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Track Talk Live on the Road: August 2016

August 18, 2016 By Editor & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog, Track Talk Live.

Track Talk Live’s team of Clickity (Doug Hodgdon) and Clack (Steve Doyle) took the show on the road to the historic Wayzata Depot in the western Twin Cities. The 110-year old depot was built by The Empire Builder – James J. Hill – and still retains much of the original fixtures and furniture. Located on…

Assigning a Theme for Your Model Railroad Layout

August 9, 2016 By Doug Hodgdon & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog.

The next installment in our ongoing series on planning and building a model railroad layout is all about layout themes. In case you missed our previous installment on track configurations, make sure to go back and check out that post for handy diagrams of common configurations. In this post, we’ll talk about establishing a theme…

NMRA National Convention & Train Show 2016 Recap

August 3, 2016 By Doug Hodgdon & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog.

Model Railroad Academy sent me to Indianapolis this year to take in the 2016 NMRA National Convention and Train Show July 8th through the 10th. My primary interest in attending the show was to check out all the vendors and see what is new and exciting in the hobby this year. If you didn’t get…

Track Talk Live: August 2016

July 28, 2016 By Editor & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog, Track Talk Live.

August’s Track Talk Live with MRA’s Allen Keller, Doug “Clickety” Hodgdon and Steve “Clack” Doyle featured a wide range of topics including news from the recent NMRA Convention, advances in decoder technology and how to foster the growth of model railroading among young boys and girls. Participants from as far afield as Australia, Brazil, South…

Choosing Model Railroad Track Configurations

July 26, 2016 By Doug Hodgdon & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog.

There are many factors to consider before we start building a model railroad layout. I know of many model railroaders who have started building without much of a plan and spent much effort and money on their layout, only to realize partway through that they just weren’t happy with their endeavors – and a lot…

So You Want to Build a Model Railroad Layout?

July 12, 2016 By Doug Hodgdon & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog.

I think model railroading is a fantastic hobby for many reasons, not the least of which is it gives an individual the opportunity to learn about many different things. You can start with design, geometry, and carpentry and move up to civil engineering, city planning, artistry, and the study of human nature. And that’s all…

Track Talk Live: July 2016

June 30, 2016 By Editor & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog, Track Talk Live.

July’s Track Talk Live featured MRA’s Steve Doyle and Doug Hodgdon in a lively hour of questions and answers on many facets of model railroading, including layout building, roadbed and track-laying, intermodal operations, DCC installation and weathering. Viewers from as far away as Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland engaged in multi-scale discussions with the…

The Roots of My Modeling Passion

June 27, 2016 By Steve Doyle & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog.

When I’m giving tours of my layout it seems that I get more questions about “how did you get started” in the hobby from NON-railroad guests than by actual enthusiasts. It could be that many model railroaders share similar roots – we witnessed and experienced prototype railroading when we were younger and perhaps – as…

Welcome to Model Railroad Academy

May 26, 2016 By Doug Hodgdon & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog.

Welcome rail enthusiasts! My name is Douglas Hodgdon and along with Steve Doyle, we’re developing educational and thought-provoking material for the NEW Model Railroad Academy – a website dedicated entirely to educating you in the art of model railroad craftsmanship through video and online tutorials. We want to develop – and encourage – a conversation…

Meet Steve Doyle: Managing Editor of Model Railroad Academy

May 26, 2016 By Steve Doyle & filed under Model Railroad Academy Blog.

As Managing Editor of Model Railroad Academy, let me extend a warm welcome to our community of enthusiasts through what we plan to be a dynamic and engaging new site for our favorite hobby. Doug Hodgdon, our Contributing Editor and resident railroad guru, previously mentioned in his introductory blog that we aim to produce fresh…