In this March 2026 episode of Cody’s Office, Senior Editor Cody Grivno explores a fresh lineup of products, including the Broadway Limited Imports HO scale (1:87) theater car and Athearn’s N scale (1:160) 52-foot mill gondola. Cody also highlights the new 2026 Lionel Trains Pocket Price Guide from Firecrown Media. In our modeling tip segment, […]
In this March 2026 episode of Cody’s Office, Senior Editor Cody Grivno explores a fresh lineup of products, including the Broadway Limited Imports HO scale (1:87) theater car and Athearn’s N scale (1:160) 52-foot mill gondola. Cody also highlights the new 2026 Lionel Trains Pocket Price Guide from Firecrown Media. In our modeling tip segment, […]
In this episode of the HO scale East Troy Industrial Park project railroad construction series, David Popp demonstrates how to transform natural Super Trees into convincing scale vegetation. You’ll master the essential preparation process: cleaning delicate branches, grafting parts to fill sparse areas, and using a matte medium solution to prevent long-term degradation. We’ll also […]
If you’ve followed Model Railroader’s Facebook page, you’ll probably know that periodically over the past several years, I’ve made posts called “Lunchtime Reading,” which are simply my musings on products, articles, and innovations as found in past issues of Model Railroader magazine. For this expanded installment, I chose to do a deep dive on the […]
Follow David Popp, as he works to add essential scenery to the HO scale (1:87) East Troy Industrial Park project! Learn how to protect detailed strip wood with masking tape before pouring a custom passenger platform. And then explore helpful tips and tricks for applying Woodland Scenics Smooth-It, tinted with slate gray pigment to mimic asphalt. […]
Our host Gerry Leone continues working on his HO scale Bona Vista layout, transforming the upper deck with a brand-new water feature. See how he uses Shaper Sheets to protect against resin leaks, harvests real limestone for perfectly matched river rocks, and even overcomes a bit of a misstep using clear coat spray. Plus, you […]
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 […]
This February 2026 episode of Cody’s Office features an exciting product lineup, essential modeling tips, and viewer questions. Senior Editor Cody Grivno showcases the HO scale Greenbrier five-trough coil car from Rapido Trains and Athearn’s Genesis series GE Dash 9-44CW locomotive. He also reviews the new Firecrown Media book, Tales of the Rails. Cody demonstrates […]
This February 2026 episode of Cody’s Office features an exciting product lineup, essential modeling tips, and viewer questions. Senior Editor Cody Grivno showcases the HO scale Greenbrier five-trough coil car from Rapido Trains and Athearn’s Genesis series GE Dash 9-44CW locomotive. He also reviews the new Firecrown Media book, Tales of the Rails. Cody demonstrates […]
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 […]
Set in Southern California, my HO scale layout includes a Southern Pacific train order office surrounded by a desert scene. Although this arid landscape has sparse vegetation, my scene needed two prominent desert plants – palm trees and cacti – to look complete. I found good artificial palm trees, but commercially available artificial cacti didn’t […]
Back for more on the East Troy! This episode drills into the details that help bring a layout to life. Watch as the Trains.com crew populates the roads with weathered vehicles and hand-painted signs. They also enhance the depot using prototype-inspired heralds and a unique historical marker crafted from railroad track. Finally, you’ll see how […]
