I always wanted to model this Los Angeles Junction Railway engine house but didn't have a space for it on my layout. I built it anyway...

Getting most of the mechanical portion of a layout done early is vital to maintaining morale. It's equally important, however, to slow...

Topic: Model Railroad Branch Line Track Plan Design Imagine faded RS-2's pulling short trains through the river valleys of Vermont or...

The local runs down the switchback to pick up an empty at the Miami Produce Center on my personal layout based on The Downtown Spur in...

My "second" layout is a simple, two turnout affair, in the corner of my office. It's based on the Los Angeles Junction. Structures are...

Prairie-themed layouts lend themselves well to modelers with lots of space but limited modeling time. (Caldwell, ID, 1941, Lee Russell....

Creating Visual Symmetry Shown above is a 1940's topo map of Frederick, MD. Note the general sense of order, the ninety degree grids,...

Having just left Newark Station, and crossed over the Passaic River dock bridge, a northbound Amtrak train passes the tower. This image...

Lift Out Bridge Design Standards Although they have their drawbacks, lift out bridges allow for such far superior model railroad designs...

This guy really caught me off guard. One second it was quiet, an instant later he was on me. I know he was going over 100 mph, by how...

Who wouldn't love to model this grain elevator in Farmersville, IL? The next town has one just as cool, as does the next. However, as...

When I started building my Downtown Spur layout, I temporarily laid Atlas flex track and placed some cardboard mock ups in place to see...

Just because a track plan illustration is pleasing to look at from an artistic standpoint doesn't mean that it's a viable design. Read...

Washington D.C.'s Georgetown waterfront, shown above, makes for a compelling modeling theme if there ever was one. Library of Congress...

Let's talk about model railroad design strategy. At almost thirty feet in length, the above design isn't small. Even so, it's an example...