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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11:11Scratch Building a Shed
Martin Tärnrot takes us step by step through making a shed from scratch. Martin has a 1950s-style sawmill in his layout, and this shed is used to dry and store sawdust. The shed includes a window for light and a plate roof. Martin shares his techniques for modeling this type of building. PLANNING AND PAINTING…
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8:06Creating Water Surface Effects
Martin Tärnrot shows how to create model railroad water surface effects, focusing on surface effects typically seen after motorboats, such as swells and turbulence. MATERIALS When creating model railroad water surface effects, a transparent gel is the base material. Martin uses a medium-strength gloss gel from Liquitex. It’s white when it comes out of the…
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9:09Hacks and Tricks for Reliable Operation
Martin Tärnrot presents some hacks and tricks to improve the performance and reliability of your model railroad, focusing on three important areas: trucks and wheels, couplings, and tracks. TRUCKS AND WHEELS Why replace wheels? If you have plastic wheels, you’ll get a lot of operational benefits in terms of increased reliability by changing to metal…
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7:02Simple Details That Make Your Locomotives Unique
Model Railroad Academy Editor Ron Marsh shows how adding just a couple of details enhances the realism and prototypical look of a locomotive or piece of rolling stock. These details can also take a nice but ordinary locomotive and make it completely special to your layout. THE LOCOMOTIVE Ron recently bought a brand-new Atlas model…
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16:09Model Railroad Maintenance Hacks
It may not be the funnest part of the hobby, but model railroad maintenance and cleaning is necessary in order for model trains to run smoothly. From cleaning up the ballast, to the turf, the landscape details should be secured down so they don’t end up on the tracks and cause problems during operation. Similarly,…
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5:26Modeling Gravel Roads with Martin Tarnrot
In this video Martin Tarnrot demonstrates his method of making HO scale roads, and in particular, gravel roads. There are many methods to achieve a nice looking result, but the method he has used throughout my entire layout. For this video instruction, Martin made a small diagram, made from two inch thick Styrofoam. He prefers…
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7:11Working with Curved Easements with Martin Tarnrot
In this video with modeler Martin Tarnrot, he will discuss how to add curved easements. This adds to the appearance of the railroad and the functional reliability. The subroadbed is a 12 mm thick plywood sheet. This first step in laying the track is to mark the centerline of the track. He uses a homemade…
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3:27How to Paint Realistic Rocks
Modeler Martin Tarnrot is back with another video on improving model railroad scenery. In this video, Martin will demonstrate how to paint realistic rock sides, specifically those that have a lot of iron in them. The prototype is a rockside with streaks of reddish mineral iron. He begins by casting these rocksides with rubber molds…
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8:57How to Build Sturdy Benchwork
In this video, modeler Josh Clark demonstrates how to lay ho scale track, specifically benchwork. Building sturdy benchwork is a very important aspect of an ho scale train track. Josh shares model railroad track laying tips and techniques and demonstrates the creation of cost-effective, long-lasting benchwork that will not collapse or bend over time. To…
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