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 […]
Gerry Leone is back at Smithtown on his HO scale Bona Vista layout for Part Two of his river expansion project! Watch as he converts two single-track plate girder bridges—including a forgotten scratchbuilt gem from his Master Model Railroader certification efforts—into one massive double-track span. You’ll learn clever tricks for dissolving clogged glue, scoring styrene […]
Most modelers can pinpoint the photos, people, events, books, or stories that inspired them to build their model railroads. For me, I can honestly say that my N scale Naugatuck Valley RR started with a lone boxcar – a Micro Trains 40-foot single-door boxcar decorated in New Haven black and orange. I got the car […]
Facts and features Name: Union Pacific Geneva Subdivision Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 25 feet Prototype: Union Pacific (ex-Chicago & North Western) Locale: West Chicago Yard to Clinton, Iowa Era: late summer 2000-2005 Style: multi-deck walk-in Mainline run: approximately 210 feet (not including helix or staging) Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: No. 6 Maximum […]
Host Gerry Leone returns to the upper deck of his HO scale Bona Vista layout to tackle a “flat” problem. Watch as Gerry expands a tiny drainage creek into a wider, deeper river to add much-needed vertical relief. You’ll see him cut through sub-roadbed, repurpose deck girder bridges from a previous layout, and secure a new river […]
I first encountered the Lone Star Treble-O-lectric system when one of my old school friends had a box full of play-worn equipment, which we would just set up on the carpet and get them to go! At that time, the last remnants of the Lone Star system were sold in stores such as Woolworths, among […]
Dave Baule’s S gauge layout Dimensions: 11 x 25 feet Track and switches: American S Gauge (diameters range from 38 to 76 inches) Motive power: American Models, Gilbert American Flyer, S-Helper Service Rolling stock: American Models, American S Gauge, Downs, Gilbert American Flyer, Lionel American Flyer, S-Helper Service Controls: Gilbert American Flyer Nos. 16B and […]
Host Gerry Leone continues to innovate on his HO scale Bona Vista layout, tackling a major scenic problem—concealing the hole in the upper-deck backdrop where trains emerge from a helix. See how Gerry modifies a Walthers Brick Freight House kit to create the perfect illusion. Plus, you’ll see how he adds realistic mortar lines to […]
When I cut a hole in the living room wall in order to expand my N scale railroad into the hallway beyond, I thought that was as large a model railroad as I would ever own. I was just happy that my wife agreed to my bizarre suggestion (see “Harlowton, Montana, in N scale,” Model […]
Host Gerry Leone faces a yet another challenge along the opposite side of his recently developed roundhouse space on his Bona Vista HO scale layout – finding another way to hide a train as it emerges from a hole in the backdrop! See how Gerry borrows the “air rights” concept from Model Railroader magazine legend […]
Master Model Railroader Gerry Leone is back to give us an exclusive tour of the progress he’s made on the famed Bona Vista HO scale (1:87.1) layout! You’ll want to watch this update to see the latest work on a layout that’s featured in the pages of Great Model Railroads 2026 special issue magazine, now […]
Facts and features Name: Pennsylvania RR Panhandle Division Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 41 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR Locale: eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia panhandle Era: late 1940s and early 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 24″ (branch) Minimum turnout: No. 6 (main), No. 5 (branch) Maximum […]
