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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Video Step by Step: Build a water tank part 1

A water tank standing next to the tracks.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page   Associate editor Steven Otte needed several wood water tanks for his layout, so he decided to scratchbuild them using stripwood and common materials. In part one of this two-part video, Steve shows you how he built the tank and the roof. […]

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Cody’s Workshop: Episode 5 – Installing ditch lights

Cody Grivno sitting at his workbench with a scratchbuilt freight house

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody is back in the MR Workshop this month to install ditch light castings on a Rail America diesel engine. He also shares how his freighthouse scratchbuilding job is coming along, and you’ll get to see the finished Turtle Creek MR&T heritage locomotive. […]

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Video Step by Step: Replacing turnouts

Cody Grivno working on the rails.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Sometimes you need to replace a turnout or other trackwork on your model railroad. In this video Cody Grivno shares his technique for replacing turnouts on Model Railroader’s HO scale MR&T layout, walking you through the project from cutting out the old rails […]

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