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I finally finished organizing the photos from my trip and getting everything posted to my website! The report on my trip begins here: http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Nevada_Trip_2015_Part_One.html I had some car trouble again this year, and definitely need to find another SUV before my...

My latest scratchbuild -- Serenity's Sandwich Shop. Made of Sintra PVC board and styrene, with corrugated metal. The door and window are from Grandt Line:

My first full column in Model Railroad Hobbyist has just been published in the June issue! It's free and can be read online or downloaded to your computer, kindle, iPad, etc. http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh-2015-06-jun

Here are a couple photos I shot today... The desert is in bloom as an Alco RS-3n pulls a freight through Serenity Canyon: In this staged publicity photo for the railroad, a passenger train pauses atop the Serenity Canyon viaduct, while a freight passes below. In the foreground...

Way back in the mid-1980s, I created a bunch of HO scale, mini dioramas of desert scenery, featuring the types of plants and terrain found in parts of the Anza-Borrego desert of San Diego County. These were sealed under glass domes and given to various family and friends for Christmas. One...

I just finished making a 1/24th scale replica of my wife's 104-year-old grandmother, to ride in the back of my scratch-built rail bus: After sculpting the figure, I decided to make a mold and cast it in resin so I could make duplicates to use elsewhere, or to replace this one if...

Over on another forum (www.largescalecentral.com) somebody came up with the idea of passing around a figurine, to be photographed on each person’s railroad. A large rooster about five inches tall was chosen. (Why a rooster? It has something to do with one of the forum members whose nickname is...

The past few months, I've had no time for modeling due to a lot of "real life" obligations. I'm finally starting to get a little bit of time, and have used it for a couple of upgrade projects... First off, i converted my kitbashed, narrow gauge RS-3 to use battery power. With all the...

Ride a freight train on the In-ko-pah Railroad: http://youtu.be/MhLOskIuqDg Enjoy a ride on the In-ko-pah Railroad, my unique, 1/24th scale outdoor model railroad! Climb aboard a freight train pulled by a 4-6-0 steam locomotive, and watch the beautifully detailed desert scenery roll by...

A 1905 photo of "Old Betsy" on the Oregon & California Railroad: Full-size image here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/O_and_C_Photo_01_%288072079456%29_%282%29.jpg Sure would make a great little model! The arrangement of the cylinders and main rod is a bit...

I finally finished posting a report on my latest adventure, exploring old mines and ghost towns in Nevada and the Mojave desert: http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Nevada_Trip_2014_Part_One.html Lots of good modeling reference here, especially mines, mills, etc. Railroad-related items of...

I've just posted the first new video of my railroad since 2011... Enjoy a ride on the In-ko-pah Railroad, my unique, 1/24th scale outdoor model railroad! Climb aboard a freight train pulled by a 4-6-0 steam locomotive, and watch the beautifully detailed desert scenery roll by. You'll see...

At first glance this looks like a model railroad! A nine-arch stone viaduct, with a 7% grade and incredibly tight curves, looping over itself: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/10/brusio-spiral-viaduct-in-switzerland.html

I recently came across some photos I shot back in 1998, at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, CA. There are a lot of great shots of former SP steam locomotive #2353, which saw use on the San Diego & Arizona Railway. In the late 1990s this beautiful loco was running excursions. Since...

Here are a few new pics I shot recently. The first two feature my scratch-built Model T rail bus. I sculpted the two figures, representing my dad and my sister. I still need to make some more figures to fill the rest of the seats: This next shot shows a train crossing a bridge at...

Here's a nifty little railcar that was built by a kid out of an old Model T that he bought for $5. It actually ran, and was used to give rides to all the local kids. If you're interested, you can read about it here (it's part of a rather interesting account of early living in rural WV)...

I was running a train recently and decided to shoot a few new photos... Crossing the Cora Canyon viaduct: Stopping at Dos Manos: Coming out of the tunnel east of Grandt Cliff: Passing the old miner's cabin at Grandt Cliff: Late afternoon sun...

I just came across a very interesting reference resource, thanks to a link on a French modeling forum. This site has several digitized books by Walter Gilman Berg, which feature plans and info about railroad structures: http://archive.org/search.php?query=walter%20gilman%20berg One of the...

Here's a video I put together from my 2012 visit to the Nevada Northern Railway museum, featuring 4-6-0 #40 in action: http://youtu.be/6EqCxt2yQzY

Well, I finally finished getting everything online from my 2012 Nevada trip! You can read about it starting here: http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Nevada_Trip_2012_Part_One.html I had a really great time and saw a lot of amazing things, including many old mines and mining camps, pioneer...