Matthew Mendolia might have been away at college, but that didn’t stop him from building this impressive layout for the 2021 Walthers National Model Railroad Build-Off from the confines of his dorm room. Matthew uses every piece that he received from his kit from Walthers to prove that you don’t have to spend a lot […]
Check out the layout built by open class contestant DJ Arlia for the 2021 Walthers National Model Railroad Build-Off! Designed to look like an old chemical plant based in Pittsburgh, Pa., this module is full of interesting details and thought-out designs. Interested in hearing more from DJ? Check out his interview! […]
Bay Junction was a project railroad for the editors of Model Railroaders in the early 2010s. Track plans and videos for that project are linked to below. Bay Junction track plans The Bay Junction track plan Industries and tracks and Williams Bay Bay Junction overview article Read the first article about the second Milwaukee, […]
The 2015 N scale Red Oak project layout Fifty miles west of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RR division point of Creston, Iowa, lies the town of Red Oak, the inspiration for Model Railroader’s 2015 project model train layout. Named for the trees that line the Red Oak Creek, the town came into being with […]
The HO scale Rice Harbor Welcome to Rice Harbor, Model Railroader’s new staff-built project railroad. In this and subsequent issues, we’ll show you how we built this 5 x 8 layout – from the wheels at the bottom of its legs to the top of the illuminated lighthouse. Rice Harbor is an HO model of […]
Don’t miss the latest Model Railroader staff project layout series, beginning in the January 2017 issue. The staffs adds the Snake Track branch to its popular HO scale Milwaukee Road Beer Line layout. Get highlights of the new addition, including a look at the various trackside industries and structures, with associate editor Eric White. […]
As the Model Railroader staff’s Eagle Mountain RR project nears completion, associate editor Eric White turns his attention to the structures and backdrops that finish off the desert setting. Get an overview of the kits used on the model train layout and some tips for working with preprinted backdrops on a model train layout. […]
Associate editor Eric White describes how he made his own molds out of styrene to make plaster castings. He used this technique to create the tunnel portal and liner on the Model Railroader staff’s HO scale Eagle Mountain project model train layout. […]
A dry wash is a common scenic element in a desert landscape. Associate editor Steve Otte added this scenic element to the Model Railroader staff’s Eagle Mountain RR, as he describes in the June 2016 issue. In this video Steve describes scenicking the dry wash and building a Blair Line timber trestle for the main […]
Associate editor Eric White provides an overview of how he used plaster rock castings on the HO scale Eagle Mountain RR. You’ll learn how rubber rock molds made it easy to add a realistically rugged terrain to the Model Railroader staff’s 2016 project model railroad. […]
Mountains play an important part on the Model Railroader staff’s HO scale Eagle Mountain RR project layout. Associate editor Eric White describes how he used plaster gauze over a cardboard web to achieve the rocky scenery base found on the 4 x 8 model train layout. […]
Associate editor Eric White continues his behind-the-scenes look at building the Model Railroader staff’s latest project model train layout. In this installment, Eric describes how he laid out the track plan full size on the benchwork tabletop, including how he used curve and turnout templates. He’ll also show you the basics of how he laid […]
