Before adding scenery to our On30 Olympia Logging Co. display-style layout, MRVP’s Kent Johnson first builds up the terrain using sections of flexible foam from Woodland Scenics. In this video, Kent shows viewers how easy it is to form sloped terrain along the painted backdrop — all without creating the mess typically associated with foam […]
In this video, Ben Lake completes the assembly of a laser-cut wood structure for MRVP’s On30 Olympia Logging Co. display-style layout. Ben shows viewers just how easy it is to build up a basic kit and add the details that make it look like an authentic structure for the mountain scenery we’ll prepare next! […]
MRVP’s Ben Lake steps out from behind the camera and settles down at the workbench to assemble a laser-cut wood structure for our On30 Olympia Logging Co. layout. In this first of two videos, Ben shows how to prep and stain the parts from an American Model Builders skid shack kit, before starting on the […]
Using little more than a cardstock template and a couple paint colors, artist Jay Smith shows viewers just how quick and easy it is to add a realistic pine forest treeline to MRVP’s On30 Olympia Logging Co. layout. Jay used his favorite internal mix airbrush to apply the paint, but his simply technique for making […]
This Northern Pacific class C depot has seen its better days. Cody Grivno explains how to model a weather-beaten wood structure. In model railroading, weathering is typically associated with freight cars and locomotives. However, structure weathering is another way to add realism to a layout. Peeling and faded paint, a roof in need of repair, […]
Omaha Road 4-6-2 No. 500 departs Minneapolis with a train for Superior, Wis., in August 1950. Bob Borcherding At nearly 70 years of age, I am still enthralled at the passage of trains. Today’s trains—often featuring high-horsepower diesel locomotives, radio-controlled helpers, rotary-dump coal cars by the unit-trainload, and containers carrying products from halfway around the […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page The stark styrene backdrop on MRVP’s On30 Olympia Logging Co. layout is in desperate need of paint. But before Kent Johnson can roll on a covering coat of sky blue latex paint, he first walks through a couple quick steps for building up […]
AHM helium tank car The unusual-looking helium tank car might seem like a fantasy model to some, but it’s based on a real prototype. General American, American Car & Foundry, and Magor built about 200 helium cars from 1930 to 1962. The early cars were lettered for the U.S. Navy (with USNX reporting marks), then […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Adding weathering effects to the trackwork of MRVP’s On30 Olympia Logging Co. layout can be just as beneficial as adding them to locomotives, rolling stock and structures. In this video, Cody Grivno walks through the steps for giving the rails and ties a […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page All the prep work is done, so now David can get down to the task of installing flexible On30 track and turnouts on MRVP’s Olympia Logging Co. layout. David demonstrates all of the essential tracklaying steps, including how to cut and trim the […]
Installing cork roadbed is the first step to laying reliable trackwork on MRVP’s On30 Olympia Logging Co. display-style layout. In this video, David shows you basic techniques for preparing, cutting, fitting, and securing the HO scale roadbed along the main line, sidings, and on the sector plate. Plus, David also demonstrates how one specific product […]
Too many sound-equipped locomotives in one place, like those shown here on the MR&T, can spell trouble for a DCC layout. Paul Dolkos takes you through the steps he used to set up power districts on his HO model railroad. Imagine you’ve just begun running trains on a layout equipped for Digital Command Control (DCC) […]
