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Model Railroading Scenery Tip: Painting Brick on Your Layout

January 14, 2011 By 3 Comments
Brick Wall

This scenery tip came in from Robert Herring. Robert shared a technique he has used for painting brick on his model railroad layout that will give your brick walls an aged appearance. I’ve added this tip to the Scenery Techniques page as well as posting it here: The easiest way to paint brick, even N scale, that I have found is to: Paint the base color of the building. Use flat latex interior paint thinned about 2 to 1 with water and a drop or two of liquid detergent. After the base coat has dried, use a paper towel dipped into the mixture and rub the brick areas. The finish … [Read more...]

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How To Apply Ballast

July 22, 2009 By 1 Comment
Track Ballast

by Arizona Rock & Mineral Many people ask me how to apply ballast even if they have done it before. They must not be satisfied how theirs turned out so the very best way will be presented here. I use several techniques and each one has an advantage over the other as the desired effects or the situations vary. A neat looking roadbed is a major accomplishment and very satisfying to look at when finished. Basic Information The best rule of thumb is to apply it slowly and carefully. Each step is very important to follow because "now", you will be in control of its finished … [Read more...]

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The Art of Applying Decals

July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Details

by Joe Czapiga The art of applying thin film wet decals to models is one that only gets better with practice. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Patience and persistency will allow you to produce models that look as good, if not better than the models in all your favorite magazines. I am sure many people have many different methods of applying decals successfully. The methods I use were mostly developed by trial and error and lots of query at every hobby shop I've gone to. As for the myth that you won't be able to produce a great looking model until you have 20 years … [Read more...]

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Using RTV Molds For Creating Scratch-Built Models

July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

by Tony Segro RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanized) Rubber molds are simple to make and can allow you to cast several identical detail castings for your scratchbuilt models. RTV Rubber is a two-part mixture made by Dow-Corning. It comes in various styles. I find 3110 the easiest to use because it does not require an expensive vacuum pump to decompress air bubbles. Take the detail you wish to copy, called a MASTER, and glue it into a cardboard or styrene box with dimensions about one inch longer than the master by one inch wider than the master. When placing the master in the box, you will … [Read more...]

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Tree Construction Technique

July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Trees

by Lynn Goblin Materials A Tree Trunk Armature Use anything that looks like a miniature tree of the scale, height, and species you want to model. I prefer sage brush twigs for larger deciduous trees like mature oaks and cottonwoods. For birches and smaller deciduous trees, I use pieces from a decorative broom I bought at a Ben Franklin craft store. You can, of course, use anything that looks like a tree, from yarrow and goldenrod weeds; to herb and tree roots; to manufactured cast metal and plastic armatures. Ground Foam Ground foam represents the leaves of the tree. You can … [Read more...]

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Building A Trestle Span

July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Trestle

By John Kraker Recently, I decided to add a new canyon to my N-scale layout. The plan was to build three separate trestle spans across my new canyon, after I build my new canyon of course! This was my opportunity to create a steel sub-girder trestle 280 feet long and 75 feet tall, plus two main line trestle spans, 200 feet long and 50 feet tall! Not to mention the possibility of some deep-water scenery and maybe a chance to model a boat. I purchased a supply of 'Micro Engineering' forty and eighty-foot steel sub girders and their "Tall Steel Viaduct" trestle kit. The sub-girders … [Read more...]

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