This special issue is full of cool projects and tons of tips and techniques that modelers of all skill levels will find useful. Within the all- new features and videos, you'll find: Cody Grivno's best-kept painting secrets See him paint, weather, and detail a complete 1956 Chicago & North Western commuter train. Gerry Leone's great rural scenery building techniques Learn how to make roads, cornfields, a highway underpass, and more. Drew Halverson and MR Video crew's trackside adventures in the Show Me State. Find out about railroad hot spots and must-see locations. Copper Basin Railway track plan. Get access to an animated 3D track plan video that shows the layout in detail - and more!

Even more Ultimate!

Model Railroading: The Ultimate Guide

Cast selfies

FROM TABLETOP… …TO TOWN • Careful planning makes turning an empty layout space into a small whistle-stop town easy

Are you paying attention? • 10 things in a photo you could model, but might overlook

PERFECT PEELING PAINT • Making a worn and weathered paint job the easy way with chipping medium

WEATHERING SMALL-SCALE VEHICLES • Products for armor modeling are perfect for construction equipment

10 TERRIFIC TRACK TIPS • Good trackwork techniques for a smooth-rolling railroad

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DETAILS • Tips for doing the little things that make a big impact on your layout

ON BOARD KENT’S • The thrill of riding the rails

Developing a long-range (track) plan • Planning a layout that can be built in stages keeps the hobby interesting

A Farm House’s Story

Olympia by the numbers

Approaching the FINISH LINE • After two decades, this freelance 14 x 25-foot HO scale layout nears completion

Seth’s structure showcase

Weathering figures

Kitbashing is the key to variety • 10 different ways to change up a common plastic structure kit, and tips for more

Re-creating signature scenes • Maps and photos augment even the best of memories when modeling specific locations

Digital restoration

Running a railroad with Raspberry Pi • Use a low-cost computer and free software to add the power of JMRI to your layout

Consisting locomotives with DCC • Run multiple-unit lashups easily and realistically with Digital Command Control

Universal consisting

Advanced consisting

Advanced consisting with NCE

OFF THE RAILS • Tool tips and workshop tricks

7 TIPS FOR WINTER SCENERY • Our Make a Scene series host shares her best ideas for this not commonly modeled season

Gluing stuff

Easy signals for HIDDEN TRACK • Simple techniques to add on-layout turnout indication for places you can’t easily see

Q&A with Steve Brown • Get to know MRVP’s crazy host of the It’s My Railroad series

ASK MRVP • Your questions answered