Thin Branch Series Ballasting a 1950s main line track

Cody ballasting alongside a track.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody Grivno, our one-man ballasting crew, shares his tips and techniques for ballasting a well-groomed 1950s mainline track. Cody takes you through the process start to finish on our HO scale Thin Branch project, but his techniques work just as well in other […]

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Cody’s Workshop Episode 6 – rolled roofing

Cody Grivno placing a structure on a model railroad

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Our July visit to the workshop finds Cody finishing the freight house project by adding rolled roofing and final details to the structure. Along the way, Cody will also show you how to prepare a plastic shell for painting, join Atlas and Peco […]

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Cody’s Workshop Episode 6 – rolled roofing

Cody Grivno placing a structure on a model railroad

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Our July visit to the workshop finds Cody finishing the freight house project by adding rolled roofing and final details to the structure. Along the way, Cody will also show you how to prepare a plastic shell for painting, join Atlas and Peco […]

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Dick Iannacone’s realistic S gauge layout

Dick Iannacone's realistic S gauge layout

Inspired by a lifelong love of American Flyer trains and the beauty of his home, New England, Dick Iannacone built this highly realistic 16 x 20-foot S gauge layout set in the steam-to-diesel transition period of the late 1930s into the 1950s. Enjoy additional photos of his outstanding layout in the gallery below. […]

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MR Insider: N scale convention 2013

An airplane in the sky

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page The 2013 National N Scale Convention was held in Milwaukee the last of week of June, so the MR staff joined in the fun. This MR Insider video covers some of the events, including the train show, a tour of Kalmbach Publishing Co. […]

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A Day With The Des Moines “Tramp”

Oblique rear view of a black model diesel locomotive on a bridge.

Follow Iowa Interstate Train NTSW-29, affectionately known as the Des Moines “Tramp”, as it delivers a carload to Beisser Lumber on the IAIS Grimes Line. Read about this modern-era model railroad and get a track plan in Model Railroad Planning 2014. Video shot by James McNab […]

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Build a faux stone bridge out of Styrofoam

styrofoam_bridge

Rod Eaton In the August 2013 issue, contributor Eric Schade demonstrates how to make “stone” structures from leftover composite decking material. Download this companion article, originally published in the October 2011 issue, about how to make “stone” bridges easily out of Styrofoam. Click here to download a PDF of the article. […]

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Build a baggage cart in 1:29 scale

Build a baggage cart in 1:29

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Please make sure […]

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The Nepenthes, Gestalt, & Delirium Railway

The Nepenthes, Gestalt, & Delirium Railway

Railway at a glance Name: Nepenthes, Gestalt, & Delirium Railway Size of railroad: 40′ x 25′ Scale: Individual trains to various scales Gauges: 45mm & 63.5mm Era: Today Theme: The garden, trains, and the gestalt that results Age: 9 years Motive power: On-board battery, diesel outline; live steam; a little clockwork Length of mainline: 96′ […]

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