At almost thirty feet in length, the above design isn't small. Even so, it's an example of managing scope and complexity so a modeler,...

I only had my East Rail switching layout for about five years before selling it. Even though I didn't keep it, it provided me with a...

Rather than filling this spare room in my house with one medium sized layout, I built several smaller ones creating a "layout gallery"....

The above image was taken on my N scale switching layout using an iPhone and the room’s overhead Halogen track lighting. The depth of...

Modeler’s typically enter the hobby at two points in their lives, either during the teen years or at retirement. Those coming into model...

When it comes to model railroad operations, I’ve noticed what I call the “thirty minute/three hour rule” or, as Captain Jack Sparrow...

Acceptance. Acceptance of the reality of our situation. Acceptance of constraints. Acceptance of the fact that the subject we are...

The man made world we model tends to be built on engineering order. In other words, ninety degree angles, perpendicular orientations, and...

Model railroaders are an optimistic bunch, particularly when it comes to layout design! To be more specific, overly optimistic when it...

The timeless 80/20 rule, model railroad planning is not immune. All too often we have our 80/20 priorities backwards. We spend eighty...

Before we draw the first line of a layout design, before we lay the first stick of bench work, the most important decisions present...

On a relatively frequent basis I encounter modelers that confide in me their fear of making mistakes. It’s perfectly understandable. ...

I get lots of questions from my model railroad design clients, many new to layout construction, as to how to handle rail gaps and rail...

Planning a layout for several….or many years down the road? Design, preparing, and anticipation can be a big part of the fun. In my...

Trains in motion, that’s what we ultimately want. Without it we essentially have a static diorama. But what is your operational style? ...