Background flats can be challenging from the standpoint that they are frequently needed as part of the layout to backdrop transition but are also so easy to botch. If not handled carefully they can be real scene busters and literally scream that you are looking at a model railroad. A few slights of hand make them […]
Converted to N scale, my East Rail layout would tuck easily into a wardrobe closet A few days ago, I received an email from Blake B., one of my blog followers, with the subject line above. “Is It Worth It?”. In the body of the text he elaborated, “ The new condo I moved […]
Featured in the upcoming issue of Model Railroad Planning is community member Tom Klimoski’s Georgia Northeastern Railroad. A sneak peak of this excellent layout is shown in his recently produced YouTube video. Shown below is his track plan. There are some great lessons to be learned from Tom’s efforts. A few that stand out to me […]
A southbound local passes bridge E8, south of Bloomington, IN on my old N scale layout. I devoted a full thirteen feet to this ‘boring’ scene. There were no industries, no turnouts, nothing but the field and stream modeled as they actually appeared. Of all of the factors that contribute to realism, at the […]
Topic: Model Railroad Design The ultimate model railroad design goal? Capturing the essential elements of a scene successfully enough that you have the sense of “being there”. It’s an elusive target because hitting it is hard to break down into a step by step, “how to” sequence. At the root of the problem is the harsh reality that […]