Creating beautiful scenes on an HO scale model railroad is a learning process. No one is perfect from the start. Everyone can learn to do things in a better, more convincing and efficient way. YouTube videos and Facebook groups offer an incredible opportunity to look at the work of fellow model railroaders and see the …
Continue reading Tips for Adding Realistic Weeds to Model Railroads
Creating beautiful scenes on an HO scale model railroad is a learning process. No one is perfect from the start. Everyone can learn to do things in a better, more convincing and efficient way. YouTube videos and Facebook groups offer an incredible opportunity to look at the work of fellow model railroaders and see the …
I have to admit, I haven't been thrilled with the results of the static grass applicator I made. Even though I've gotten some powerful zaps from it myself, I wonder if the static field it creates isn't strong enough. My scenes look pretty good, I just thought the grass would stand up better. If you …
Continue reading Best Techniques for Planting Static Grass and Weeds
I have to admit, I haven't been thrilled with the results of the static grass applicator I made. Even though I've gotten some powerful zaps from it myself, I wonder if the static field it creates isn't strong enough. My scenes look pretty good, I just thought the grass would stand up better. If you …
My original HO scale model railroad I received for Christmas was a circle, thirty-six inches across. I put all the cars on the track behind the Tyco blue and yellow Santa Fe F7 engine. Even though the F7 did not run well, I finally got it moving around my tiny model railroad empire. After a …
I remember riding into downtown Lapeer for the first time and noticing the cars were all parked against the sidewalk diagonally. I don't know why that impressed me. The second thing I noticed was the long lights bending over the street. We spent a lot of time downtown, as did many other people. The only …
In Part One, I gave the details about cutting balsa pieces to make forms for a grade crossing using plaster. The photo shows foam two-faced tape in place on both sides of the track. I pressed the balsa form onto the tape against the roadbed and track. You can read part one by clicking this …
Continue reading Crafting Realistic Grade Crossings for HO Model Railroads
In Part One, I gave the details about cutting balsa pieces to make forms for a grade crossing using plaster. The photo shows foam two-faced tape in place on both sides of the track. I pressed the balsa form onto the tape against the roadbed and track. You can read part one by clicking this …
In a recent post, Why Is Model Railroading So Much Like Therapy, I gave a short list of characteristics of mental health therapy that fit into model railroading. I said my assertions were meant to be "tongue-in-cheek," as helping with mental health is serious, not to be taken lightly. In comments I received in response …
Continue reading Model Railroading Really Does Offer Great Therapy
The big news around Maple Valley this week has been the suit filed against the Burthrap twins. Some guy named Dortsin Gimblemack hired a fancy lawyer from New York and sued them because he said they stole his recipe for binzelphrast. The bigger question was why anyone would want to eat something that is essentially …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 35: Not Forgotten
A Coffee State of Mind 