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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In this Spaces to Places episode, host Gerry Leone tackles the final touches around the lower deck roundhouse area of his HO scale (1:87.1) Bona Vista model railroad. Gerry first focuses on adapting background buildings, before transforming an empty space behind the roundhouse into an authentic place, including static grass and gravel roads. Want to […]
Trains.com video series host and Master Model Railroader Gerry Leone sets his sights on the interior details of the previously assembled three-stall roundhouse he reworked for his latest HO scale (1:87.1) Bona Vista model railroad. From the inspection pit, to the interior flooring and wall, to the oil stains, to a full complement of racks […]
In this episode, Gerry Leone tackles another forgotten structure that will now fit right into his efforts to complete the classification yard and locomotive servicing area on his HO scale (1:87.1) Bona Vista model railroad. The focus of his attention is a previously assembled three-stall roundhouse that’s ripe for interior illumination and additional details. As […]
