Tips and Tools
Simplify the process by adding expert tips to your skillset and essential tools to your workbench. With practical advice on planning and building taught by masters of the hobby, you’ll spend less effort getting the job done and more time enjoying the fruits of your labor.
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4:42In part four of the 9-part Kanawha & Western Allegheny series, Allen Keller sits down with C.J. Riley to discuss the inspiration and technique behind the K&WA layout. Allen asks C.J. a total of seven questions regarding different aspects of layout planning and theming. Q&A with C.J. Riley C.J. Riley has plenty of model railroad
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4:21In part seven of the 9-part Kanawha & Western Allegheny series, C.J. Riley offers a step-by-step tutorial on making trees. He demonstrates how to make them on one of his sheet foam ridges on his layout. In this video, he is in the middle of adding the trees to the particular section so he walks
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2:57In part eight of the 9-part Kanawha & Western Allegheny series, Allen Keller questions C.J. Riley about the moving process of his layout. C.J. had the Kanawha & Western Allegheny in the basement of another house before moving homes. He was able to salvage some sections and transfer them to the new location. Moving a
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1:05In the conclusion of the 9-part Kanawha & Western Allegheny series, Allen Keller and C.J. Riley wrap up the series with a final discussion on the model railroading hobby in general. Allen asks C.J. what aspect of the hobby provides him with the most fun. C.J. gives a few answers, as it’s difficult for him
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12:40Among all the decisions required to make when designing a model railroad, the style of track is very influential to the final outcome. There’s a few factors to consider when it comes time to choose between hand laid track versus flex track. Time and cost are two of the major influences on making that decision,
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2:39Model railroading construction requires various tools depending on the task at hand. You likely already have most of the basic tools you will need for your model railroad in your toolbox, but there are some tools you may have never heard of that can make your modeling process much easier. Most specialized tools are fairly
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1:08A model railroad display, by its very nature, is miniature. The N scale is one of the smallest scale measurements with a ratio of 1:160. Small buildings nestle amongst the town, tiny people occupy the sidewalks, pocket-sized trees fill the landscape, and little trains run the tracks in model railroad layouts. Modeling is a work
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3:06Jim Hertzog had no choice but to master concrete model train roads for his Reading Railroad layout as they are typical of Pennsylvania. Concrete can be tricky to recreate as its subject to cracking and breaking over a period of time. Jim has developed a simple method of creating concrete roads by using styrene and
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5:15A useful tool to have in your arsenal of model railroad train supplies is a trammel. Essentially, a trammel is a large compass that will help you accurately draft curves before placing the sub-roadbed and laying flextrack. Building your very own trammel is cheap, easy, and requires few materials. This tool will assist you in
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