RMC Extra Board

Welcome to Craftsman Extra Board! This section is updated periodically with short features contributed by our readers, as well as some recent favorites straight from the pages of Railroad Model Craftsman. Check back as we continue to add new articles!

BNSF on Marias Pass

December 15, 2025

BNSF on Marias Pass

Modern main line action in HO scale along Montana’s Glacier National Park, with a focus on manned helper operations.

Scratchbuild a Coaling Trestle in HO

December 15, 2025

Scratchbuild a Coaling Trestle in HO

Scratchbuild a realistic alternative to tall coaling towers for engine facilities, based on a Colorado Midland prototype once located in Basalt.

Delaware & Susquehanna

November 18, 2025

Delaware & Susquehanna

This proto-freelanced HO layout based on operations in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Gorge region employs a multi-level design for maximum main line running.

Model Mecca: New London, Connecticut

November 17, 2025

Model Mecca: New London, Connecticut

This Connecticut shoreline city was once served by New Haven and Central Vermont, and is the perfect setting for a model railroad.

Chicago & North Western Alcos to Sleepy Eye

October 15, 2025

Chicago & North Western Alcos to Sleepy Eye

A detailed HO model railroad designed to evoke memories of Minnesota in the 1970s on the Chicago & North Western “Alco Line.”

Roselli Bros. Scrapyard Micro Layout in HO

October 15, 2025

Roselli Bros. Scrapyard Micro Layout in HO

A detailed HO scale micro layout modeled after an old scrapyard on Staten Island, served by Baltimore & Ohio subsidiary Staten Island Rapid Transit.

Build Realistic Bridge Abutments

September 17, 2025

Build Realistic Bridge Abutments

Simple materials and easy-to-follow techniques for building realistic bridge abutments in any scale.

Return to the Ryder Gap Sub

September 17, 2025

Return to the Ryder Gap Sub

A deep dive into the plausible backstory of a proto-freelanced HO scale model railroad based on Chesapeake & Ohio operations of the 1970s.

Remembering the Atlantic Great Eastern

August 15, 2025

Remembering the Atlantic Great Eastern

A look back at Jack Ozanich’s freelanced HO New England-themed model railroad built for realistic operations.

Are We Ever Finished?

August 15, 2025

Are We Ever Finished?

Set in the early 1980s, Tom Johnson’s freelanced HO scale Cass County Railroad enters a new chapter of creativity.