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N Scale Model Railroad is a popular railway modeling scale. Depending on the manufacturer, the scale ranges from 1∶148 to 1∶160. N scale and N gauge are often inaccurately used interchangeably, as the scale is defined as ratio or proportion of the model, and gauge only as a distance between rails. HISTORY While trains and … Read more
HO Scale Model Railroad, which uses a scale of 1:87 (3.5 mm to 1 foot). The rails are spaced 16.5 mm (0.650 in) apart for modeling 1,435 mm (4 ft. 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. The HO scale is the most popular in railway modeling worldwide. The name HO comes … Read more
Since the beginning of railroading, boxcars have been put to use in the transportation of materials and goods across America. In modern-day, boxcars still play a role in the movement of bulk materials. With thousands of these boxcars still in operation. While original designs are still retained, there are several important details to consider when … Read more
Model Railroad Swap-Meets are marketplaces where dealers come to sell their items. You may find several items of interest in a swap meet. As well as a few vendors interested in buying your used items. But they are there to sell their own items in addition to the vendors. You will find people thinning out … Read more
Just like red barns or wood-framed houses, concrete silos are a classic staple of the American landscape. Concrete silos can be seen over great distances from great plains to the industrial northeast, Atlantic to Pacific. Used for storing diverse materials ranging from concrete to grain, these industrial pillars can often be found alongside railroads, making … Read more
Model Railroad Passenger Sleepers Coach Articulated Dining and Lounge Cars are rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. A passenger car is a piece of railway rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. Up until about the end of the 19th century, most passenger cars were constructed of wood. The first passenger trains … Read more
Design Model Railroad Layout starts by choosing a scale track for operating trains. Your layout size is what every you can get away with. A layout in model railroading is a diorama containing scale track for operating trains. The scale of a layout varies from the size of shelves to design that occupy entire rooms. … Read more
Resurrection of a Mantua Mikado This was purchased brand new as a kit about thirty years ago. It was an operational disappointment because the tender brass wheels got dirty with one trip around the layout. Lucky for it, I came across nickel silver wheels for the tender and now it works like a charm. The … Read more
JL Innovative Design makes this car dealership kit that fits the era of my other structures on the layout. The model makes a medium-size structure that will have to wait until I make room for it on the layout. The base for the structure was made of 1/4″ Masonite and I carved in the sidewalks … Read more
The California Model Co. #82 SuyDam Purina Chows Feed Mill Building Kit is a must-have for model railroad enthusiasts and collectors with a penchant for agricultural or industrial-themed setups. This highly detailed kit embodies the essence of a mid-20th-century feed mill, a common sight in American agricultural landscapes, particularly in areas where livestock farming was … Read more
PLASTER BLUFFSDon’t let anyone tell you building scenery is easy. This section of rock work took all day and just to get it done, I started slopping on the plaster. I used some pre-made castings from my “Basalt Bluffs” scenery kit. Most of them were sawed in half to make low ridges of rock. This … Read more
Concrete and Asphalt Paving Powders These products are rock powders that will provide a slightly gritty scale texture. They can be applied to any surface that white or yellow carpenters glue will bond to. We have applied the products to Styrofoam, plywood, Homasote, cork, cardboard, matboard, plaster, and Masonite. Why use these products instead of … Read more
Starting a fleet of Semi’s Big trucks and trains just go together on industrial layout building truck kits from George Barrett of Sheepscot Scale Models A couple of the trucks in this scene are Freightliners by Athearn Several trucks are needed to compliment a “Truck Stop” scene now in the planning stages. We will show … Read more
I don’t believe this was ever a Fine Scale Miniature kit that George built for his layout. You can see what I’m talking about by referring to page 33 in George’s book about his Franklin & South Manchester Railroad. The station also reappears on page 63 in the November Model Railroader. He has red trim, … Read more
JL Innovative Design make this gas station kit that fits the era of my other structures on the layout. The kit makes a very small structure that can easily find room such as the space you see at left. I worked at two different Shell Stations while attending Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis MN back in … Read more
This is one of the easiest kits you could build for a little train action. One could even scratch build it for a few bucks even if you have to buy the scribed siding material. The sand road is a blend of 3/5 th’s #1151 Basalt, 1/5 th of #1031 Black cinder and 1/5 th … Read more
Saez Sash and Door 416-417 are where the lumber was cut, stored, and dried. It really catches your attention. This craftsman kit consists of scale lumber (sugar pine) and is ready for paint and weatherizing. Complete instructions, drawings, and templates are included. This is a laser-cut kit. Campbell Scale Models These Campbell Scale Models structures … Read more
Saez Sash and Door 416-417 are where the lumber was cut, stored, and dried. It really catches your attention. This craftsman kit consists of scale lumber (sugar pine) and is ready for paint and weatherizing. Complete instructions, drawings, and templates are included. This is a laser-cut kit. Campbell Scale Models These Campbell Scale Models structures … Read more
Do your railroad employees have a place to bring in their watches for repair?A couple of crewmen from train 401 are sitting out in front of Olson Watch Repair. The engineer found a newspaper to read for passing the time. Fine Scale Miniatures provides scale size newspaper in some of their latter kits. I cut … Read more
Do your railroad employees have a place to bring in their watches for repair?A couple of crewmen from train 401 are sitting out in front of Olson Watch Repair. The engineer found a newspaper to read for passing the time. Fine Scale Miniatures provides scale size newspaper in some of their latter kits. I cut … Read more
Displaying Campbell’s Tall Curved Timber Trestle with 2 kits arranged end to end was my first scenery project for the new layout. Many modelers built at least the single span in the 70’s but rarely seen anymore as the hobby has changed. Kit instructions have templates for a radius up to 36″ of which this … Read more
Model billboard reinforces an event from my experience that I can build a story around. Today is the “billboard” day (11/26/08). I was time to choose a project that has been on the back burner. It happened while cleaning out a shelve. There were some model billboards kits I forgot. These are by J L … Read more
So in this scene we have a Arizona wash the have a bridge. The bridge is from Campbell Scale Model kit 305, Howe Truss Bridge Kit. So the base is made from plaster with a brick form to give it the brick look. Don’t forget if you us a periocular look on one pier or … Read more
I just had to build a Campbell Scale Models produce shed several years ago. This is how it fits on the layout as if it could be used for receiving loads from a box car such as the one seen here. The loading platform is long enough to place three box cars for unloading. There was … Read more
Campbell’s kit # 382 Country Barn is truly a western horse or small milking parlor type suitable for a ranch. Its bright red paint has faded to a pale orange and the roof is showing its age. Notice how the siding boards are very rotten next to the ground. The project took about eight hours … Read more
I had an Icehouse, but it was too wide for the available space on the layout. This structure measures 4″ X 18″ and three Reefers can be spotted for icing at a time. The story behind this structure is as follows. My oldest son and I were in Durango Colorado, visiting with Ruth and Leo … Read more
After a couple of years of hiatus, the relocation of Bootjack AZ is underway on my upper level. I keep expanding with scratch-built structures that resemble my extensive line of the Campbell Scale Models buildings. In the view below are six structures with Campbell shingles on the roofs. This water tank and tool shed were … Read more
This is a closeup of the branches of a pine tree using Campbell Scale Models foliage material. This type of foliage gives the tree a wispy appearance that has its’ own appeal to modelers. The openness allows you to see through the forest at whatever there is in or behind a grove of trees. This … Read more
A couple “Hot Rod” F7’s are used to haul our coal train as the “A” unit has a huge lead weight for ultimate traction. The cars are my operating type with live coal loads able to pull 18 of them. I’m going to break down and install window glazing, number boards, and constant lighting soon. … Read more
Ours is a Harvey Lunch Room along the mainline and a great place to grab a chair and cup of coffee to watch trains. The railroad financed the construction of the Harvey Co. facilities and the agreement allowed all Santa Fe employees a discount on meals. Our trains frequently stop at such places so the … Read more
I just had to build a Campbell Scale Models produce shed several years ago. This is how it fits on the layout as if it could be used for receiving loads from a boxcar such as the one seen here. The loading platform is long enough to place three box cars for unloading. There was … Read more
A little extra detail upgrades this structure. Roof flashing, Cap on masonry chimney and spark arrester on the metal chimney. The upper floor is cantilevered over the first floor. Notice the flashing around the masonry chimney. A weathered plank walkway surrounds the false front business office. About This kit from Campbell Scale Models #385, Bret’s … Read more
I ordered this kit sight unseen and was delighted with the design when it showed up in the mail on Friday. It took about 16 hours to build, so here it is. It’s referred to as a “Drum” style building that was popular in the forties. I used a 1/8 Masonite base and brushed yellow … Read more
All my models have extra wood on the inside to make them sturdy and keep the walls and roof from bowing. With the roof removed, you can see the plank floor nail detail. Included are my homemade boxes and crates. Variety of three different kinds of roof materials. The paper profile shingles pried up in … Read more
You need one of these on the layout as they were common for Less than Car Load pickups and deliveries. Lots of little building add potential activity to your railroad. I believe the kit comes with those unpainted crates and barrels that I have not detailed yet. One could scratch build this for a couple … Read more
The area around this Campbell Scale Models “Tall Curved Trestle” (two kits end to end) was done with a single layer of paper bag scenery. Planting the pine trees worked out ok, but if foam were underneath, it would have been better. Step 1. The tallest features for this scenery are the pine trees and … Read more
This is imagined to be a “dirt” vacant piece of ground over run with weeds and trash. The color of dirt (one of my products that end in “0” is an earth power. In this case, it’s #1020 Light Earth. Notice that a lot of it shows through. The whole area was covered with it … Read more
This is as much an article on the use of Hemp and Jute twine as it is on pine tree construction. It all started when I read some old articles on scenery that were published before the world of ground-up foam. I expanded on those old techniques for colouring the material and the results are … Read more
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I got an Ayres Scale Models “Box Car Freight House” on eBay. This kit dates back to the early ’60s and is all wood like much the models from that era. My Winslow engine service area was a perfect location for this kit as it goes well with a Campbell loading dock that was already … Read more
I don’t believe this was ever a Fine Scale Miniature kit that George built for his layout. You can see what I’m talking about by referring to page 33 in George’s book about his Franklin & South Manchester Railroad. The station also reappears on page 63 in the November Model Railroader. His has red trim … Read more
I got an Ayres Scale Models “Wood Boxcar Freight House” on eBay. This kit dates back to the early ’60s and is all wood like much the models from that era. My Winslow engine service area was a perfect location for this kit as it goes well with a Campbell loading dock that was already … Read more
Pre-1980’s A long time ago, in the last century, there was a hobby called Craft Model Trains. It received a jump start in the 1930s with the first publication of Model Railroader Magazine. The Craft Train hobby peaked out about fifty years later in the mid-seventies. What are the Craft Trains? First of all, we … Read more
TRACK CLEANING FOR MODEL RAILROAD LAYOUTS A dirty track can be a frustrating problem for many modelers, that is why we sell Track cleaners. As dust settles on the rails and oil and other dirt accumulate, electrical conductivity between wheels and rail deteriorates to the point where reliable current supply to the motor and onboard … Read more
