I think I was born about fifteen years too late. I would have loved standing along the tracks watching huge steam locomotives roll by, pulling long lines of freight or passenger cars. Steam was almost completely replaced by diesel by the time I was born. There were still a few steam engines working in various …
Continue reading Memories of the Steam Train Festival in 2009 at the Steam Railroading Institute
Hours and hours invested in a model railroad often result in a few moments that make the entire effort worth every moment working. For a model railroader, the work is fun so it's not as though I don't love every minute with my layout. The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad is my third layout …
Maple Valley Manufacturing is a large facility just outside of town. Three Tower Bridge stands between the small town of Maple Valley and the factory. Close-up views of the inside of the factory provide detailed scenes on the HO scale model railroad. To create the illusion of depth and detail in the facade, I built …
Continue reading Detail Scenes of the Maple Valley Short Line HO Scale Model Railroad
Maple Valley Manufacturing is a large facility just outside of town. Three Tower Bridge stands between the small town of Maple Valley and the factory. Close-up views of the inside of the factory provide detailed scenes on the HO scale model railroad. To create the illusion of depth and detail in the facade, I built …
Continue reading Exploring Maple Valley Manufacturing Details
I understand that experience is a great teacher. With model railroading, however, small mistakes can have a cascading effect that will make operating your railroad a frustrating experience. If you are going to use extruded foam as the base of your layout, be sure to notice the edges of the foam. Undoubtedly, there will be …
Continue reading Two Mistakes to Avoid as You Build Your HO Scale Model Railroad
I understand that experience is a great teacher. With model railroading, however, small mistakes can have a cascading effect that will make operating your railroad a frustrating experience. If you are going to use extruded foam as the base of your layout, be sure to notice the edges of the foam. Undoubtedly, there will be …
As construction of a model railroad progresses, it's easy to forget the former struggles and triumphs. I'm happy I took lots of photos as I was building The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad. I'm not finished with the layout. I am not sure a model railroad is ever completed because it's so fun to …
Continue reading Under Construction: The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad
The Maple Valley Short Line is a work in progress. As I shared in "Mistakes I Made on my HO Scale Model Railroad," model railroading is a great teaching tool because there is always something to learn. I suspect that any serious model railroader would say the same thing. This is the pencil drawing of …
Continue reading Things I Did Right on my HO Scale Model Railroad
The Maple Valley Short Line is a work in progress. As I shared in "Mistakes I Made on my HO Scale Model Railroad," model railroading is a great teaching tool because there is always something to learn. I suspect that any serious model railroader would say the same thing. This is the pencil drawing of …
Continue reading Building the Maple Valley Railroad: Tips and Insights
One of the great things about HO scale model railroading is that the modeling never ends. I suppose that can be true of any scale, but for me, HO scale is a perfect example of a modelers dream. I started building the Maple Valley Short Line model railroad four years ago. My train room is …
Continue reading Mistakes I Made on my HO Scale Model Railroad: The Maple Valley Short Line
A Coffee State of Mind 