The Hills Line with James McNab: Scenery Secrets, Episode 7

Host James McNab shares secrets to making scenic showcases on his HO scale Hills Line model railroad. You’ll see that repetition is a helpful thing when it comes to making realistic scenery layers. From applying a single coat of paint, to adding static grass, to making stone ballast, James demonstrates that rinse and repeat techniques […]

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Winston-Salem Southbound Series: Switching the Winston-Salem Southbound

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Work on our Winston-Salem Southbound HO scale layout is complete. Now it’s time to try running it like the real thing! Once the paperwork is order, David Popp walks first-time operator Jenny Maaske through a typical switching sequence. Along the way, David explains […]

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Video: SoundTraxx equipped HO Atlas U30B on the Eagle Mountain RR

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page In the November 2017 issue of Model Railroader associate editor Eric White shows how he used some parts on hand to install a sound system into an Atlas HO scale U30B locomotive. These parts include a SoundTraxx Tsunami decoder and speaker. Check out […]

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Building the HO scale Bay Junction layout

Bay Junction

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, […]

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Build the 3 x 7 Red Oak layout online extras

an HO scale layout with a red diesel pulling boxcars

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 […]

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History according to Hediger 4

Exterior of brick building

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page In this episode, Senior Editor Jim Hediger recalls more of his early days at Model Railroader magazine. Jim describes “Lurch” the infamous elevator at the old Kalmbach building in downtown Milwaukee. See vintage photos of the Model Railroader offices and staff. […]

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Video: History according to Hediger 2

Orange diesel locomotives

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger has had many experiences working with the real railroads. In this episode he talks about how he acquired his collection of official paint chips from the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton RR, as well as how the DT&I […]

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The Hills Line with James McNab: Harnessing electrons and wiring electronic devices, Episode 6

The Hills Line with James McNab

In this episode of The Hills Line, host James McNab crawls under his emerging HO scale layout to walk and talk you through wiring techniques. His focus on harnessing electrons and connecting electronic devices promises to make the model railroad action especially interesting atop the benchwork! […]

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It’s My Railroad with Steve Brown: Completing the cement loading terminal, Ep. 19

It's My Railroad with Steve Brown

Host Steve “Regular Guy” Brown shares views of his completed scratchbuilt cement loading terminal. Plus, you’ll also get to see an assortment of details he’s added to his Port Smith North setting on his N scale layout. All of that, and even more! […]

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Modeler’s Spotlight Video – Inside Cody’s Office for October Part 1

It’s a diesel double-header with the N scale General Electric Dash-8-40CM from Rapido, and the Wm. K. Walthers Proto EMD GP7. Plus, take a look at Kalmbach Books’ latest – Build Your First Layout from Peter Vassallo. Cody also shares how to score and snap styrene, and answers questions from viewers. […]

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