The Baltimore Society of Model Engineers have made arrangements for a final run of the club's two 12x65 foot layouts this Sunday 1/20/2019 1 to 5 pm.

Ballasting the tracks can bring that all important finished look to any model railroad. Many readers on this site already have their own technique for this, but not everyone is an expert. So for everyone else, who is just learning, here is how I have refined this simple but daunting (if you've not done it before) landscape skill.

Had an emergency appendicitis surgery last week,  then during the CTI the Doctors found a large renal mass on my left kidney. Setting up all my modeling areas before that 2nd surgery to remove that large mass,  This way I can come back and maybe do a little modeling after the surgery.  I might work on some ETT for the railroad if modelings is out of the question.

Sitting around all day long is not for me and TV got old real quick.  

You can read how I make a forest here.

MRH June 2017's article "A Depot For The Pittsfield Branch" inspired me to build this Walthers kit.  Author Barry Silverton describes useful techniques.   It's a good kit, but the hole next to the left door is not mentioned in the instructions.  I'll cover it with a light fixture. I also added a window to the clerestory over the station agent's desk. 

There's no hole in the Walther's catalog image below.    An overlooked design change ? 

Hi all.

Long time no posting here.

Just wanted to show you my latest attempts at weathring my locos, while getting back to the hobby (just got divorced, new marriage, ba bla bla, in less than a year...)

All of this was done using just Pan Pastels, oil paints, and the videos form Mike Confalone, on TMTV. Made them both live, on my Youtube channel.

English Electric CP 1413

I got my plan back early. I struggled making my own track plan with my last layout so I decided to have someone with a lot more experience design one for me. I am glad I did. Several of the industries on here are placeholders and not final. I'll probly tweak a couple of things here and there but this is pretty how it will be.

Moderator's note: made photo in-line, click on it for the larger version. 

I needed a tower for a junction of the Brighton Park to Riverdale main with the line to West Linncott.  I built this using the Atlas #701 Elevated Gate Tower kit as a starter.

Joe's Alcos put on a show today pulling a Daylight Consist on the layout!