Sheriff Pete Terkinberry enjoyed "Hannah's Egg Surprise" at The Ya'll Sit Cafe. He's been going to the cafe every morning for the past several weeks. Pete is looking forward to another quiet day in Maple Valley. The call changes everything. Sheriff Terkinberry had no sooner stepped into the office, which is his kitchen, than the …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 36: The Call About Sylvia
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 …
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
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
Someone, no one knows who, or where, or when, said, "If something bad is going to happen, it will happen first in Maple Valley." I take exception to that notion. There are lots of things that happen in other places first. What generally follows is that the good folks in Maple Valley claim they were …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 34: The Christmas Disaster
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 …
It's difficult to say what has become of our happy little community in Maple Valley. Gossip has always been one of our strongest characteristics, but it's getting ridiculous. Last week, Vee Burthrap was convinced Shorty Cloverton was having an "uncommon relationship," as she called it, with Wilomena Shermer, the good reverend's wife. Vee Burthrap doesn't …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 30: The Bones Investigation
My Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad in HO scale has more detail than any of my previous layouts. Model railroading is a learning experience, which is a big part of the fun. Scenery on a layout is never quite finished because there is always some little item that can be added to make a …
A Coffee State of Mind 