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!
July 19, 2018
Bay Area Prototype Modelers 2018 Show Report
Our associate editor attended the 15th Annual San Francisco Bay Area Prototype Modelers Meet on Saturday, June 16, in Richmond, Calif., featuring hundreds of scale model exhibits from local modelers.
June 19, 2018
Iowa Interstate West End in HO Scale
The Iowa Interstate took over operation of the old Rock Island main line between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Bureau, Ill., in 1984. Joe Atkinson models the railroad in May 2005, reflecting a time he spent on the prototype line railfanning and documenting its operations.
June 4, 2018
Consider the Commuter Part 5: Kitbashing Structures for Flagstone
In this installment, we’re going to focus on the key rail-served structures in this scene. When we began this series, we tried to select building kits that would be readily available and easy to customize.
April 25, 2018
Soggy Gondolas: Modeling Wet Weather
If you model a railroad that operates in wet weather region, adding trapped rainwater to the cargo area of the car can be a detail that takes your empty gondola to a new level.
April 18, 2018
A Caboose Comes to the Farm
I have always wanted a real caboose in my yard, but have never been able to afford one. One night while sitting at my work bench I thought why not model a caboose in the front of the farm house on my layout? And so began the project.
April 18, 2018
The Frisco Northern Division in HO Scale
Like most modelers, I am often asked why I chose the Frisco. The biggest reason is that it’s a great trip back to a simpler time and place. No matter where my family went in Springfield, there was the Frisco, so I associate those great family times with the railroad.
February 20, 2018
The N Scale Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad
Jon Percy had considered modeling a fictional shortline based on my hometown. After receiving a tour of the compact and efficient facilities at Butler Yard, he decided to model the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad in N scale.
February 7, 2018
Simple Techniques for Weathering Common Brick Buildings
While the façade of the model building calls for the look of polished brick and neatly painted wood trim, the common bricks of the sides and back need special attention. Here a modeler can draw upon boyhood memories of taking shortcuts down dingy alleys to get to the rail yard and its various late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century brick buildings.
January 22, 2018
EMD SD30C-ECO: Kitbashing a Prototype Rebuild in HO Scale
In 2012, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) began a program to take its existing SD40–2 locomotives and convert them into SD30C-ECO units. These units provide lower fuel consumption and improved reliability over the older 645-based EMD locomotives.
January 18, 2018
Consider the Commuter: An RMC Project Layout: Part 1
Whether you have an established model railroad or are just starting out; whether you model the steam era or modern diesels; whether you model the New Mexico desert or a bustling East Coast city, you can make commuter trains a part of your plans.
