Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Are you building a sectional or modular layout that requires precise alignment of adjoining sections? If so, then you’ll want to see how David installed benchwork alignment dowels, also called pattern maker pins, on MR’s HO scale Rice Harbor. These steel dowels […]
Section: Layout Builds
Olympia Logging Series: Part 1 – display-style design
Before starting construction, MRVP’s Kent Johnson introduces the concept of an all-new On30 display-style layout. Kent touches on On30 equipment, track, and a shadow box design he, David Popp, and other MR staff modelers will use to showcase a freelance logging operation set in the Pacific Northwest mountains. […]
Olympia Logging Series: Selecting lumber and hardware
David and Kent head to a local home improvement store to collect the building materials they’ll need to start an all-new On30 project layout. Inside the store they’ll share insights for selecting quality lumber, essential hardware, layout lighting, and more. […]
Thin Branch Series: Build a river part 4 – waves and rapids
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page David concludes the river making tasks on the HO scale Thin Branch layout by adding waves and rapids to the poured resin water. A commercial water effects product, white acrylic paint, and a paint brush makes it quite simple to turn still […]
Thin Branch Series: Build a river part 3B – Installing bridges
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Before he could pour the resin water on the layout, David needed to finish installing the bridges over the river. In Build a River Part 3B, he shows you the final steps for completing the the through-girder bridge and the pile trestle. To […]
Thin Branch Series: Build a river part 3A – Resin water
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page The river for our Thin Branch layout is starting to take shape. In this installment, David mixes, tints, and pours the resin water. To see how he built the river and added the surrounding scenery, see parts 1 and 2 of the […]
Thin Branch Series: Build a river part 1 – banks and bed
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Looking to add an impressive river scene to a layout? In part 1, David uses our HO scale Thin Branch project layout to demonstrate easy techniques for preparing river banks and bed. […]
Thin Branch Series: Build a river part 2 – scenery layer
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In part 2, David shows how he completed the landscape around the banks and river bed using a wet scenery technique, static grasses, and an application of sand for the river bottom. […]
Thin Branch Series: Buried track
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page David uses our HO scale Thin Branch project layout to show you a simple technique for modeling an industrial track laid into gravel or dirt, which makes it easy for vehicles to drive over the rails. […]
The Model Railroader staff’s Eagle Mountain RR
Don’t miss the latest Model Railroader project layout, the Eagle Mountain RR, in the January 2016 issue. The HO scale layout is inspired by mining operations in Southern California during the 1960s and 1970s. Follow along as associate editor Eric White shows you highlights of this 4 x 6-foot model railroad. […]
Thin Branch Series: Foam scenery part 3 – filling gaps
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Once your foam scenery is in place, you need to smooth out the bumps and fill in the gaps. David shows you how he did just that on our Thin Branch project railroad, including putting on the base coat of paint. […]
Thin Branch Series: Backdrops part 4 – Clouds
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In our final backdrop painting installment, artist Jay Smith shows you how to add clouds to the sky of your model railroad. To complete the scene, he also provides tips for painting simple birds. Look for Jay’s other backdrop-painting videos on MR Video […]