• 7:08

    Weathering Plastic Buildings Easily

    Martin Tärnrot demonstrates how to enhance the appearance of ready-made plastic buildings. At swap meets, markets, and on eBay, you can buy built plastic kits at low cost compared to buying the kits and building them on your own. But many of these have two problems: too much glue, and they are not painted. By…

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  • 13:48

    Upgrading Rolling Stock from Swap Meet to Layout

    What can we do with older cars to make them great additions to our fleets on our model railroad layouts? Model Railroad Academy Editor Ron Marsh recently attended a model railroad swap meet and picked up a few older cars. In this video, he shows ways to upgrade new old stock cars with mechanical upgrades…

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  • 10:57

    Weathering Using Oil Paints with Martin Tarnrot

    Modeler Martin Tarnrot will demonstrate who to use artists’ oil paints for weathering. The three types of materials needed for all types of weathering include pastel chalk powder, acrylic paints and oil paints. Sometimes the bonding strength of acrylic paints is not strong on plastic, and oil paint is a better option. Oil paint is…

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  • 4:03

    Applying and Weathering Decals on a Structure

    Decals have the ability to completely alter the look of a model structure or car. They’re a simple way to add detail to your layout and most are inexpensive. If you are looking to add decals to your model railroad layout, you may want to consider implementing some weathering techniques to make the decals look…

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  • 6:27

    Weathering Track

    NMRA Master Model Railroader Gerry Leone says, “Track is a model too, so it only makes sense to make your track look as good as your rolling stock, your locomotives and as your structures.” In this video, Gerry shares five easy techniques for weathering your track. Gerry provides a step-by-step tutorial for a few of…

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  • 3:24

    Finishing Models

    Every seasoned modeler begins to accumulate various weathering techniques over time. Each modeler has different tips and tricks to offer. With numerous techniques and products available to weather buildings and trains, its just a matter of discovering what ones work best for you. Finishing Models C.J. Riley explored many weathering techniques while building the Kanawha…

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  • 11:19

    Techniques for Adding Mortar Lines to your Model

    Replicating realistic brick buildings may seem daunting due to the extremely unique characteristics of the structural material. Brick buildings have been around for centuries and have endured the test of time. Over the years, bricks begin to narrate history through deterioration, cracking, and erosion. With that in mind, it’s very important to detail model brick…

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  • 5:44

    Detailing Brick Buildings

    It takes extra time and care to make your model railroad layout stand out. Detailing makes a complete difference in the final outcome of your layouts appearance. Detailing can be meticulous, but it’s definitely worth the effort. To help you improve your layout, NMRA Master Model Railroader Gerry Leone offers a step-by-step tutorial on detailing…

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  • 4:12

    Weathering Cars

    In the conclusion of the 8-part South Ridge Line series, Dean Freytag provides a quick tutorial on how to weather a car. The segment begins with a sneak peek of Dean’s work area in the basement. He clearly spent a lot of time working on his model trains judging by the mess. Over the years,…

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