Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Model Railroader 2005-12
Articles Listing

Make Your Track Realistic

This step-by-step article covers painting rails and ties, cleaning rail, painting the scenery base, adding ballast, final clean-up and weathering

Modeling the "Ma & Pa"

An 8' by 22' shelf layout set in 1946. Includes history about the Maryland and Pennsylvania railroad. The author covers how he built the layout and how it is operated.

Express Reefer from Troop Sleeper in N

The author creates a postwar express car from a Micro-Trains troop sleeper, much like the prototype did. Includes prototype photos and detailed instructions about how to do the conversion.

1994 Was the Year of the Locomotive

This article covers motive power, passenger and freight trains, and environmentally friendly locomotives of the year 1994.

Modifying and Painting Figures

The article covers modifying the plastic bodies to get them to do something other than the manufacturers' normal behavior. It also includes information about adding such details as hands, newspapers, rags in back pocket, etc. Finally, painting and what-not-to-do to figures completes the article. Includes a list of all the manufacturers making figures in HO, N, Z, O, and S scale.

DCC Buyer's Guide

An overview of DCC, and a listing of the various models available to model railroaders.

Passenger Station for Grand Riviere

The author used three kits to make a unique building that resembles two structures on the Alaska RR. Includes cut list, parts list, and detailed construction notes.

Design a Better Layout

Article covers studying the prototype, preventing the spaghetti bowl layout, developing scenes, operations, providing people space, backdrops, staging, track interaction with roadways, viewing height, and sticking to your design criteria.

Operation Rules on the HO Scale Salt Lake Southern

The author describes how he accomplishes operations on his layout. He has continuous staging so that trains can be re-used during a session, or have many sessions back-to-back.

Trackside Photos

Ken's Sn3 Pandora & San Miguel RR is a good example of narrow gauge modeling. This photo shows Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 #20 departing the Ophir depot with a passenger train.

Magnetic, Movable Maps

The author describes how he prints a town's track map, inserts it into a plastic picture frame and attaches it to the layout's fascia. He also describes an idea by Gerry Leone to glue a magnet to the picture frame, and a metal washer to the layout's fascia, so that the map is removable.