The Roundhouse: Episode 17

Steve Otte and Neil Besougloff

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Hal Miller brings MR’s Neil Besougloff and Steve Otte back to the table for more banter about scratchbuilding. The conversation heats up as the three discuss how they acquired the skill, what tools are essential, and then debate how relevant scratchbuilding is today. […]

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Building a 5 x 8 harbor railroad part 10

Scene from Harbor railroad

The Model Railroader staff’s Rice Harbor layout is finally complete. Get a behind-the-scenes look at a magazine photo shoot of the harbor railroad with editor Neil Besougloff and MR photographer Bill Zuback. Senior editor Dana Kawala will also show you some of the rolling stock used on our Seaboard Shore Line model railroad. Thanks for watching! […]

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Add a valance and dust cover

HowardLloydmadeasimplevalancetoconceallightfixturesandfocusviewersattentiononhisHOscaleNationalDocksRylayout

I think every model railroad should have a valance. What is a valance, you may ask? A valance is a view block suspended from the ceiling that follows the edge of the benchwork and frames the layout for viewing. If you think of a model railroad as a stage, then a valance serves the purpose […]

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Build N scale mountain scenery

BuildNscalemountainscenery

Building a small diorama for some of my N scale models allowed me to combine my two favorite hobbies: model railroading and photography. The idea for this project was formulated while I was building a number of N scale wood kits from Hunterline. In fact, I was having so much fun that I kept building […]

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Realistic model railroad ground cover

Fromgrassmattoweedpatch

As the prototype photo depicts (below), even urban roads like this CSX route through Miami aren’t immune to weeds sprouting up along the rails. To model these scruffy patches on his HO scale layout, Thomas Klimoski used Heki Wild Grass Fiber. When adding scenery to a model railroad, many layout builders tend to overlook the […]

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Mail and express train operations

ErieLackawannamailtrainNo7passesthroughBinghamtonNYin1965withamixtureofheadendcars

Erie-Lackawanna mail train No. 7 passes through Binghamton, N.Y., in 1965 with a mixture of head-end cars. J.J. Young Head-end traffic helped cover some of the costs of America’s passenger trains for many years. Contracts with the United States Postal Service covered the transportation of mail, while the Railway Express Agency (REA) provided a nation- […]

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MR Insider: March 2014

Jenny Freeland sitting at Cody's workbench

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Even if spring hasn’t arrived quite yet, that’s just fine by us. Chilly temps in this long month should give you plenty of time to continue enjoying this great hobby and Jenny Maaske’s preview of model railroad related videos coming to Model Railroader […]

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Cody’s Workshop: Episode 13 – mini-scene makeover

Cody Grivno standing next to model railroad

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody Grivno, host of Cody’s Workshop, steps away from the workbench and heads to the MR&T layout to revamp a compact grade crossing scene. Cody shows how to install a new scenery base and shape the terrain using Shaper Sheet from Woodland Scenics. […]

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Cody’s Workshop: Episode 13 – mini-scene makeover

Cody Grivno standing next to model railroad

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Cody Grivno, host of Cody’s Workshop, steps away from the workbench and heads to the MR&T layout to revamp a compact grade crossing scene. Cody shows how to install a new scenery base and shape the terrain using Shaper Sheet from Woodland Scenics. […]

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