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? ...

Rickety logging lines are a popular theme. The design shown above is a free lanced West Virginia logging branch set in the 1930’s or...

Early in the planning process, it’s common for clients to tell me that they have a specific number of towns they’d like to have on their...

Model Railroad Structure Building Practice The clients that I see generally have many things in common. Typically they’ve been waiting...

For many modelers, scenery is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the hobby. Prior to laying the plywood sub-roadbed a little...

Pre-purchasing and accumulating structures prior to having a layout design in hand is a recurring theme on this blog. It’s a recurring...

There are three possible purposes track can serve on a model railroad. When pulling your design together, you have to ask yourself, if a...

When working with a new design client, it’s fairly common that they state a desire that the model railroad be designed in such a way that...

What a person gets out of the hobby is as varied as the number of people participating. For some, it’s casual recreation. Others enjoy...

In most cases, layout design decisions are neither inherently good or bad…… as long as the layout owner is crystal clear as to the pros...