Hello Amigos, I'm starting a new thread today where I will be posting videos and info on the unique structures I build for my On30 Thunder Mesa Mining Company layout.

First up, we have the dynamite shack from a scene inspired by Big Thunder Mountain at Disney. Enjoy!

There's a new post today on the Thunder Mesa website with a deep dive into how I built my Grizzly Flats style depot. New video up on YouTube too. Hope you'll check them both out.

Blog Post

YouTube

Hey, folks, on this thread I will be posting new videos from the Thunder Mesa Youtube channel. Most of these fall in to the "Thunder Cam" category with scenic views of the railroad in action. My "How-To" vids will usually get threads of their own with links to expanded information on the Thunder Mesa blog. Enjoy!

First off, let's take a tour of the entire layout. 

Since I seem to post a new photo like this every so often, I've decided to keep them all in one easy to find thread from now on. 

Today we have a view of the canyon as the daily mixed rounds the bend. www.thundermesaminingco.blogspot.com

Today I'm starting on a new project: a portable mini-layout in On18. While remaining portable for shows and events, the layout is also being designed to "plug in" to my On30 Thunder Mesa layout as a feeder line. As the build progresses, I'll be be posting updates here on this blog, along with more in-depth articles on the TMMC website.

Here's a track plan and concept illustration for the simple 2' x 5' layout:

Recently I've been working on a small, portable diorama to demonstrate rock making techniques and to serve as a base for photographing models outdoors. Building the Lone Rock diorama is the subject of today's Thunder Mesa website post.

Time for another one shot photo-story on the Thunder Mesa website. As the sun sinks low it becomes clear why some folks call this the Rainbow Desert.

I've been thinking a lot about showmanship in modeling lately so today's post on the Thunder Mesa website is all about scenes and transitions.