Working with rail joiners is difficult for many model railroaders. Rail joiners are the weakest electrical connection on any given model railroad layout. When tightly fit, rail joiners serve as fine electrical conduits. However, over time, rail joiners tend to expand and loosen, which results in worse electrical conductivity. However, better rail joiners are possible. […]
Working with rail joiners is difficult for many model railroaders. Rail joiners are the weakest electrical connection on any given model railroad layout. When tightly fit, rail joiners serve as fine electrical conduits. However, over time, rail joiners tend to expand and loosen, which results in worse electrical conductivity. However, better rail joiners are possible. […]
Months ago, when the MR staff started talking about more toxic chemicals used on model railroads of the past, I had no idea there would be such a list of them! While hobbyists needed to be creative to get the job done, sadly, some of their choices were unsafe. In some cases, the chemicals were […]
Small interior details for a 1950s Streetcar diner are easy and fun to make. When building the diner scene shown in the photo above, I knew that I’d want to include enough interior detail to make the model interesting to look at. The diner has small windows, which meant that I only needed a […]
In some of my early “Sketching with Steve” articles – in particular, “What is a station?” and “Big industries for small spaces” – I admit to having an ulterior motive. I was building toward something. Specifically, I had been thinking for a while about building an L shaped N scale shelf layout in my basement office. […]
With underside wiring in place, David returns front and center at the side of his Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout. That’s where he temporarily placed the fascia, and prepared to into install hand-operated, mechanical Blue Point turnout controls. Follow along to learn the process and techniques pros like David use! And be sure to explore […]
Looking at old Model Railroader back issues, I found poisonous model railroad materials. I give those hobbyists a lot of credit; you couldn’t drive over to the hobby store and pick up ground cover or resin to make a water feature. You often used materials from the hardware store, or whatever you had on hand. […]
Western Pacific Italian Red Bean salad is a quick and easy side dish to share at any event. It’s best made the night before, so the beans can marinate for the most flavor. This recipe is easily adaptable based on your preferences and what may be on hand in your fridge. The published recipe didn’t […]
What’s in my dream 4-by-8 model railroad? A yard, continuous operation, and lots of places to switch. Just because you don’t have a lot of room for your model railroad doesn’t necessarily mean you need to give up on your dream layout. You might just need to scale your dreams back a bit. While that […]
This time around, our intrepid host lets anxious viewers see all the progress he’s made to prepare the O scale (1:48) Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout for the next big step! From backdrop to tabletop to trackwork to scenery, David shares the extent of his off-camera efforts — all to get things into place for […]
David has cleared the deck and marked his track configuration on the plywood, so he’s ready to cut things to pieces! No fears! In this video, he’ll show you how to make accurate measurements, so you can make equally precise cuts. Once those cut parts are assembled, David also shares how to install the styrene […]
Unless you’re modeling a flatland railroad – and maybe even if you are – your layout needs rocks. Building a level right-of-way through the ups and downs of natural terrain involves cuts and fills, exposing bare rock. A railroad with a mountainous setting, be it Appalachian or Rocky, calls for even more rocks. Between foam […]
