modelrailroadbenchwork.com

01/06/2025

Here is OnDrew removing the railing at the new house to successfully pull out the ramp for the absolute easiest unloading I've certainly ever done.

Logistics to move (1) 2-car garage workshop, (2.5) households, (2) custom finished projects, and pets has resulted in (1) 53' semi load, (1) 26' Uhaul load, (4) private vehicles and (1) headache for Sandy.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year!

We start the new year with OnDrew J Hartigan saying goodbye to the old shop. On the wall you will see his =) and the July 2013 note that was hidden behind a cabinet from when he moved in.

12/31/2024

Packing up the shop into a 53' semi.

Thanks to Guy's Ag Management for assistance loading with a tractor. If you're in central Florida and need tractor work/mowing/pasture treatments or other such things go with Guy ([email protected] / 352-457-7993).

12/30/2024

Packing up the shop in Lakeland for the move to NC! As a reminder the shop reopens January 15th!

The small office space has doubled and the 2-car garage workshop is now 3-car with plans to expand to 5 in the next few months.

A video introducing the full MRB crew is coming eventually, we had planned to make it much earlier this year. OnDrew started the company in 2010 and employed Josh part time for several years, he joined full time in 2023. Sandy took over office duties fulltime in 2024 and Bay will be joining us in 2025.

12/27/2024

Josh under supervision of our Shop Monkey finishing up our last custom project of the year before the shop was packed up. Not only is MRB moving to North Carolina, both of our final custom projects of the year are being delivered to NC with the move! Talk about convenient.

12/25/2024

12/24/2024

If you haven't heard, MRB is in the process of relocating from Florida to North Carolina. The shop has been closed since Thanksgiving while we repair, pack, relocate and set up. We reopen January 15th!

A few weeks ago in preparation for our move Bob Russello graciously lent us his MIG welder so OnDrew J Hartigan could repair a part for our kreg machine.

10/07/2024

MRB's back to making videos again and our first in a while is a great one.

Model Railroad Track Adhesives Test for All plastic based track scales, O gauge, O scale, HO scale, N scale, 1:87, 1:160, Cork, ballast, Toy train,SUBSCRIBE ...

10/03/2024

Do you have a track plan you've been dying to make into a reality? Not sure if it'll fit in the space or need to see it laid out for your visual before you can sell the dream to your spouse? MRB uses prints as a guide to install cork.

MRB has 1:1 Print services available for your track plan printing needs. Simply request a quote on our website and then email us the track plan file (follow the instructions after submitting the print request).

https://www.modelrailroadbenchwork.com/1to1prints
Available in black & white to full color options.

09/30/2024

What is MRBSupply?

We've created MRBsupply as an extension of ModelRailroadBenchwork.com to provide the supplies we love to use while helping you save time and money. We focus exclusively on products related to benchwork, track, and wiring—many of which were discovered or developed during our layout-building projects.

Our first offering is O Scale Cork (https://www.modelrailroadbenchwork.com/product-page/o-scale-cork), which has been nearly impossible to find for over a year. Coming soon are prewired switches for switch panels and pre-sized, stripped feeder wires. With a long list of ideas, we’re excited to continue expanding our product line.

What products currently on the market have you been disappointed in the quality? Are there any you would be interested in seeing the MRB brand supply?

09/23/2024

Josh placing MRBSupply cork and track on a layout we are currently working on in the shop that is to be delivered in November. This cork was our test project before we started producing our own.

Need O Scale Cork for your next project? Snag it here, shipping starts this week: https://www.modelrailroadbenchwork.com/cork

09/17/2024

*O Scale Cork Now Available!*

We got tired of waiting on suppliers, so we became one! O scale cork is now available in 1/4” and 3/16” thicknesses with shipping starting on the 27th. Both options are $60 per box (sale price). Larger orders might take a little longer but most will ship within a week.
https://www.modelrailroadbenchwork.com/cork

*Details:*
- 75ft (22.8m) per box (same as other brand)
- Fine grain cork, like those used in high-end cork boards.
- Can be stained to match your ballast, reducing the need for extra materials.
- 3/16” (5mm) cork matches well-known brands.
- 1/4” (6mm) cork is slightly thicker but offers added noise reduction at no extra cost.
- Square cut for easier installation. A beveling tool is in development, but a box knife works just as well.
- Installs easily with nails, staples (our recommendation), or wood glue.

09/06/2024

When life doesn’t give you cork... craft it ourselves? MRB is stepping up to supply cork since the main supplier of O-scale cork has, well, 'bottled it up.' Want to know when MRB's cork is in stock?

Just drop your email and estimated amount, and we’ll send a notification when it hits the shop. (Pictured: O-Scale cork affixed to a module from a 49'x15' layout being installed this year.)

https://forms.gle/kJVNEF6Khuwby8a29

08/28/2024

One of our recent projects that was assembled in pieces in the shop, then broken down to freight ship to its new home. This is one of the smaller projects we're tackling this year.

08/17/2024

Today I learned that another one of my clients passed away. It's always a little weird knowing that someone I've interacted with is no longer around but this one in particular was a bit of a shock. For the sake of Privacy I'll just use his first name but John was a client I had worked with a few times starting back in 2019-2020. I drew a track plan for him but we found talking with each other so easy that he ended up contacting me a year later to design another track plan because he decided to put an addition on his house to go bigger and that's just what we did. In late 2021 I delivered a much larger combination HO and O gauge layout. I was immensely proud what I had created for him and he was delighted to get started on his dream layout. After delivery we actually stayed in touch and worked together a few times all while chit chatting about this and that. Flash forward to today. Today I was contacted by his partner and informed that John had passed via a heart attack after flying home from Spain where he had just completed hiking the Camino de Santiago trail with a group of fellow marine vets. Genuinely he was one of the healthiest men I know which is part of why I think this is such a surprise. It's a shame, he will be missed.

Note: I've offered to help his partner video the layout as he left it so there will be one more video this project prior to its disassembly. In the mean time, here's the original post installation tour.

John's 19 x 14 ft HO & O scale model railroad layout installed (part 1)https://www.modelrailroadbenchwork.comMy favorite tools, and supply resources can be f...

06/10/2024

We acquired a brand new plotter printer! While we sell prints to customers who order custom benchwork, the plan is to offer 1:1 prints to anyone.

Edit: 1:1 Printing is now available: https://www.modelrailroadbenchwork.com/1to1prints

04/11/2024

Yesterday Sandy and I attended the ISA International Sign Expo® 2024 . You might wonder how that relates to model railroading. It turns out we found lots of ideas and products. We found a foam sheet material called high density urethane which would be phenomenal for CNC carving everything from buildings to mountains but in its more dense form (although absurdly expensive) could also be a waterproof benchwork material. We found dozens of light manufacturers, some of which specialize in programmable LED strips. We also found several adhesive manufactures and we might have found a way to make back lit backdrops for layouts that would allow for special effects like day/night cycles and even storms. Now a lot of this isn’t applicable to building benchwork but for helping my clients plan their projects it was invaluable.

04/10/2024

MRB is headed to Orlando for the ISA International Sign Expo. We're hoping to explore new tech to bring Innovative products to the MRB benchwork line.