Car Swap Project part 9: Lessons learned

brown and blue plastic model boxcars displayed together on a gray background

Car Swap Project part 9: Lessons learned: Once the last clear coat had dried, David and Seth sent their cars to Gerry for a class photo before he distributed them all to their new homes. After spending several weeks on the project, the three friends share some fun photos and a few of the lessons […]

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News & Products for the week of February 27th 2023

An image of a model locomotive

News & Products for the week of February 27th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of February 27th 2023. […]

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Car Swap Project part 7: Gerry’s creative touch

Car Swap Project part 7: Gerry’s creative touch: In this episode of our Car Swap series, Gerry explains how he completed the HO and O scale Bona Vista cars for Seth and David’s layouts. Starting with prep work and a few of decaling tips, Gerry then dives into extensive detail about weathering the two boxcars. […]

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Car Swap Project part 6: Seth’s techniques

Car Swap Project part 6: Seth’s techniques: With the decals finally printed and distributed, it’s time to start the actual work of completing the cars. Seth, Gerry, and David each have their own techniques for doing this kind of work, so parts 6-8 will cover each modeler’s efforts in detail. Seth kicks things off with […]

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Car Swap Project part 5: Printing decals with an ALPS printer

Black printer and tan computer, featuring a tower, keyboard, mouse, and display screen

Car Swap Project part 5: Printing decals with an ALPS printer: As the three friends endeavor to make custom boxcars for each other’s layouts, Gerry Leone, Seth Puffer, and David Popp embark on printing custom decals. There are several easy ways to print your own decals, just as long as you don’t want white lettering. […]

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Midday Modeler for February 22, 2023

Two men in a model railroad workshop facing the camera.

The behind the scenes action on the freemo-org.com layout continues, as David and Eric provide updates. Bryson shows off a project he’s working on for Ultimate Guide 2023. Cody shares some techniques when working with plastic modeling kits. […]

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Build a brake system for a resin car kit

Host Eric White demonstrates how to assemble an underbody brake system for a resin car kit. Follow his expert insights and advice, and you’ll appreciate how this process differs from a typical plastic car kit assembly. Be sure to follow the exclusive In The Workshop series for tips, tricks, and clever insights, as demonstrated by various […]

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Car Swap Project Part 4: Railroad herald design class

Car Swap Project Part 4: Railroad herald design class: Gerry Leone, Seth Puffer, and David Popp all model freelanced railroads, and each has created names, heralds, and graphics for their fictitious lines. The car swap project spans three different time periods during the 20th Century, so to make cars that work for each other’s railroads, […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 8 | Time for trackwork

Host David Popp has the track and cork roadbed in hand, so he’s all set for trackwork! Following good construction processes, David first surveys the various sites where tracks will route. You’ll see how to install roadbed along the main line roadbed, along the turntable lead tracks, under turnouts, and even over bridges! Follow along […]

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Car Swap Project Part 3: Painting plastic models

Car Swap Project Part 3: Painting plastic models: As part of trading boxcars custom decorated for each other’s layouts, modelers Gerry Leone, David Popp, and Seth Puffer do some preparation and painting of the plastic models. In this installment, the three use a variety of readily available products to add some color, or take some […]

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