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!

Dave Abeles’ Conrail Onondaga Cutoff

August 17, 2020

Dave Abeles’ Conrail Onondaga Cutoff

Dave Abeles’ Onondaga Cutoff is an HO scale proto-freelanced tribute to Conrail operations on the old New York Central main line across upstate New York in the mid-1990s.

Detailing an Erie Lackawanna GP7 in HO Scale

July 20, 2020

Detailing an Erie Lackawanna GP7 in HO Scale

Starting with an HO scale Atlas Classic GP7, Scott Lupia upgrades the body and adds details to create a model of Erie Lackawanna 1226.

Finishing Touches on the Nitro Pass

July 20, 2020

Finishing Touches on the Nitro Pass

Don Weixl’s HO scale Nitro Pass & Okanagan is a freelanced subsidiary of Canadian Pacific in British Columbia modeled during the late transition era.

Your First Laser Cut Structure

July 6, 2020

Your First Laser Cut Structure

Think laser-cut craftsman kits are too difficult or advanced for your skills? Take a second look at George Riley reviews some craftsman kits that are easy to assemble and produce great results.

Customize an  MLW S-4 Switcher in N Scale

June 17, 2020

Customize an MLW S-4 Switcher in N Scale

Rebuilding an Atlas Alco S-2 model into a credible representation of a Canadian Pacific MLW S-4 diesel switcher in N scale.

The Sn3 Loon Lake Railway & Navigation Co.

June 17, 2020

The Sn3 Loon Lake Railway & Navigation Co.

Peter Smith’s beautiful Sn3 Loon Lake Railway & Navigation Co. is a freelanced narrow gauge logging railroad set in the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s.

Lehigh Valley Caboose Kitbash in HO Scale

June 3, 2020

Lehigh Valley Caboose Kitbash in HO Scale

With some careful research and work, a cheap Life-Like “train set” car can be turned into a rewarding model of a Lehigh Valley Northeastern style caboose.

John Schindler’s HO Scale St. Louis Junction Railroad

May 20, 2020

John Schindler’s HO Scale St. Louis Junction Railroad

The St. Louis Junction Railroad is a freelanced operation based on the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA). The TRRA is a large terminal and neutral switching railroad operating on both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the Mississippi River.

RMC Layout Design Clinic: Lessons Learned

May 11, 2020

RMC Layout Design Clinic: Lessons Learned

How many opportunities do you get for a “do-over?” That was the opportunity presented to the members of the Rochester Institute of Technology Model Railroad Club (RITMRC) just a few years ago when they decided to tear down their existing layout and start over with a new design.

Get Wrecked: Modeling a Wreck Damaged Santa Fe C30-7

April 15, 2020

Get Wrecked: Modeling a Wreck Damaged Santa Fe C30-7

This wrecked Santa Fe C30-7 isn’t the first piece of wrecked equipment that I’ve placed on a flat car, but for the purposes of an operating layout that features a scrap yard, I had to make this load removable.