| All About DCC |
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| Digital Command Control
(DCC) lets you control multiple locomotives without
dividing the track into electrical blocks.
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Basic
Scenery by Bill Carl
This
clinic shows how to do basic scenery on a module using foamboard
insulation. There are almost 200 pictures so this clinic has been
divided into 14 sub-topics: Assumptions, Foam, Hot Wire Tool, Track,
Fill in Cracks, Paint and Grass, Fascia, Rocks, Touch up Grass, Trees,
Backdrop, Bushes, Ballast, and Small Details.
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Build a Warehouse roll-up door (Fine
Scale Animation for
Operation) by Bill Day |
| The clinic
introduces
fine-scale animation in support of operation. the clinic is about “Easy
Animation”; virtually all of the animation is accomplished with
Tortoise switches and turntable motors using black thread or music
wire. The basis is a Design Preservation Module (301-35) with a
roll-up door and a loading platform. |
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Constructing
Pine Trees of the Southeast by Mike Hart
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Constructing
Pine trees of the south eastern U.S., using stick, clay and caulk
techniques together with tree root branches, build a model from scratch
fallowing four easy steps to create a very realistic looking tree. The
photo shows the type of tree modeled.
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Creating Stencils
for Your Logo by
Gil Fuchs
When decals just won't do the job, you
can't find them, or you can't get your hands on an Alps printer -
create and paint your own logo on your preferred rolling stock using
this technique, which is borrowed from the world of PCB production. The
process is not very complicated, using your preferred graphic editing
program, and materials available at your local Radio Shack store and
on-line. The result is a durable brass stencil that can be used over
and over with your airbrush to paint logos on a large number of cars,
engines and/or buildings. As an added bonus, the printed logo can be
made to have the fuzzy look of sprayed-on lettering, as in the
prototype.
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Digital
Photography Tips & Hints by Bob
Boudreau |
| Learn
about taking pictures of your model railroad. Aimed at digital cameras;
basic info can be used with film cameras. Advanced
Techniques appropriate for both camera types. Note:
this link limits access; if you cannot open the pages try again a
little later. |
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| Enhancing Backdrops by Mike McNamara |
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| Add scenery
between foreground trees
and blue sky backdrop.Foam Core board cut to represent hills covered
with ground foam provides a slight 3D aspect. Trees added in front to
blend transition. |
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Installing Sound in an Atlas
RS-3
by Brian Sheron |
| RS-3
diesels were a large part of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) diesel
roster around 1964. These
engines pose a bit of a challenge for installing DCC sound because the
shell snugly fits around
the motor and flywheels. However, loud, clear diesel sound can be
installed in these engines relatively easily. |
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Intermediate Resin Casting by John Griffith |
| This clinic
reviews how to
make molds and then how to make resin castings from those molds.
We will follow the process I used to model East Broad Tops Combine
#14. We will discuss the trials and tribulations to produce
adequate car sides and how to produce a cestatotry roof with see
through windows. I demonstrate how simple one sided molds are
used to produce car sides and a roof. |
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| Layout Ideas From The Opera
by John
Pursell |
| Incorporate
various tricks and techniques that go into
stage scenery into your modeling. (From MER Local.) |
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| Making a Realistic Logging Car from a
Plastict Flatcar by Raymond A. Long |
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| How to age
and weather an
out-of-the-box plastic flatcar. Easy to follow, illustrated
step-by-step instructions that will produce a well used piece of
rolling stock that would likely be found on a logging railroad or short
line. HAow to weather the finish and to distress the wood flooring with
realistic results. |
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Making Dwarf
Signals by Marshall Abrams
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Learn how
to make a dwarf signal with a LED (Light Emitting Diode) that's only .1
inch wide. The LEDs we use are nice because the light from the
individual chips light up a whole circle. This means that in
addition to green and red, they make a quite nice yellow if both the
red and green are turned on. They also come in a green-yellow version,
which can be used on the main line approach track and two red-green on
the main and side tracks. |
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Passenger
Operations by Doug
Matheson
| Doug
discusses passenger operations on the prototype, with lots of pictures.
Much of the article
deals with equipment
available in large scale (1:29). Pre 1948, Pullman owned and
operated
the vast majority of sleepers (and some others cars too). Post
1948 till about the mid 60s, sleeping cars were very much in evidence
but were owned by the operating railroad. After the mid 60s
sleeping car services declined to just the few long haul routes Amtrak
and ViaRail run today. Railroads also operated a very extensive
express service and postal services. Collectively railroads ran
more head end cars than all other passenger cars put together. Much of
the passenger switching is related to sleepers, express and mail
services operating on specified routes. |
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Railroading
Along The Waterfront With Walthers ― Some
Prototype Ideas And Future Directions by John
Teichmoeller
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This
clinic is based on the Wm. K.
Walthers' “Railroading Along
the Waterfront” project rolled-out in 1998. The material included
in this program is designed with several objectives:
- To discuss the
prototypes,
as best identified, for the Walthers products
- To discuss
possible
changes to models to enhance fidelity
- To discuss
other
prototype
variations amenable to kitbashing with Walthers products
- To give you
additional
informational resources
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Realistic
Finish on Brick and Stone Structures by Kathy
Renninger |
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| Custom
model builder
Kathy Renninger demonstrates some of the techniques she used to obtain
realistic finishes on models which feature brick and stone surfaces.
Her
techniques were featured in the August 2004 issue of Model Railroader. |
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Resin
Casting Introduction by John
Griffith |
| This is an
introduction to those who would like to do castings. It will provide
you the information needed to do your own simple castings. It covers
the safety, tools, and materials required. We will talk about
making masters, walk through how to prepare a mold from a master, and
demonstrate how to cast parts. Along the way it offers tips on what
John finds works and what doesn’t. |
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| Rocks
Made Easy ― Working with Rock Molds & Coloring with Dyes by Bob Johnson |
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| Learn
techniques for casting rock molds using molding plaster and assembling
the castings into large, homogeneous formations. Emphasis is placed on
blending the individual castings together and maintaining a realistic
bedding plane throughout the formation. A major focus is on a quick and
easy technique to color the assembled castings using a combination of
washes,dyes, chlorine bleach and dry color powders. |
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Scenic
Express Supertrees
by Bill Carl |
| Longer and
short methods to
making Scenic
Express Supertrees are presented. |
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| Scratchbuilding a Small Wooden
Freight
Station and Platform by Martin
Brechbiel |
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| Now that
you have a few old
time wooden freight cars built, you need a
place to stop and load and unload those items you’ve carefully crafted
as flatcar loads or packaged goods from your gondolas. (From MER Local.) |
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Scratchbuilding Wooden Freight
Cars —
Convert Your Flatcar into a Gondola by Martin Brechbiel |
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quickest and easiest extension from the basic flatcar. (From MER Local.) |
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Semaphore
Signals by Jim
Atkinson
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| As a
modeler, Jim was only
interested in a simple, single blade, three positions, upper quadrant
signal. (from MER Local.) |
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| Simple
Scratchbuilding Tool by Fred
Willis |
| A simple
jig that is very
useful in aligning and measuring parts. It is cheap, easy to make, and
ensures parts are aligned properly. (From MER Local.) |
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Ten Simple Modeling Tips by Brian
Sheron
10
simple modeling tips for improving the realism of your
layout: wax paper behind
windows; sandpaper to simulate
asphalt parking lots; simple signs from
your computer; smaller scale
buildings as background; using modern vehicles
on older period layouts; simple third rails
and cover boards; bending styrene
plastic; making roads
disappear; and simple commercial
outdoor lights.
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Train Layout Photography
by Dale
Schultz
Camera selection; Lighting; Depth of field; Positioning the camera;
Taking the picture; Movement; and example pictures.
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Urban
Backdrop Using
the Internet by Marshall
Abrams.
Covers
commercial
backdrops, backdrop painting ideas especially clouds, getting and
using pictures from the internet,
manipulating pictures, sharpness, resolution & printing, how to
touch-up
pictures, and perspective. See how to mock up the scene, paste
buildings to backdrop, and use standoff spacers for 3D appearance.
Pictures of a finished scene will inspire your modeling. Reference
material
includes lots of pointers to web resources, a list of top free or
shareware photo
editors,
and a book list.
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Using a Drill Press as a
Milling Machine by Evert
Beekmann
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Using
Styrene For Backdrops by Mike
McNamara
Constructed the
backdrop
for the layout using styrene. (From MER
Local.)
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| Using
Structural Steel to Create Industries and Scenes by
Tom Brodrick
Shows some of the
use
of steel after it leaves the mill and
before
it becomes a finished building. The emphasis is on distribution from
the mill, basic explanations of shapes and their designations, the use
of these shapes in the building frame;
pictures,descriptions, and ideas about the equipment used in steel
erection.
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Water
Effects by Marc
Sisk |
| Make
water on your
layout. |
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Suggestions?
