Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Model Railroader 2004-09
Articles Listing

Fast and Fun Foam Mounds

Model the mounds of coal or ballast using pieces of foam insulation.

Basics of Kitbashing Plastic 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.

Sectional Way to a Great Shelf Layout

The Chicago & North Western of 1959 comes to life on the HO scale Morton Division. This is an L-shaped layout composed of 18- and 24-inch wide modules. It has interchanges and two staging areas.

Build Fold-away Benchwork

A cabinet that houses two connected 4x8 sheets of layout surface, supported by four support legs which are removable.

Prototype Paperwork for a Small Layout

Creating paperwork for a small L-shaped switching layout and a small oval layout with three spurs.

Supplying Fuel Since the Reign of King Coal

Coal trestle and office. This is where coal was delivered via rail to the local areas from where homes and offices purchased their coal. Includes prototype photos, 1:320 scale drawing, and textual description of how to build this structure.

Rocks Aren't Hard

About attempting to match rock formations to the area we are modeling. Model and prototype photos. How did the Appalachian mountains form? How did the Rocky Mountains form? Includes a full geological map of the U.S. and Canada.

2 Layouts in 1

HO-scale modules that attach to a smaller home layout as well as to a large club layout. Includes a side bar on how the modules are transported.

Building a Branchline Road Switcher

Kitbash the EMD SDL39. Includes how to kitbash from parts of other locomotives and a side bar on the prototype SDL39.

Taking it to the Streets

Adding details to roadways, including cracks, a construction site, and junk.

Simple, Reliable Turnout Controls

Manual turnout control using slide switches, that still look right.

Civil Engineering 101: Mountain Climbing

How grades are calculated, keyword definitions.

How Sound Decoders Work

How sound decoders are created.

Modeltopia

What about modeling something that isn't possible in real life?