Dave’s YouTube videos support his clinic “Building Billboards for the Baden, Vogt and DeSmet” which he recently presented at an Gateway Division NMRA monthly meeting. In both the clinic and the videos, Dave describes why he thinks making your own billboards is a good idea, how to retr...

The new 50s-era HO scale Mini Metals Coca-Cola delivery trucks, sedans, billboards and vending machines are a great addition to my 50s-era St. Louis Southern Railroad. JL Innovative Designs also offers soda machines and billboards....

The next monthly meeting of the Gateway Division will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 15, 2019 at Trinity Lutheran Church in West St. Louis County. Dave Ackmann will present "Building Billboards for the Baden, Vogt and DeSmet Railroad." Dave will cover acquiring prototypical art work, ma...

A row of working street lights helps complete any city scene. Many commercial models are too delicate, burn out easily, or are too expensive. The Evemodel LQS21 lampposts, at $1.50 each, provide great LED lighting and metal tube construction....

LEDs are great for model building lighting, but working with and soldering individual LEDs can be tricky. Here is a very tiny (3/8-inch square) single LED module that is inexpensive, installs easily, and can be powered by any 12 volt DC power supply....

Cyanoacrylate glue, also known as CA glue or "super glue," is great for model building as it works on a variety of materials. It works by chemically changing when exposed to the water vapor in the air. Here's the best way to store opened bottles of cyanoacrylate to maximize their life...

Gregor Moe's Salt Creek and Western/Chicago Great Western HO scale model railroad is filled with hundreds of beautiful structures and miniature scenes. Unfortunately, he accidently broke the window in his Dubuque White Castle while handling the model. Instead of just replacing the gla...

Woodland Scenics HO Scale Dugan's Paint Store is the latest addition to my collection of pre-assembled buildings. A warm white LED illuminates the first floor showroom featuring a nice pre-printed interior. Perfect for almost any era, the dripping paint bucket sign, architectural deta...

The beautiful Woodland Scenics J. Frank's IGA Grocery Store came with a great printed shadow-box interior, but you couldn't see it. This model called out for interior lighting, and an LED sign module makes it a 10-minute project....

Preassembled model railroad structures have gained in popularity with more and more modelers as a way to scenic layouts faster. Menard's Hobby Shop is a nice addition to any town scene....

This year’s contest featured a very simple set of rules. The first rule required the entrant to start with a box car. Entries were divided into models and dioramas. The seven entries provided a nice variety of what can be accomplished with a box car....

David Lowell’s HO scale scratchbuilt Avenue Tower won Best of Show at the 2016 Gateway Division NMRA model contest, receiving an NMRA merit judged score of 118 points. This beautiful online structure has an equally detailed and beautiful interior....