures, barrels, cans, crates, ladder, and railroad ties Includes small Cripple Creek & Western Rail Maintenance sign on left side of boxcar and large logo on right […]
Gerry Leone, host of Spaces to Places, works along the streets of Westcott, a Bona Vista HO scale layout town site he thought was previously “finished.” Here, he shows how to add a key missing element – telephone poles (aka utility/power/line poles)! Follow along, and you’ll see Gerry’s process for building, painting, and installing the […]
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 […]
From its 1859 charter to the 1995 merger into BNSF Railway, the history and size of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway made it a powerhouse in Class I railroading. Because of its overall popularity, modelers will find it easy to source the necessary materials to create a stunning representation of the iconic railroad. […]
In this episode of Spaces to Places, host Gerry Leone focuses on the final details of the yard and roundhouse area on his HO scale (1:87.1) Bona Vista model railroad. He begins by placing background buildings and uses a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees to cover a hole in the backdrop. After ballasting all […]
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 […]
Scenes on David Popp’s Olympia & Sand Creek On30 logging layout are starting look much more rustic…and realistic too! Follow along as David share his techniques for adding trees, detailed ground cover, and even placing a few authentic figures into the scene. View the complete Olympia series exclusively on Trains.com Video! […]
Host David Popp continues to make progress on the roadway scenery he started in Episode 17 of the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout series. In this episode, David shares techniques for working with the foam material he selected to create sloped landforms along the inclined roadway. Then it’s back to the […]
