Doug Dederick’s N scale Great Northern Kalispell Division is set in Montana in the late 1950s. The 29 x 36-foot walk-in layout, featured in the April 2024 issue of Model Railroader, is set between Whitefish, Mont., and Shelby, Mont. The model railroad features several of GN’s name passenger and freight trains, including the Empire Builder, […]
Scale: N Scale
T-TRAK Project Part 5: Beginning Scenery
Modelers David Popp, Brian Schmidt, and Bryson Sleppy begin the scenery process on their T-TRAK modules by looking at photos of the Colorado plains. T-TRAK is a modular N scale railroading system that uses foot-wide boxes plugged together to build tabletop layouts. In this fifth installment, the three modelers explain how to build hills and […]
News & Products for the week of February 26th 2024
News & Products for the week of February 26th 2024 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of February 26th […]
American Model Builders announces closure
After over 40 years of business, American Model Builders Inc. has announced their closure via their website. A statement posted to laserkit.com reads: “American Model Builders is now closed and the LASERkit product line has been discontinued. The family of the late John Hitzeman, founder and owner, and the extended AMB family, would like to […]
Doug Dederick’s N scale Great Northern
Doug Dederick’s N scale Great Northern Kalispell Division is set in Montana in the late 1950s. The 29 x 36-foot walk-in layout, featured in the April 2024 issue of Model Railroader, is set between Whitefish, Mont., and Shelby, Mont. The model railroad features several of GN’s name passenger and freight trains, including the Empire Builder, […]
Mike Farrow’s N scale Norfolk & Western
Mike Farrow’s N scale Norfolk & Western Pocahontas Division layout is set in southern West Virginia during the 1970s and early 1980s. The 36 x 36-foot walk-in model railroad features a 290-foot mainline run, 18” minimum radius curves, and No. 6 turnouts. Among the items used to re-create the authentic Appalachian scenery were ground foam, […]
10 scenery products you should know about
The evolution of model railroad scenery products has been fun to watch. In prior generations, molded-Styrofoam mountains and scenery mats with dyed green sawdust were considered the norm. Today, we’re blessed with a variety of tools and products that make our layouts look more like what we see when we’re standing trackside. In this article, […]
Building a T-Trak module | Paving road surfaces
Continuing the process of building an N scale (1:160) T-Trak modular layout, host David Popp turns to adding a bit of scenery. In this instance, he shares techniques for shaping up a vehicle roadway. This can be a bit messy, so it makes perfect sense to tackle the effort before any detailed scenery work gets […]
Broadway Limited Imports introduces Conductor’s Club membership program
Broadway Limited Imports has announced a new membership program, the Conductor’s Club. This membership program, designed for both HO and N scale model railroaders, includes an exclusive HO and N scale locomotive offering, a quarterly new and upcoming products newsletter, a 10% discount on the Broadway Limited Imports outlet store, members only merchandise and giveaways, […]
Build an N scale drive-in theater
Over nearly 40 years I’ve built seven train layouts. I started out with N scale, then discovered large scale trains. I’ve built both indoor and outdoor large scale layouts over the years. I loved my backyard garden railroad but had to give it up due to structural issues and age. So I returned to my […]
Common methods for uncoupling cars
Automatic knuckle couplers have been a part of model railroading for more than 60 years. Not only do these couplers look more like what you see on full-size locomotives and freight cars, they’re easy to install and use. You can learn more about them in my articles on HO and N scale couplers on Trains.com. […]
A Valentine’s Day gift guide for the contemporary model railroader
Valentine’s Day gift guide With Valentine’s Day coming up, you may be at a loss when it comes to buying a gift for that special someone. Chocolates and flowers are blasé. Dinner and a movie? Sure, but that only lasts a few hours. A mixtape? Come on, it’s 2024, making a Spotify playlist takes seconds. […]