Olympia 2, The Log Blog: Part 9 – Keeping track of things

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Can you believe it? Trains are up and running on both the new and original sections of the Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout! But the “fun run” is short-lived, as David works to first complete the trackwork, and then install a short timber […]

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Plans for an octagonal blacksmith shop

HOscaleblacksmithplans

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 […]

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Video 101: Postproduction

a model train running on a garden railroad

“The trainyard is your media; the train is your story. Assemble the tracks you need. Then create the trains to run on them.” My Apple Store instructor was searching for an analogy for our class about movie making, not describing Southern Pacific operations. The resemblance worked for me. Postproduction Transforming our rough clips and music […]

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Olympia 2, The Log Blog: Part 8 – Paint De Jour

David Popp in his backyard

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page There’s nothing quite like a summer in Wisconsin to make David want to return to his warm and dry basement for more work on expanding the Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout! In this video blog, David sheds the hat and gloves and picks […]

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Olympia 2, The Log Blog: Part 7 – A Rock’n Project

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Who takes a summer break from modeling when it’s constantly raining outside? Certainly not David, ’cause he’s busy rock’n out in his basement! In this episode, he tackles the challenges of adding new rock formations to the expanding Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout. […]

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Olympia 2, The Log Blog: Part 6 – Track deliberations

David Popp and the Olympia layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page David is eager to get out of the basement and enjoy the summer weather! But before heading into the great outdoors, he’s bound and determined to sort out a few track, scenery, and benchwork issues on the expanding Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout. […]

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Easy easements for model train track

easementthisone

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 […]

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Olympia 2, The Log Blog: Part 5 – Wide open spaces

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page David is back to the basement for more work on the Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout. In this blog entry, he first joins the two layout sections, and then makes changes to the hardboard fascia and styrene backdrop, giving the display an amazing […]

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Templates for an HO scale log grasping lift

loggraspinglift

Click on the link to download the part templates for the log-grasping lift. In the June 2017 Model Railroader, Andrew Taylor describes how he kitbashed an HO scale container loader into a log-grasping lift. Andrew scratchbuilt the claw-like lift from styrene. Click on the link below to download the templates for cutting out the parts. […]

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Video 101: Shooting on location

Today we hit the road. Our goal will be to make an interesting 3 minute, home video using a readily available action camera, still cameras and homemade accessories. Our raw video will be edited on consumer level software; we will add sound effects, and zippy music. We will make a gift copy for the owner, […]

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Olympia 2, The Log Blog: Part 4 – Punching holes in things

David Popp building Olympia layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Yes, David punches through the backdrop of the original Olympia Logging Co. On30 display-style layout. But first, he talks through many of the modifications he made to his design for the new extension. More proof that even the best-laid plans are subject to […]

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Video 101: Movies tell stories

Santa Rosa & Pacific Railroad

Some of my first video clips were simply attempts to show the sheer joy of watching the movement of trains along routes that connect cities, towns, and countryside panoramas. But when we want to create train movies, such as those we make for the Children’s Museum, we need to remember that movies tell stories. Our […]

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