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Big action on a compact railroad

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Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In this final segment on making well-detailed foreground trees for our HO scale Winston-Salem project layout, David shows how to add a lush, realistic canopy to the plastic armature he assembled in the first video. […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Every layout needs a hero — hero tree, that is! Even MRVP’s industry-oriented HO scale Winston-Salem project layout can use a few well-detailed or “heroic” trees in foreground areas. In this first of two videos, David shows the initial steps for building, shaping, […]
Name: Port of Brunswick RR Layout owner: Paul Boehlert Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 15″ x 80″ Prototype: freelanced Locale: Brunswick, Ga. Era: mid-1950s Style: shelf switching Mainline Run: none Minimum Radius: 24″ Minimum Turnouts: no. 6 Maximum Grade: none This track plan originally appeared in the May 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link to […]
Model railroad author Robert Pethoud wrote “How to operate a small switching layout” in the March 2016 issue of Model Railroader magazine. In that article Robert shows how to use three 15″ x 48″ modules to create an operationally interesting shelf layout. The story features an HO scale track plan, the Fall Creek Branch. As […]
Name: Fall Creek Branch Layout owner: Robert Pethoud Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 15″ x 144″ Prototype: freelanced Locale: Oregon Era: 1950s Style: sectional Mainline run: 12 feet Minimum radius: 26″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: none Benchwork: open frame Height: varies Roadbed: N scale cork on 1⁄4″ thick basswood Track: code 83 flextrack Scenery: […]
Name: Penn Central Hitop Branch Layout owner: Steve Campbell Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 4 x 8 feet Prototype: Penn Central (New York Central) Locale: West Virginia Era: 1968 to 1975 Style: island Mainline run: 18 feet Minimum radius: 22″ (main), 18″ (branch) Minimum turnout: Atlas Snap-Switch Maximum grade: 3.4 percent Benchwork: cookie-cutter Height: 40″ to […]
Name: Red Branch & Union RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Midwestern granger road Locale: Illinois Era: 1975 Style: island Mainline run: 20 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: Atlas 18″ radius Snap-Switch Maximum grade: none (flat) This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link […]
Name: Sherman Hills Layout owner: Judy Milford Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 5′-10″ x 9′-0″ Theme: small-town America Locale: generic northeastern U.S. Era: 1960s Style: island Mainline run: 32 feet in two separate loops Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: flat Benchwork: L-girder Height: 40″ (lower loop), 48″ (upper) Roadbed: cork Track: Atlas […]
Name: Virginia & Southern RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Main line coal hauling Locale: Appalachian mountains Era: 1950s Style: island Mainline run: 19 feet (double-tracked) Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 3 percent This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link […]
Name: Coalton & Silver Range RR Scale: N (1:160) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Rocky Mountain mining Locale: Colorado Era: 1920s Style: island Mainline run: 37 feet Minimum radius: 15″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 3 percent This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link to download […]
Name: Water Street Industrial District Scale: O (1:48) Size: 4 x 8 feet Theme: Urban switching Locale: Generic city Era: 1940s-1950s Style: modular Mainline run: none Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: Atlas 20th Century Rail two-rail wye Maximum grade: none (flat) This track plan was originally published in the March 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link […]