Category Archives: Modeling

Weathering an Old Coal Hopper

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MON 50T hoppers HO scale

(Note: for a more complete, step-by-step process, read ARRM’s more recent article on weathering coal hoppers as well)

Coal hoppers endure some heavy use and exposure to the elements. The loading process and constant scraping of coal on the slope sheets and sides during unloading quickly wears these cars down and produces some neat weathering that begs to be modeled. Younger steel cars tend to show bare metal slick spots, especially on the slope sheets. These metal spots tend to show a bit of rust around the edges, but over time, the whole interior can turn to rust that continually regenerates through the loading and unloading process. Here’s my process for detailing and weathering old “rust bucket” hoppers using a … Read more →

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Digital Fast Clock

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A couple weeks ago, I added the “Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock.” Since then, I’ve created a digital version in Microsoft PowerPoint for those interested. It’s ultimately simpler than the analog version because it’s all text, but it works in essentially the same manner. You can change the fast clock ratio by adjusting the transition time between slides (instructions included), and you customize the appearance as much as you like by changing the colors, size, fonts, etc. in the “Slide Master” templates. For the calendar version, you can easily … Read more →

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

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Poor Man's Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

Many who build a layout aspire to realistic operations with their trains. One of the staples for realistic operation is a “fast clock” that displays time at faster-than-real-life speed so that a “model day” takes less than 24 hours. The fast clock is usually expressed as a ratio where the first number indicates how much faster the clock will run compared to actual time. For example, 2:1 indicates a 24-hour model day will take 12 hours (30 actual minutes per modeled hour); 6:1 indicates a 24-hour day will take 4 hours (10 actual minutes per modeled hour). The ratio is usually driven by how compressed the layout is and how long it takes to do the work, but 6:1 is … Read more →

Planning your Model Hopper Fleet

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N&W H11E 100T hopper in HO by Dan Bourque

Realism means more than just nice models, it also means a nice model mix
by Dan Bourque

Most people realize that realism on a model railroad is not achieved by one or two nice models alone. Rather, realism is created as the sum of many factors. Good-looking scenery, a good trackplan and realistic-looking models are often the primary things our eyes notice right away. However, there are many more subtle characteristics which add to realism like a consistent era for all the models, the right amount of cars and locomotives on the layout and realistic operations when things are running.  Another subtle way to add realism which many folks don’t think about is the MIX of your freight car … Read more →