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I spent 40 years building houses in the St. Croix Valley before I picked up model railroading in 2018. My wife told me I needed a hobby that didn't leave sawdust in the kitchen, and trains seemed like a natural fit. Four layouts later, I've learned that building a reliable model railroad isn't all t …

I spent four decades building houses in the St. Croix Valley, and if there's one thing that career taught me, it's this: measure twice, cut once, and never skip the foundation work. When I started my first HOn3 layout three years ago, I brought that same philosophy to the workbench. Good thing, too. …

I've built four O gauge layouts in the past seven years, two for myself and two for friends who got stuck staring at plywood for too long. And here's what I've learned: the choice between 3-rail and 2-rail isn't about which system is "better." It's about which system fits your space, your patience l …

I spent forty years building houses before I picked up model railroading, and I'll tell you something that applies to both: the foundation matters more than the paint color. Too many beginners grab a starter set, dump it on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, and wonder why their brand-new locomotive keeps dera …

I'll admit something up front: I model the Soo Line in HO scale. My benchwork, my trackwork, my rolling stock-all HO. But when a friend asked me to help weather his N scale fleet last winter, I learned a humbling lesson. Everything I knew about weathering needed recalibration. The margin for error a …

After building houses for four decades, I learned that foundations matter. A crooked foundation means a crooked house, no matter how fancy the trim work. The same principle applies to model railroading, and in N scale, your couplers are the foundation of every operation you'll ever run. I've conver …