East Troy Industrial Park, Ep. 19 | Filling out Terrain Features

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 […]

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Spaces to Places VII | Scenery behind the roundhouse

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 […]

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Menards HO scale Grandma’s House

Color photo of HO scale house with blue siding and gray roof on scenicked base with a tree in the front yard, shrubs, a motorcycle, and figures.

Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Menards 5106 Menard Dr. Eau Claire, WI 54703 menards.com/trains Era: 1930s to present Comments: Kids on the porch swing, a dog in the front yard, and a neatly manicured yard. Those are just some of the highlights of Grandma’s House, a new HO scale structure from Menards. The two-story house has laser-cut […]

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Monongahela monstrosity

Monongahela monstrosity

Pittsburgh & West Virginia’s Connellsville, Pa., line was rife with major bridges. Biggest of all was this colossal crossing of the Monongahela River, seen in March 1950 supporting a 2-6-6-4 and freight 99. The three main spans had a lower level for the Monessen Southwestern, but it never used them. Ralph E. Hallock photo […]

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East Troy Industrial Park Sidetrack | Building a glass plant, Part 3

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 […]

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East Troy Industrial Park Sidetrack | Building a glass plant, Part 1

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 […]

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Spaces to Places VII | Roundhouse Interior Detail

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 […]

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East Troy Industrial Park EXTRA | Progress Report #1

Now that trains are running on the HO scale East Troy Industrial Park (ETIP) project layout, David Popp hosts this BONUS video to share some of the behind-the-scenes efforts and design considerations the MR crew still needs to tackle. As so many model railroaders can attest, there’s no such thing as “finished” layout…especially when structure […]

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Spaces to Places VII | Roundhouse Retrofit

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 […]

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