Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Model Railroader 2006-03
Articles Listing

Styrene Backdrops and Easy Clouds

The article covers working with styrene, creating a free-standing styrene backdrop, framing a styrene backdrop, and painting clouds with an airbrush.

From Plan to Reality

This 30 x 40 foot layout models the Reading Co. in Pennsylvania between 1952 and 1957. It features stacking staging at either end of the layout in a peninsula area.

Better Layout Videos

This article covers video taping your layout. It discusses essential gear, dealing with location and lighting, setting your white balance, exposure control, and has two side bars on using today's small video players to show off your layout, and video editing tips and tricks.

8 Pike-size Passenger Trains

This article covers prototype trains that were not too long, and can be modeled with available HO and N-scale equipment. It covers the Denver & Rio Grande Western trains 1 and 2, Louisville & Nashville trains 1 and 4, Soo Lines trains 62 and 63, Milwaukee Road trains 117 and 118, Chesapeake & Ohio Pere Marquette trains 11 and 15, Baltimore & Ohio trains 251 and 252, Union Pacific trains 115 and 116, and Chicago Great Western trains 24-25 and 12-23.

10 Railroads 1 Layout Part 2

This installment of Bruce's large layout covers operations. Included are the operational schematic, discussions about selecting an era for the railroad, building a fleet, the various jobs available, both CTC's, running "day and night", and DCC.

Norfolk & Western's Washington Extension

This article proposes a 12' by 12' N-scale layout for modeling the N&W mainline in eastern Virginia in the early 1950s. Includes the double-deck trackplan, and a schematic map of the prototype area.

Build the 4X8 Stoney Creek Part 3

In this installment the author covers grass, rocks, and roads. Topics included are adding a stream and bridge, building a tunnel, filling up scenery areas with chunks of foam, creating roads, varnishing the layout's fascia, creating rocks from molds, and placing ground cover.

Weather While You Build

The author shows various techniques for weathering a freight car model while building it, because some areas are hard to reach once the model is fully built.

Decoder-controlled Caboose Lighting

The author discusses what he had to do to install a Digitrax TF4 decoder in a caboose to gain a flashing amber roof-top beacon and red marker lights.