In 1953 Vess Bottling Company of St. Louis commissioned a giant revolving neon-lit soda bottle. The 12 foot tall bottle sat on a 13 foot pole and at the time was the largest lit bottle sign in the world. Two ways to model this type of sign are discussed, including a photo of the Vess ...

A photo in the Wabash Railroad Historical Society calendar inspired construction of a 1955-era piggy-back flat and trailer....

I am a sucker for “interesting” motive power and rolling stock. Here's how I scratchbuilt an HO scale model of a chlorine railroad car....

Just back from our Spring Railfan trip to Cresson and the Horseshoe Curve area. Weather was atrocious, but had a good time with railroad friends at the Station Inn. Weather hampered photography, but here are five of the better ones in the seven days we were there. Enjoy!...

A mobile substation car provides power to the overhead traction wire in order to keep trains running while line crews conducted repairs to a substation or other power source. Since I model the East St. Louis & Suburban Railway System in HO scale, such a car provides a unique piece of ...

The Dodo Burger served Belleville for many years. This article details how to easily transform the Model Power Hot Dog Stand into a version of an American icon....

Boxcars once carried most freight. Here is a simple one-evening project using a block of wood, cardstock, and sawdust to model one of the most common loads of the steam and transition eras...

Some favorite prototype photos by Kevin Hampton, Brad Joseph, Venita Lake, and Richard Schumacher....

A major yard facility looks very confusing but there is a purpose behind each and every track within the yard limits and that purpose helps to determine location, access and size for each track....

1998 contest results. NMRA conventions and train show events feature a model and photo contest where entries are displayed to be viewed and enjoyed by other model railroaders and the general public. Any NMRA member may enter models and photos into these contests....

Photo by Kevin Hampton If you’re using Hydrocal as the base shell for scenery, there’s a quick way to cover a large area in a hurry. After putting down whatever you use to set the basic elevations for scenery, use Hydrocal soaked cloth instead of paper towels, newspaper or paper bags....

1997 contest results. NMRA conventions and train show events feature a model and photo contest where entries are displayed to be viewed and enjoyed by other model railroaders and the general public. Any NMRA member may enter models and photos into these contests....