In the December 2018 issue of Model Railroader, Tom Houle shows how he scratchbuilt an exact O scale model of the Soo Line train depot in Dallas, Wis. As an online bonus, download the cutting diagrams featured in the story, as well as the standard plans for a Wisconsin & Northern depot that he used […]
Without any legs, brackets, or other visible means of support, floating benchwork keeps all attention focused on the model railroad. Follow along as author Lance Mindheim shows how to build these lightweight, yet sturdy shelves. Lance designed his benchwork for a 16″ shelf width. Use as many benchwork segments (shown above) as needed to match […]
Click on the link below to download the prototype drawings. Harold W. Russell Frequent Model Railroader contributor Harold W. Russell wrote about the Avoca, N.Y., station in the September 2018 issue. He made detailed drawings from measurements taken from the prototype Delaware, Lackawanna & Western train depot. Click on the link below to download Harold’s […]
Click on the link below to download the plans for this project. Alain Kap In the September 2018 Model Railroader, Alain Kap describes how he scratchbuilt one of these distinctive tank houses from styrene for his HO scale Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Surf Line layout. Featuring a windmill these structures were once common in […]
Southern Ry. Alco RS-3 no. 2143 passes over an older HO Shinohara turnout on Larry Puckett’s Ho layout. He explains how to make older turnouts DCC-friendly. In the September and October 2014 issues of Model Railroader, I wrote about how I modeled the Rockfish River crossing on my HO scale Piedmont Southern layout and built […]
Mont Switzer’s finished HO scale Sylvan Scale Models GMC Cannonball semi-tractor, as detailed for a McLean Trucking Co. prototype. The article “How to model a 1950s semi-tractor” by Mont Switzer appeared in the July 2018 Model Railroader. The materials list for the project is shown below. Materials list A-Line 29201 Windshield wipers Bachmann 42342 Sitting […]
Click on the photo or link to download the prototype plans for this fertilizer blend plant. Rich Cobb Fertilizer blend plants have been common rail-served industries since the 1950s. Rich Cobb describes the prototype for his HO model of one of these trackside structures in the April 2018 Model Railroader. Click on the link below […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page After assembling several plastic structures for an HO scale layout, MR associate editor Eric White aims to make the corrugated metal (simulated) exterior look authentic. Follow along, as he demonstrates steps for applying realistic weathering effects using an airbrush. […]
The prototypes for the passenger shelters in these plans originally served the Rochester & Eastern Rapid Transit Ry. This interurban line ran from Rochester, N.Y., to Geneva, N.Y. Models of these compact trackside structures would also work well as flagstop stations on a model railroad. Click on the link to download a PDF of the […]
These shipping cartons make an interesting addition to a model train station scene. Click on the image to download a PDF of the shipping cartons that you can print out and fold. Shipping cartons are an easy to add detail to model railroad passenger station scenes. Click on the link to download shipping cartons in […]
Click on the image to download the plans. Model railroader Raymond Howard scratchbuilt an HO scale model of a blacksmith shop in Alloway, N.Y. The prototype was built in 1832 with cobblestone walls in an octagonal configuration. You can read about how Raymond cast plaster walls for his model in the October 2017 issue of […]
Laying tangent (straight) track is pretty straightforward but those curves can, well, throw you a curve. Equipment that enters a sudden curve is more likely to derail. And even if wheels stay on the rails the sight of a train jolting into a sudden curve can make even the most realistic layout look like a […]
