Recent content by alcoman

Dark brown latex caulk makes an excellent gap filler. A coat of paint on the inside and/or some cardboard can usually block any unwanted light leaks. I don't recognize that particular model.

20 years and those people still haven't got to take a ride? You are a cruel man!

LEDs are popular because of the very little heat they generate and because they last a very long time. There are some good articles out there about using them for signals but I don't seem to have a reference handy. If the brass parts don't need to be soldered for electrical connections or...

If you plan to actually run trains on it, then the track can only look bad it actually needs to be good. HO is not very forgiving that way. Hand lay code 55 on heavily distressed ties spaced extra wide. Rails should be rust colored on the sides. Use dirt for ballast. Most of the ballast...

You could divide the layout into two (or more) scenic parts. One part could be fully detailed for each era you want to model. Just operate the section that matches the rolling stock you feel like using, and use the 'wrong era' part of the layout for staging or continuous running. A double...

Printed photos of stonework, cut to fit, and glued on would be the easiest way. Finding an older building to photograph is pretty easy in some parts of the country. There are a couple of sites online that offer printable textures you can download. Depending how close to the foreground it is...

I have a lot of older equipment. Most of it came with the old horn hook plastic couplers. Anything that I ever plan on using again will get Kadee couplers if it doesn't have them already. If you don't want to convert everything, and just want to run some trains, you could select a straight...

1. Salvage a few bits of wood from the original structure. 2. Cut it into stripwood with one of the Dremel table saws. 3. Build model from historic wood. 4. Tell everyone you 'shrank' the original. :)

Have you heard of glue shell? Lighter and much cheaper than plaster cloth. One roll of builders paper (like tar paper but without the tar) and a gallon of white glue will do a lot of layout. May be worth checking into.

Depends a lot on where your railroad is located. Where trees were plentiful and lumber was local and cheap, wood would be the preferred building material. The stone building would be more likely in a great plains or desert location where imported wood would be more expensive. For model...

If you can find an object in the picture with a known size then you can use it to scale the picture. For example: Doors are often 36 inches wide. If it prints at a scale 18 inches wide then double your print size. (Yes, I took the easy one.) You will probably have to do some...

I know some people print their own decals. Could you make a decal to look like a lithograph car side? Has anyone ever tried it?

Things I have had success with: I like to spray plastic with a flat finish. Mostly light gray but can be red, white or black depending on what the final color will be. This gives me a base color that can be brush painted easily. The solvent based paint goes on first and is allowed plenty of...

I think most folks find that liquid cement makes for a cleaner job. The tube stuff can leave unsightly globs even when you are trying your best to avoid them. I just use the Testors liquid and a fine brush. The tube stuff does work for some jobs, usually where there is no chance it will...

Changing couplers on freight cars is pretty easy. Changing couplers on engines is sometimes more complicated. The quick easy fix for your current problem is to put an E-Z Mate Knuckle Coupler on one end of one car and just keep that car attached to the Bachman engine.