Railroad Model Craftsman Magazine

01/11/2024

Hosting operating sessions is one of two top priorities for my HO scale Chesapeake & Ohio Ryder Gap Sub. I designed a railroad and operating scheme that I would enjoy, and hoped others would as well. After a recent operating session, I received email feedback from one of my experienced operators...

Adopting prototype Chesapeake & Ohio practices for fun and engaging operating sessions on the freelanced Ryder Gap Sub.

30/10/2024

NOVEMBER 2024: Designed for operations, Ron Papiercavich's Lehigh Valley N Scale Railroad is a beautiful freelanced tribute to the Lehigh Valley Railroad in N scale. Jack Hughes shows us how he kitbashed a New England style textile mill from Walthers Cornerstone kits, and also shows us how he modified and detailed a Maine Central RS-11. Joe Green shares his system for realistic operations on his Chesapeake & Ohio Ryder Gap Sub layout, while Robert Chant shares a “future proof” small layout design. All this and more in the November issue of Railroad Model Craftsman!

15/10/2024

An important notice for customers in zip codes 32003-34997 affected by Hurricane Milton.

Dear Customers: Last week the U.S. Postal Service declared Force Majeure for the post codes 32003-34997 due to Hurricane Milton. As such, normal mail delivery has been delayed or suspended entirely for these post codes. As a precautionary measure, White River Productions has suspended delivery of magazines to our subscribers in these areas until we are notified that normal postal service has resumed. All subscribers will still receive all magazine issues due to them as soon as we can ensure delivery. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. —WRP

07/10/2024

SCENERY! As we are scheduling articles for the coming year, we find that we're coming up short on how-to articles about making realistic scenery effects. We want your articles about making roads, trees, ground cover, painting and weathering track, carving rock faces, you name it. This photo by Joseph Kreiss shows a cypress swamp scene on his On30 Mosquito Creek Lumber Company layout, and he's going to show you his method for making these realistic stumps. If you've got ideas for articles, please contact editor Otto Vondrak by email at [email protected]

07/10/2024

Had a fun morning visiting with my friend Jim Scorse at NCE Corporation and getting a tour of their manufacturing facility and learning about their steady expansion over the last 30 years. Look for more coming soon in a future issue of RMC!

04/10/2024

After graduation, I moved to Michigan but still managed to visit a number of times since, and each time it has changed — sometimes a lot and sometimes a little. Most of the rails are still there, though some have been taken up, while others have even been laid anew. But when I return to my basement, the world that I knew back then is still there, just in a smaller form. Welcome to the Soo Line Latta Subdivision.

Rolling rural scenery dominates this HO scale Soo Line secondary set in mid-1990s southern Indiana.

02/10/2024

Squeezing a modern HO scale trunk line (Conrail’s Onondaga Cutoff by Dave Abeles) into my modest 25×32’ basement required a lot of compromise. It’s just plain hard to fit a large piece of main line railroad into your house. Despite the relatively small scale of our empires there is just no way we can capture all the vast outdoors without compression...

An old New York Central tower solves a scenery dilemma on Dave Abeles’ HO scale Conrail Onandaga Cutoff layout.

30/09/2024

Editor Otto Vondrak got to experience some mighty Alco power this weekend courtesy Arkansas Missouri Railroad in Springdale, Arkansas!

26/09/2024

OCTOBER 2024: Rural scenery dominates John Emley’s HO scale Soo Line secondary route set in mid-1990s Indiana. Bob Wundrock shows us how he put artificial intelligence to work generating artwork for his backdrops, while Justin Bluemkamp demonstrates his easy technique for creating realistic mid-century concrete roads. Detlef Kurpanek wraps up his three-part series on implementing Layout Command Control, while Patrick Lawson shares scale drawings of the Great Northern depot in Anacortes, Wash. All this and more in the October issue of Railroad Model Craftsman!

25/09/2024

These units look sharp! Check out the new Broadway Limited Imports, LLC EMD GP35 in HO at your favorite local dealer.

21/09/2024

It was fun to see so much local Livonia, Avon & Lakeville power on the Free-mo layout on display at the Lakeshores '24 Convention hosted by Lakeshores Division NMRA and Northeastern Region, NMRA in Rochester, N.Y.!

20/09/2024

Editor Otto Vondrak is also president of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, which hosted a special open house today for attendees of the Lakeshores '24 Convention hosted by Lakeshores Division NMRA and Northeastern Region, NMRA in Rochester, N.Y. visitors enjoyed train rides and tours of the large collection of historic trains from railroads that once served Western New York.

20/09/2024

Editor Otto Vondrak was scanned by the miniprints Zap-O-Matic so he can be turned into a 3D printed figurine! Just some of the fun activities at the Lakeshores '24 Convention hosted by Lakeshores Division NMRA and Northeastern Region, NMRA in Rochester, N.Y.!

19/09/2024

Editor Otto Vondrak had fun presenting "The Enduring Legacy of Allen McClelland's Virginian & Ohio" at the Lakeshores '24 Convented hosted by Lakeshores Division NMRA and Northeastern Region, NMRA! I wanted to hang out with my friends a little bit longer, but had to get back to the office to wrap up this month's magazines...

19/09/2024

Free-mo getting set up at Lakeshores '24 Convention, hosted by Lakeshores Division NMRA and Northeastern Region, NMRA in Rochester, N.Y.

19/09/2024

The Lakeshores '24 Convention is just starting in Rochester, N.Y., presented by Lakeshores Division NMRA and Northeastern Region, NMRA!

18/09/2024

First painted samples of new New York Central streamlined "Dreyfuss" Hudson from Bachmann Trains USA!

18/09/2024

I'm excited to be a clinic presentation speaker at the Northeastern Region, NMRA Lakeshores '24 Convention in Rochester, N.Y., presented by Lakeshores Division NMRA! I'll be speaking about the enduring influence of the Virginian & Ohio as part of Thursday's schedule. Come out and say hello!

15/09/2024

Editor Otto Vondrak is visiting Hoboken Terminal for a special NJ TRANSIT exhibit of historic trains and tribute units, and ran into our friends from Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc. They had samples of their NJT commuter trains, plus the special collector set celebrating their 100th anniversary!

12/09/2024

Latest pre-production sample of the Pennsylvania Railroad 0-6-0 switcher from Broadway Limited Imports, LLC!

09/09/2024

Fully redesigned from the ground up with additional road-specific details and more extensive lighting is the latest HO scale release of Rapido’s GE DASH8-40CM “Draper-Taper” locomotives now available at your favorite dealer or direct.

Fully redesigned from the ground up with additional road-specific details and more extensive lighting is the latest HO scale release of Rapido’s GE DASH8-40CM “Draper-Taper” locomotives.

06/09/2024

Last week, Jason Shron of Rapido Trains Inc. Invited editor Otto Vondrak down to Gowanda, N.Y., to check out his latest acquisition: A GMC transit bus that formerly served Golden Gate Transit in San Francisco that he transformed into a replica GO Transit "suburban" bus from Toronto! It was lots of fun to take part in the test run, and Otto even helped out by cleaning the windshield of road grime. Transported on a flatbed from California, the second move across the border was accomplished recently, joining Jason's TTC bus. Models? Of course! https://rapidotrains.com/vehicle/new-look-bus-suburban.html