A Fistful of Details
Model Railroader 2005-01 pg. 52 Scale: N Category: "Layout Detailing"
Adding people, business marketing signs, street signs, backyard details, and products of industry.
ABC's of Painting and Lettering
Model Railroader 2002-10 pg. 90 Scale: (none) Category: "Painting & Weathering"
Prepare before buying, preparation and priming, couplers and trucks, using spray cans, airbrushing passenger cars, airbrushing cabooses, apply decals.
Basics of Kitbashing Plastic Structures
Model Railroader 2004-09 pg. 44 Scale: (none) Category: "Structures"
Step-by-step instructions on kitbashing a structures. Subtopics are: Surveying the site, cleaning and cutting walls, assembling walls, roof and painting, roof details, and final details.
Build a Better Bridge
Model Railroader 2006-07 pg. 30 Scale: N Category: "Structures - Bridges"
The author scratchbuilds a through-girder bridge. The article has step-by-step photos, prototype photo, and diagrams.
Conifers for All Occasions
Model Railroader 2006-02 pg. 42 Scale: (none) Category: "Scenery - Trees, Shrubs, Bushes"
The author shows how he builds conifer trees.
Easy Street, Paved with Styrene
Model Railroader 2005-04 pg. 36 Scale: N Category: "Scenery"
Creating roadways from 0.040" styrene. Article includes step-by-step instructions and photos on cutting and scoring the styrene, installing the streets and shoulders, painting, and finishing the scene.
Great Operation: Expert Advice
Model Railroader 2006-09 pg. 46 Scale: (none) Category: "Operations"
Techniques the Model Railroader staff employs to maintain great operations. Covers smooth roadbed, trackplanning, wiring, coupler standards, leveling benchwork, keeping freight car rolling smoothly, planning for access, ballasting turnouts, and tuning commercial turnouts.
Layout Planning Fundamentals
Model Railroader 2006-09 pg. 66 Scale: (none) Category: "Layout Design"
This introductory article covers how to design your own trackplan. It discusses dealing with curve minimums, turnouts, track centers, grades, clearance, and using templates.
Layouts Should Be Seen and Heard!
Model Railroader 2006-08 pg. 36 Scale: N Category: "Electronics"
This article covers self-contained sound systems, sound-effect CDs, interactive sound modules, under-layout sound decoders,
Make Your Track Realistic
Model Railroader 2005-12 pg. 48 Scale: (none) Category: "Track"
This step-by-step article covers painting rails and ties, cleaning rail, painting the scenery base, adding ballast, final clean-up and weathering
Modeling Foreground Trees
Model Railroader 2005-11 pg. 40 Scale: N Category: "Scenery - Trees, Shrubs, Bushes"
Creating realistic scale trees using a Super Tree starter kit from Scenic Express. The author describes his step-by-step process to preparing, soaking, painting, and adding foliage to these trees.
Moving Freight and Making Names
Model Railroader 2005-02 pg. 40 Scale: (none) Category: "Operations"
The article introduces the concept of operations and how to get started in it. It covers mapping your railroad, industrial analysis, starting with a switch list, car cards and waybills, and boxes and shelves in which to store these car cards and waybills.
Putting Together a Station Scene
Model Railroader 2006-01 pg. 44 Scale: N Category: "Structures - Depots/Stations/Yards"
The author shows how to build a small passenger station and position it on the layout (on curved track). Includes step-by-step photos.
Seamless Removable Scenery
Model Railroader 2006-09 pg. 114 Scale: (none) Category: "Scenery"
Using a strip of fabric to hide the seam of a piece of removable scenery (to access hidden tracks, for example).
Styrene Backdrops and Easy Clouds
Model Railroader 2006-03 pg. 44 Scale: (none) Category: "Layout Construction"
The article covers working with styrene, creating a free-standing styrene backdrop, framing a styrene backdrop, and painting clouds with an airbrush.
Threading the Needle
Model Railroader 2005-11 pg. 138 Scale: (none) Category: "Track"
Using a straw to guide track feeders through layers of insulation foam.