• 16:09

    Model 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,…

    Watch Now >>
  • 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…

    Watch Now >>
  • 4:26

    Creating Old-Style Model Street Lights with Martin Tarnrot

    Modeler Martin Tarnrot will demonstrate his technique for making model street lights in the old style with wooden poles. The material required is 2.5 mm PVC tubing, 0.7 mm brass tubing, SMD type LED lights with copper wires, and the lamp housing. To start, Martin gives the tubing some surface structure using a coarse sanding…

    Watch Now >>
  • 9:36

    Creating Realistic Aspen Trees with Martin Tarnrot

    In this Model Railroad Academy video, modeler Martin Tarnrot will demonstrate how to make model trees, specifically Aspen trees. Aspen trees can be trickier to model because of their unique pattern and colors. Martin makes the trunk and branches from 0.03 inch thick steel wire. He starts the process by cutting 12 pieces of wire…

    Watch Now >>
  • 2:06

    Overview of the Mississippi, Alabama & Gulf

    This is the gorgeous Mississippi Alabama and Gulf model railroad of Cliff Powers. This HO scale railroad is 2 decks, but will eventually be three decks when finished. The model proportion of the railroad runs from Meridian, Mississippi to New Orleans in 1955. The scenery on this layout is simply stunning, with the use of…

    Watch Now >>
  • 6:36

    Touring the Mississippi, Alabama & Gulf

    Here on the HO scale Mississippi, Alabama & Gulf model railroad of Cliff Powers, the tour begins as F units pass Crandel’s Store and Roscoe’s Engine Repair. The line crosses the Pearl River over the swing bridge and enters Mississippi at the Graves Pulp Mill. At Edna, Engine Number 4019 rolls by Shram Manufacturing at…

    Watch Now >>
  • 11:17

    Operations on the Mississippi, Alabama & Gulf

    Operations on the Mississippi, Alabama & Gulf model railroad of Cliff Powers starts as Train 33 enters Wharton powered by 282 Number 1526. The MA&G Makato is on the way to New Orleans and Number 33 has work at the Dappler feed mill. The Makato will set out two boxcars, an MA&G, and a Mississippi…

    Watch Now >>
  • 8:57

    Owner Inspiration & Techniques for the MA&G

    Cliff Powers’s Mississippi, Alabama and Gulf model railroad runs from Chattanooga to Houston. Allen Keller asks how much of that route Cliff actually modeled. Cliff has a division that runs from Meridian to New Orleans, which is the main part of the route he modeled. There’s a section south of Haddiesburg, that runs from the…

    Watch Now >>
  • 7:59

    Making Plowed Fields with Cliff Powers

    The first step in creating a field for a model railroad layout is to create a sub-base, according to modeler Cliff Powers. In Cliff’s case, he has created the subbase out of sculpt-a-mould, for a more natural looking ground. From cardboard, he wants to pull out the middle corrugated section. The first step in doing…

    Watch Now >>