Harry Potter is one of the world’s most loved and recognizable franchises. Whether you loved the books as a child, discovered the books via the movies, or have only recently found your love for everything wizardry and witchcraft through your children, Harry Potter is everywhere. Unsurprisingly, given the significance of the Hogwarts Express to the …
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Lionel Trains was the first – and still one of the most iconic – big brand in model railroading in the United States and worldwide. In today’s blog post, we’re going to take a look at the history of Lionel Trains, what the brand is best known for, and have a look at some of …
If you’re a model railroader that updates your layout with the seasons, you might have already started to model your summer scene. Updating your layout to a summer scene can be an enjoyable but time-consuming task. Maybe you update the look of your buildings. Perhaps you repaint parts of your landscape as it evolves from …
One of the great aspects of model railroading is the opportunity to turn our scenes into something genuinely life-like. While you might spend weeks perfecting and painting your landscape, the addition of model scenery to your layout is often the final touch that’ll bring it to life. And when it comes to choosing scenery, there’s …
Continue reading “Modeling Real Life: Atlas Scenery Additions for Railroading”
There’s little doubt that steam locomotives have a certain romanticism to them. More than half a century beyond their final days in revenue service, they still remain integral to railroad imagery in popular culture today. If you’ve experienced steam locomotive trains in action, whether at a train museum or in service, you’ll understand why. From …
Continue reading “Five Essential Elements for Modeling the Age of Steam”
All good model railroads start with a flat plywood base, but unless you happen to be modeling the farmland of the midwest, it will soon become apparent that the real world rarely has this appearance. Hills and mountains are a great way to add scenic interest to your railroad and to develop the believability of …
Continue reading “Moving Mountains: Building Realistic Hills & Mountains for Your Layout”
One of the oldest brands in model railroading history, Lionel has been a household name for over a century. Look out for the latest arrivals in the new Lionel HO Scale range throughout the coming months!
From the crunching of leaves under your feat, to the slight crisp in the air, Fall is high on the list of most people’s favorite seasons. It’s no secret as to why – vibrantly colored forests, elaborate halloween decorations, and of course, pumpkin spice! What’s not to love? For model railroaders, Fall presents a challenge …
Continue reading “5 Tips for Building a Model Train Fall Layout”
One of the great things about model railroading is the flexibility we have in terms of what we can do with our layouts – we can create the feel of any time, place, or season. From the arctic cold of northern Canada, to the sunny beaches of south Florida. As we enjoy the warm weather …
Adding water to your layout is one of the best ways to achieve a dynamic, realistic looking scene. Even if you don’t plan to include a river or major water feature in your landscape, whether due to size or the geographical theme of your route, small scenes such as ponds are a great natural element …