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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 […]
Facts and features Name: Brush Creek & Western Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 21 x 45 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: St. Louis, Mo., to Oklahoma City, Okla. Era: 1935 to 1975 Style: peninsula Mainline run: 300 feet Minimum radius: 28″ Minimum turnout: No. 5 Maximum grade: 2% Benchwork: open grid Height: 16″ to 72″ Roadbed: lauan […]
Facts and features Name: Boston & Maine Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 13′-0″ x 34′-9″ Prototype: Boston & Maine Locale: Five villages of Wakefield, N.H. Era: 1909 Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: approximately 90 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: No. 4 Maximum grade: Less than 1% Benchwork: manufactured truss joists with 1 x 4 L-girders and […]
Welcome to the August 2025 Cody’s Office! Perhaps we should have called this the Consolidation episode as we’re on program number 2-8-0. This month the show starts with an exciting lineup of products. First up is the HO scale Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 from Rapido Trains. Features on the four-axle road unit include an injection-molded plastic body, […]
While David and Bryson allow the previously painted rail (Episode 16) to dry, they take a moment to focus on installing a switch motor…and they made an electrifying discovery! Follow along as they reveal the issue and the simple remedy that kept the project on the rails. Of course, other efforts must continue as the […]
Eric White, Editor of Model Railroader magazine, continues his HO scale glass plant project for the East Troy Industrial Park Project Railroad, now focusing on building chimneys with intricate brass details. Discover the secrets to flawless metalwork as he shares tips and tricks for soldering metal parts in a manner that yields a seamless finish…and […]
Watch as Cody Grivno, Model Railroader Senior Editor, sets out to paint the rails on the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout. Learn how to prepare the layout, clean the tracks, and apply paint for a realistic, rusty appearance. Be sure to keep up with the construction progress by linking into the Trains.com […]
Eric White continues his efforts to construct an HO scale glass plant. In this second episode of the Sidetrack Series, he uses cardboard mockups to help envision and shape the structures, meticulously measuring and comparing pieces with prototype photos for accuracy. Eric then shares how he tests the mockups on the East Troy Industrial Park […]
In this all-new Sidetrack Series, Model Railroader Editor Eric White begins building an HO scale (1:87.1) glass plant for the East Troy Industrial Park project layout. See how Eric studies prototype photos and Google Maps to inspire design ideas, and later confirms operational insights with an plant employee. Eric then reveals the Walthers and Pike […]
In this episode of The Roundhouse, host Brian Schmidt and Bob Lettenberger continue to explore how employee timetables offer rail enthusiasts a “behind the curtain” look at operations. These official documents are vital for planning photography, conducting historical research, and accurately modeling railroads. They also serve as an index to other crucial railroad documents. Be […]
