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Didn't find what you are looking for here? You may want to make a request to the NMRA's Kalmbach Memorial Library. |
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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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| Detailing and Weathering the MER’s CNJ PS-1 Boxcar by Mike McNamara |  |
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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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| you might find interesting: | Urban Backdrop Using the Internet by Marshall Abrams | |
| Using Styrene For Backdrops by Mike McNamara | ||
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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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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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| 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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| This article is available on Shad Pulley's myLargescale.com. It is also available to download as a PDF with a few remarks about model operation added. | ||
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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:
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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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| 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; graffiti decals from your computer; 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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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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Water Effects by Marc Sisk | ||
| Make water on your layout. | |||
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| Gateway Division Library; Freight Yards; Model Railroad Operations; Trackwork and Train Layout Design; Model Railroad Scenery and Structures; Rolling Stock ―Railroad Cars and Locomotives; Electrical and Electronics;, Computers and Computing; Prototype Railroads, Railfaning, and Railroad History; General Interest; NMRA Achievement Program; Model Contest Photographs; Railway Post Office Back Issue & Article Archives | |||
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Byron Henderson — thoughts on design,
ops, and other model railroad issues
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Bruce
A. Metcalf — Electronic Publications on
Railroading and Model
Railroading
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