Video: A look at Al’s model trains

Hal Miller standing outside the Model Railroader offices at Kalmbach Media

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page In 2019 Model Railroader magazine marks its 85th anniversary. To help celebrate, editor Hal Miller provides you with this look at two locomotives that ran on the model train layout of Model Railroader‘s founder Al Kalmbach. Hal will give you some insight into […]

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Canadian Canyons Series: Thompson River Scenery, Part 1

David Popp working on layout scenery

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page With structures and background scenery now in place on the Thompson Canyon of our N scale layout, David jumps to the tasks of completing foreground scenery and modeling the unique characteristics of the glacial river water. See how David gets the plywood base […]

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283-car Union Pacific Coal Train at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum

Yellow Union Pacific-style model locomotives lead a coal train on a Western US-themed layout.

Watch a 283-car Union Pacific coal train climb the 2.5 percent grade to the Quartz Mountain summit. Powered by 11 locomotives — two on the head end, with five more sets distributed through the train. The train is three scale miles long (200 actual feet) and weighs 30,000 prototype tons. Engineers Luke Brendsel and Scott Warren […]

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How-to Library: Designing a layout, Part 4 Sharing the project with others

David Popp and Tony Koester take a closer look at the collection of historic photos and maps.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Host David Popp invites MR Contributing Editor Tony Koester to take a closer look at the collection of historic photos and maps. The two consider how to select and shape these references into Layout Design Elements (LDEs), which can be used to form […]

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How-to Library: Designing a layout, Part 5 The Doodle Phase

David turns maps into a railroad sketch.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page David begins the process of transforming maps and other references into a preliminary model railroad sketch. While a pencil sketch isn’t intended to be final track plan, David shows how it can be used to reveal critical design and/or construction issues at an […]

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Olympia 2, The Log Blog: Part 21

Structures on the Olympia layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page This time it’s all about the details that David is adding to the Olympia Logging Co. On30 layout extension! Follow along as he share insights for installing fascia-mounted throttle panels and small fixtures/furniture for his structures, plus tips on painting figures. […]

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