Extra Board
Welcome to Extra Board! This section is updated periodically with short features contributed by our readers, as well as some recent favorites straight from the pages of the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette. Check back as we continue to add new articles!
The Baldwin Locomotives of the Oahu Railway and Land Company: Part One
Jeff Livingston introduces us to Oahu Railway and Land Company’s beginning and its locomotive number 6, “KAULIA.”
Introducing the Grand Junk Railroad: Converting an HOn30 Diorama into a Mini-layout
Sam Swanson shows step-by-step how he turned his 2025 award-winning mini-scene into an operating mini-layout.
Think Like A Bridge
Dr. Gregg Condon, MMR, “thinks like a road bridge” and builds one using Lake Fork Canyon (Colorado) as inspiration.
Modeling the West Side Lumber Company Boiler House: Part 2
Larry Tidball concludes modeling the Boiler House, including the extensive piping connecting the boilers, machinery, and sawmill.
Dead Horse Tales: An Hon3 Adventure — No. 9: Auto-baggage
Rob Bell takes us along as he models White Pass & Yukon Railroad’s Auto-baggage, and reminds us that cars on our layouts help set the scene.
Dual Gauge Turntable for the Cease and Desist Railroad Co.
Follow along as Glenn Lapkin, MMR, builds a four-rail, dual gauge turntable for his freelanced Colorado railroad.
Moving Mountains, Part 2
Join Jeff Ferguson for Part 2 of moving and making operational an On3 layout before the 2026 Twin Cities National Narrow Gauge Convention.
Shingles: Making Realistic Wood Shingles with Texture
Most kits have some sort of shingle material, and while it can be weathered to look acceptable, what is missing is texture.
Dead Horse Tales — No. 8: Modeling an East Broad Top Boxcar in HOn3
East Broad Top built 10 all-steel boxcars between 1913 and 1916 and Rob Bell takes us along as he models one in HOn3.
Scenery Series: Artistic Basics
Craig Symington, MMR, shares some artistic foundations that we should all consider if we want to create realistic scenery.
