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A previous O scale turntable build went awry this fall, so David turned the troubleshooting effort into a Trains.com Holiday Party project…and solution! David takes no shortcuts in showing how to avoid shorts when using copper-cladded PC Board materials for crossties. […]
Are you hoping to get a freight car kit under the tree? Cody Grivno opened his present early, so he could share helpful techniques for assembling an HO scale covered hopper kit…on this episode of the Trains.com Holiday Party! […]
David Popp pushes the Trains.com Holiday Party to capacity! Follow along as he walks through the steps for installing an ESU anti-stall device into an HO scale Atlas RS-1 diesel locomotive. With these units in place, you’ll never have to worry about dirty track, unpowered frogs, or other track maladies getting in the way of […]
Cody Grivno fits right into the Holiday Party festivities! In this episode, our Trains.com ace modeler/painter shares his technique for using oil paints to apply rust effects to the roof of a boxcar. Grab your brush and get started making realistic weathering effects – without an airbrush! […]
The layout at a glance Name: Royal Gorge Route Layout owner: Florida Scale Rails club Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 8 x 12 feet Prototype: Denver & Rio Grande Western (standard and HOn3 narrow gauge); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; and Union Pacific Locale: Colorado Era: 1930s to ’60s Mainline run: 75 feet Minimum radius: 22″ […]
The layout at a glance Name: Bone Valley Layout owner: Alex Marchand Scale: N (1:160) Size: 6′-7″ x 7′-0″ Prototype: CSX/Seaboard System Locale: West Central Florida Era: late 1980s Style: multilevel, gallery Mainline run: 40 feet Minimum radius: 12″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: none Benchwork: extruded-foam insulation board on 1 x 2 frame […]
The layout at a glance Name: Midwest Lines Layout owner: Rolf Plachter Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 33 x 52 feet Prototype: freelanced, inspired by Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Rock Island; and Union Pacific Locale: Denver to Milwaukee Era: mid-1960s Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 400 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 2 […]
Host David Popp brings CTT Editor Hal Miller to the party! Hal has been working feverishly to get a post-World War II Lionel O gauge steam locomotive back on track and orbiting under the Christmas tree. Follow along to see how he brings the sound of a classic whistle mechanism back to life inside the […]
The holiday season is here — and that’s a pretty good reason for Trains.com’s preeminent host David Popp to have a party! As the mini-series plays out this month, join David (along with other special guests) as he reveals some of the modeling/layouts projects and quick-hitting techniques keeping him engaged in the hobby. First up, […]
Plans, methods, tools, and projects to help modelers succeed […]
The layout at a glance Name: Laurium, Mohawk & Brockway Layout owner: Larry Burk Scale: On30 (1:48, 30″ track gauge) Size: 27 x 38 feet Prototype: freelanced Locale: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Era: 1935 Style: shelf Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 4 percent on switchback to lumber branch […]
David Popp’s O scale laser-cut wood turntable kit is now completely assembled! The project build concludes as he shows how to add appropriate earth, grass, and ballast scenery to the pit, before securing small detail parts (e.g., nut-bolt-washer castings). […]
