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Model Railway Tips

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The largest collection of model railway tips, from Ash pits to Z scale, there’s something for every subject and every level. And, if you have a tip you’d like to share with other model railway engineers, send it in and I’ll share it here.

Ash puddles

Here's a neat little tip from Sam for making puddles in and around ash pits. [...]

Never Use These Three Materials For Your Baseboard

Just don't use these. Trust me. [...]

Heat shrink protecting T junction cable joins

Heat shrink tubing
How to insulate wire T solder joints with heat shrink tubbing. You can't just slide heat shrink tubing over a T joint. [...]

15 recycling ideas for model making

cotton buds can be recycled and reused for a model buildings
Fifteen things from around your house you can recycle and use for model making, wargaming and model railways to save money and the environment. [...]

Trouble-shooting track electrics tip

A simple little tip from MRE regular Tom P. for troubleshooting track electrics. [...]

Tips from an inspirational model railway

ben alder
There are realistic model railways and then there are realistic model railways. Anyone who’s seen Ben Alder's Far North Line layout knows what I mean. [...]

Add cropmarks to your fields and add novelty and realism to your layout: sunday scribbles

cropmark model railway
Here's a quick little tip to add realism and uniqueness to your layout. [...]

Add more power

Pressed for time..need to get a modelling fix? Here's the first in a new series of quick to carry out tips to improve your layout. [...]

Third Rail Tips

Building a modern era electric track layout? Wondering about that third rail? Here are a few tips to get you started. [...]

The 5 best track laying tips I’ve learned in 10 years writing ModelRailwayEngineer

thirds rule
In the 10 years since I set up this blog I've visited more exhibitions and clubs than I can count; met hundreds of fellow model railway enthusiasts, and come [...]

The Cheapest Technique For Making Model Trees

Making model trees for N and OO gauge model railways
I go full Blue Peter for this tip. [...]

My Five Favourite Model Train Maintenance Tips

One of the most common questions I get is how to maintain locomotives and track so trains run smoothly — I seemed to get a desperate plea for help daily [...]

Recycle for your railway — money saving ideas

I'm always on the prowl looking for ways to save money and help the environment when building my model railways. [...]

Keeping a layout clean — what I use

vacuum cleaner
Keeping a model railway layout dust and debris free during construction is a pain. Here's how I keep mine clean without damaging the delicate parts of the [...]

9 Top tips to laying flexitrack

Flexible track is a quicker, easier, option for track work but comes with its own problems. Here are the 9 best tips from the collective wisdom of the Internet [...]

How I make make my trains look better – a simple, cheap and effective tip

painting model train wagon
Want to make your trains look better? Here's how I make quick, easy and cheap wagon loads and add extra realism to my trains. [...]

An awesome technique for quickly creating landscapes

A little technique for quickly making realistic landscapes from polystyrene foam. [...]

Making Your Own Engine Shed Ash

Hot on the heals of the previous post on making your own model railway grass, comes another tip from Stephen Fay, this time a low cost technique to making [...]

The 5 Key Skills Every Model Railway Beginner Needs To Master

Want to upgrade your train set to a model railway that looks and works as well as the real thing? Here are the five most important techniques to learn. [...]

Cheap, Quick and Safe Track Cleaning

Every so often it's a good idea to give your model railway or train set track a quick clean to remove grease and dirt that naturally builds up. Here's a [...]