I enjoy looking behind the obvious scenes, which is why details are so important. More things are happening than we can see at first glance. A lot of life takes place in hiding. Maybe the good folks of Maple Valley aren't hiding on purpose, but not everyone sees everything they're doing. That's good. No one …
What could be better for a train lover than living in a town with an annual Railroad Days Festival? Not much. I recently visited Durand, Michigan during Railroad Days to hunt for model railroad treasures at the train show. I was surprised to discover the Durand Depot has several HO scale layouts in operation, the …
I have to admit, even though I don't want to, this winter darkness has not had as much of a detrimental effect on my mental state as in other years. At least it doesn't seem so. But winter isn't over. There is another hype-filled round of snowpocalyptic prognostications beginning to fill the air, even as …
Continue reading Model Railroad Scenery, Coffee, Earl Klugh, and a Sunlight Therapy Lamp
Maple Valley is a small tourist town in Kertok County, Missouri. The claim to fame in this tiny place is The Old General, a Civil War era steam locomotive that carries visitors to Maple Valley. Maple Valley has been here a lot longer than The Old General has been bringing folks to see it. Years …
Continue reading The Cast of Characters in the Scandal at Maple Valley
I have been working diligently on the scenery of my HO scale model railroad, The Maple Valley Short Line. Since I learned how to make convincing weeds, I'm putting them everywhere, and probably overdoing it. You can see the steps I learned for placing great weeds, by clicking here. I've added one more step. After …
Continue reading More Trees for the Maple Valley HO Scale Model Railroad
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
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 …
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 …
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 …
A Coffee State of Mind 