Author Archive: John Cubbin
DIY LED Pin Spotlight
While I was doing a little shopping online the other day I came across some neat looking little LED spotlights. Having no real need for them, I naturally bought several. At less than $3.00 each, how wrong can you really go? These are 1W LED lights with a swivel head and they each come with […]
Merry Christmas Everyone!
I just wanted to wish all our Raildig readers and customers a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy these wonderful days and nights of the season with family and friends and have an eggnog , apple cider, mulled wine… you get the idea. Below is a nice 3 hour Yule Log with some crackling Christmas music to […]
Bad Bayou Halloween Diorama | Final
Halloween is finally here, and so is the final build article for the Bad Bayou Halloween shadowbox. In the last article we had the basic foam shape we’d use for our track and scenery. We’ve fleshed this foam form out a bit more and hit it with some very basic craft paints just to give […]
Bad Bayou Halloween Diorama | Part 2
Welcome back to the Bad Bayou Halloween Diorama, Part 2. With only a few days left before Halloween, we’re burning the midnight oil… and torches, cauldrons full of unspeakable horrors and creepy candles too! In this article we’ll figure some box details, and then go on a walk through the woods to collect some supplies […]
Bad Bayou Halloween Diorama | Part 1
There’s a crisp, if slightly malevolent, tinge to the night air this time of year and that can only mean one thing… a new Halloween project! This project was inspired by the Micro-Trains N scale BNSF Halloween graffiti car, as soon as I saw this car I knew I wanted to build a scene around […]
Pallet Wood & DIY Stain
Using wood pallets in interior design has become very popular, and as I take lots of photos here at my place I thought having pallet wood would make for a great photo backdrop. On a recent trip to Harbor Freight I noticed a stack of pallets near their loading bay and after asking the manager […]
Model Railroad Narrow Vertical Spaces
I tend to build small dioramas and layouts, and I find scene edges (as well as cuts through the scenery) are always a little tricky. Usually we don’t have tons of free space to always make nice gentle hills or rock cuts so we need to get a little creative. For this article I wanted […]
More Thoughts On Cameras
Over the summer I’ve been looking at some new cameras, trying to justify (that’s a red flag right there!) the purchase of a new DSLR. There’s nothing at all wrong with my current camera, a Canon T5i (700D), and as I do most of my shooting tethered on a tripod, it’s in nearly new condition. […]
Quick Model Train Asphalt Roads
In need of some quick and easy asphalt roads for a retail project I have upcoming, I spent a little time poking around and seeing what others were doing for their asphalt. I tend to model more rural scenes that include dirt roads or old and chewed-up blacktop, but here I wanted to go with […]
Thoughts on Train Room Design
I’ve been thinking lately about model train room design and decor, and how some simple design steps at the beginning (or at any stage) of a project can have profound effects on the overall model railroad space. If asked to think of a train layout, many of us would picture a 4’ x 8’ or […]