Tag: featured
Pre-Decal Paint For Our Yard Kits
For some time now, I’ve wanted to make my own water slide decals and I think the Micro-Trains kits I’ve built for the pizza layout are some great decal candidates! Late last year I picked up an HP Color LaserJet for work but (much as I hate to admit it) have yet to try my […]
MTL Laser Kits For The Pizza Layout
After getting our Kato Compact Unitrack grungy in the last article, it’s time to look to the structures for our pizza layout. Since I’m working on the idea of a yard-flavored scene with this layout, I looked at the Micro-Trains Line Yard Structures Kit that includes 3 kits with relatively small footprints. This kit set […]
Getting Kato Unitrack Grungy
It’s time now to get our sectional track attached, weathered and ballasted on our layout base. On a layout this small I find just a single pair of feeder wires is sufficient to provide even power across the whole layout. I could use Kato’s own Terminal UniJoiner for the job but I really do prefer […]
Wireless Ambient Sound For The Pizza Layout
On our N scale pizza layout I wanted to add some fun, interesting elements beyond what we’ll be doing with scenery. The first two things that popped in to my head were lighting and sound. We’ll get to the lighting as we build the scene so for now I decided to start with the sound […]
A Planet Locomotive In Brooklyn, New York
I think the aspect of model railroading that appeals most to me is trying to recreate the history and archeological feel of the real thing. I find abandoned railroad tracks, trains and buildings fascinating, even long disused earthworks can tell a story. Compared to other countries, here in the US our historical and archeological timeline […]
Model Railroading Work Lights
I had written previously about buying a softbox lighting setup for taking our train and product photos, here’s that article. I’ve had this same setup now for a couple of years and for a very inexpensive rig, I’ve been surprised at how well it’s held up. This 3-piece set included 3 softboxes measuring 24” x […]
N Scale Pizza Layout Base
After weighing the size options for our pizza layout, the decision was helped along by a Google search for “round, galvanized tray”. As this is going to be something of an industrial scene, I thought a galvanized metal base would be a nice compliment to the scene above. I came across this 18” wide galvanized […]
Our First Pizza Layout
EDIT | April 2025: Years after this post was originally written, I’m starting a new website called, appropriately enough… www.pizzalayout.com I really do love these little things!!! In our previous article, I talked about some of the benefits of building small model railroad layouts, very small layouts, which include the pizza and micro varieties. We […]
Micro Layouts and Pizza Layouts
EDIT | April 2025: Years after this post was originally written, I’m starting a new website called, appropriately enough… www.pizzalayout.com I really do love these little things!!! I’ve always been a fan of micro layouts and pizza layouts; they’re exciting to build and a lot of fun to watch as the builder’s creativity is really […]
Modeling Safety Tip
I find model railroaders; most modelers in general really, are pretty big on safety. In my (occasionally) cavalier mindset, sometimes to a fault. Yes, don’t inhale toxic paint or glue fumes, don’t light fires around open chemicals, don’t sprinkle rail spikes on your morning cereal… got it. Kidding aside, I really am very careful around […]
