Model Train Media | Hububba | Activity

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: I scored a Rapido Trains' TurboTrain in CN paint […]

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:25:31 +0200

I scored a Rapido Trains’ TurboTrain in CN paint with expansion pack. It’s gorgeous and I’m grateful, I will cherish it the rest of my days.

I think Rapido Trains is hinting at re-releasing this iconic model soon.

I will be staring at my layout for the next several hours…

Happy Friday to you!

– Hububba

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Was blessed with a few gorgeous weather days and was able […]

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:54:50 +0200

Was blessed with a few gorgeous weather days and was able to craft the cherry shelf / drink ledge for the layout. It’s shaped like a siding for fun’s sake! 🙂

I have a few ideas to enhance the ledge…

#1 Create custom labels / decals for the switches

#2 Inlay a compass so that the viewers can orientate themselves; we all rather speak the…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:30:10 +0200

@Modeltrainmedia Thanks!

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

Been foam carving and working with plaster the last few weeks. This is my first experience with plaster since intermediate school! I used […]

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Been foam carving and working with plaster the last […]

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:20:02 +0200

Been foam carving and working with plaster the last few weeks. This is my first experience with plaster since intermediate school! I used Sculptamold to blend the foam chunks of the mountain. I believe I captured the feel of the Appalachian mountains just right, can’t wait to see it with trees! The mountain access panel was a chore;…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Hey Friends!I've been impressed with painted rails, so […]

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 02:11:10 +0100

Hey Friends!

I’ve been impressed with painted rails, so I decided to give it a go. I’m using Woodland Scenic’s Track Painter Paint Pen – Steel Rail (was generously donated to the club’s free table). Picture shows half the roundhouse facility done for those who would like to see the comparison.

I’ve been constructing buildings to fill out…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 04:06:55 +0100

Congrats on your upgrades!

In reply to - Pennsylvania_421 posted an update in the group PC&NP Magic City subdivision in N scale

A few weeks back, I decided I was tired of running club equipment at the club layout and decided to get my own DCC stuff. […]

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:55:55 +0100

We are enjoying you enjoying taking photos of the layouts. 🙂

In reply to - Andrew posted an update

I’m starting to like taking photos of the store layout! LOL!

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: I joined the local N scale club! The club is known […]

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 22:39:50 +0100

I joined the local N scale club! The club is known for displaying NTRAK and TTRAK module layouts within the region.

I attended the big kick-off the year meeting / auction this past weekend. Half of the meeting was to handle club business, talk budget, elect officials, meet-and-greet and the other half was fundraising opportunity for the…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Hey!My wife surprised me with 4 Kato Amtrak Amfleet 1 […]

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 04:13:48 +0100

Hey!

My wife surprised me with 4 Kato Amtrak Amfleet 1 Phase VI Budd cars for V-day; not sure if that means I’m the catch or she is 🙂

As shared in an earlier post, I was having trouble with the Bachmann version of these cars on my layout, in fact, I called them a failure. A train of 4 cars would not make it up my inclines and I would have…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Hello Friend!This weekend I hit the local NTRAK […]

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:52:03 +0100

Hello Friend!

This weekend I hit the local NTRAK club’s display and a few modules really inspired me to model.

On my way home I swung by the hobby shop and picked up Woodland’s Scenics B92 Mine Run Coal to finish the Southern Railway coal hopper car kits! I modified the stock plastic coal load by sanding the ends so it sat deeper in the car…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Hope you're enjoying your trains today!Took a break […]

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 05:03:33 +0100

Hope you’re enjoying your trains today!

Took a break from modeling and spent some time running trains and imagining how this fictitious town would appear at the foothills of Appalachia. I’ve placed 2″ blue painter’s tape to simulate a two lane road through town; it transitions into a gravel road providing access to the hillside drive-in…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:50:56 +0100

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

How are you? I shifted from left brain to right brain this week; feeling young this week. 🙂

I started on the mountain and I’ve had a lot of […]

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: How are you? I shifted from left brain to right brain […]

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:43:54 +0100

How are you? I shifted from left brain to right brain this week; feeling young this week. 🙂

I started on the mountain and I’ve had a lot of fun over the past three evenings. The middle “peak” of the mountain is a removable panel (18″x10″) so I can access inside the mountain. I can reach every tunnel portal from within, which will aid…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:23:29 +0100

I wonder if clubs would use this forum for a small fee? The local club to me doesn’t have a forum, they just email / reply-all…kinda antiquated.

In reply to - Modeltrainmedia posted an update

Model Train Media was built to be open, respectful, and free for everyone — and that will never change.

I want to make one thing very clear from the start:

The core of Model Train […]

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:20:42 +0100

Can you add a language translate button? I’m having to leave the site to google translate updates in other languages…would rather not have to leave site.

In reply to - Modeltrainmedia posted an update

I also want to share a small but important update about the direction of Model Train Media.

Based on the feedback from the community, one thing became very clear:
clarity and […]

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Hey friend!I spent the weekend dismantling the […]

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:43:16 +0100

Hey friend!

I spent the weekend dismantling the outer mountain pass and replacing what I had constructed with a Woodland Scenics 2% incline kit. I had noticed a few issues with my original attempt, I was trying to go up grade through both curves, the track had a slight camber in the rear curve, and I discovered the rails were rough on a…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:10:48 +0100

@Pennsylvania_421 Thanks! Yeah, I discovered a few issues…the track was slightly cambered in the back curve, the rails on some of the (used) track felt rough to the touch, and some of the rolling stock I was testing with were not smooth rolling, a lot of friction in the trucks/wheels.

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

I wasn’t satisfied with the long grade going into the mountain (on the right) and I wanted to correct it to prevent regrets later…talk about […]

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: I wasn't satisfied with the long grade going into […]

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 04:45:23 +0100

I wasn’t satisfied with the long grade going into the mountain (on the right) and I wanted to correct it to prevent regrets later…talk about discipline, ugh! I spent a few evenings sanding and testing, sanding and testing, sanding and then realizing I sanded too much! Blunder! I hope to fix with a brand new Woodland Scenics 2% grade…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:06:30 +0100

I learned a neat trick the other day, if taking pictures with a cell phone, flip the phone upside down so the camera is in the scene more and then just rotate the image when done. This trick may be well-known, but it was new to me. Cheers!

In reply to - Andrew posted an update

Just experimenting with some angles…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:28:49 +0100

Yes, they are spring loaded…the brand/trucks are different, it appears the previous owner just changed out the T-shank…the cars all came from the same collection, so easy to reason the previous owner followed similar methodology. Thanks again!

In reply to - Hububba posted an update

Hit the local train shop this week and got a few cars, they are a mix of brands (Atlas, Bachmann, Life Like) but all have a coupler I haven’t seen before. These are rigid knuckle […]

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:23:24 +0100

@Tom_Fredenberg That’s a cool concept, cars that run together don’t need to be de-coupled…I will have to change my way of thinking. Cool idea.

In reply to - Hububba posted an update

Hit the local train shop this week and got a few cars, they are a mix of brands (Atlas, Bachmann, Life Like) but all have a coupler I haven’t seen before. These are rigid knuckle […]

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:21:08 +0100

Quick Google search for ‘Unimate coupler’ does resemble what these have installed. I am a MTL fan so I’ll have to try and determine what conversion kit is best suited, which is always the most difficult part for me…which kit? 🙂

Thanks for sharing your knowledge

In reply to - Hububba posted an update

Hit the local train shop this week and got a few cars, they are a mix of brands (Atlas, Bachmann, Life Like) but all have a coupler I haven’t seen before. These are rigid knuckle […]

Hububba posted an update: Hit the local train shop this week and got a few cars, […]

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:05:32 +0100

Hit the local train shop this week and got a few cars, they are a mix of brands (Atlas, Bachmann, Life Like) but all have a coupler I haven’t seen before. These are rigid knuckle couplers that snap together by pushing the cars together and they release by pulling the cars apart. Can anyone identify them?

I assumed they were MTLs (or…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 21:04:33 +0100

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! I was organizing rolling stock and noticed two of the Amtrak Budd cars were much heavier than the other two…I disassembled the two heavy ones to discover a large hunk of metal in them…I was able to remove the hunks of metal without too much damage…now the Amtrak train traverses the layout without intervention! WAHOO! PARTY!

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

I completed testing of my inventory this afternoon, I will begin gluing track down soon! I am excited, I’ve never moved beyond this step of the […]

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Hello!I am thrilled to report all the track has been […]

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 02:09:23 +0100

Hello!

I am thrilled to report all the track has been secured to the layout!

The last step of gluing down the track was to detail the KATO viaduct. I don’t care for the new plastic shine of KATO’s viaduct, so I wanted to hit it with a coat of hobby Matte spray. What a difference a coat of Matte can make! Then I thought I could make it look…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: I discovered a new sense of satisfaction while gluing […]

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:27:00 +0100

I discovered a new sense of satisfaction while gluing down the track…It feels like reaching the end of a book or having cooked a steak to the perfect temperature or hitting all reps of a set. I know this is just the beginning, but it feels great to have the track static!

I’m about 1/3 complete, I’m doing about 3 feet at a time, as life…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: I completed testing of my inventory this afternoon, I […]

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 19:19:57 +0100

I completed testing of my inventory this afternoon, I will begin gluing track down soon! I am excited, I’ve never moved beyond this step of the process. I think I am going to use silicone caulk and apply it at the Unijoiners, is that a good idea? What do you think, do have another proven method?

Minimum Test:

DCC 30% Max Power

DC 40% Max…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Hey friends!I'm spending the day running test passes on […]

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 20:31:31 +0100

Hey friends!

I’m spending the day running test passes on the new layout. I am wanted to share a special train with the group, it’s one of my favorite models; Rapido’s TurboTrain in Early Amtrak paint scheme. I hope one day I can compliment this model with it’s northern sister, one in Canadian National paint scheme, love the history of…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 05:16:10 +0100

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

Happy Weekend!

Captured some video while doing some testing tonight. Enjoy!

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Happy Weekend!Captured some video while doing some […]

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 05:03:50 +0100

Happy Weekend!

Captured some video while doing some testing tonight. Enjoy!

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 02:15:05 +0100

Angled siding required modifying a single piece of Unitrack to get proper length, interesting!

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

Howdy!

So here is the track plan, it’s a a single line for continuous running, highlighting all the fun Unitrack bits…turntable, roundhouse, […]

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 01:33:59 +0100

Do you know I filed the rails at each joint to give the layout that iconic “Ka thunk Ka thunk” sound as the train passes over the joint. (and to limit derailment probability)

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

Howdy!

So here is the track plan, it’s a a single line for continuous running, highlighting all the fun Unitrack bits…turntable, roundhouse, […]

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Howdy!So here is the track plan, it's a a single line […]

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 01:20:51 +0100

Howdy!

So here is the track plan, it’s a a single line for continuous running, highlighting all the fun Unitrack bits…turntable, roundhouse, viaduct through town (think L train vibes), small yard. It has a small siding under the viaduct for passenger platform / passenger station. The track is a mix of new and used and it is not run parallel…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:14:16 +0100

Thanks for your support!

In reply to - Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale

Happy Day!

The last time the contents of these paper ream boxes had seen the light of day I had setup a point-to-point layout atop a hollow core […]

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: I don't have a model of Lehigh Valley Railroad yet, but […]

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:13:13 +0100

I don’t have a model of Lehigh Valley Railroad yet, but I came across this original blueprint from Lehigh Valley Railroad while antiquing; dated 1915. It’s a tremendous accent to the layout and I’m proud to assist in the preservation of this piece.

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Happy Day!The last time the contents of these paper […]

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 01:40:23 +0100

Happy Day!

The last time the contents of these paper ream boxes had seen the light of day I had setup a point-to-point layout atop a hollow core door featuring a roundhouse and yard. This temporary door layout was used as a DCC learning and testing facility. I had invested in a Digitrax DCC system because it could easily control…

Hububba posted an update in the group A Happy Junction – N Scale: Welcome! I will be sharing my journey of modeling […]

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 05:56:35 +0100

Welcome! I will be sharing my journey of modeling in N-Scale as I construct a 4’x10′ layout.

I have no experience modeling / model railroading outside of running a small oval train as a pre-teen. I dreamt model railroading would be a retirement hobby, but recently found the inspiration to start now, call it my midlife crisis; way cooler than…

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 04:50:25 +0100

Rapido N Scale Mystery Box – scored a whiskey glass and 6-pack of AutoFlood III Coal Hoppers

In reply to - ChooChoo308 posted an update

What did everyone get for Christmas for the layout?

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 04:46:40 +0100

Nice model! Added to my wish list! 🙂

In reply to - NScaleProductions posted an update

I love this engine

Hububba posted a new activity comment

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 04:23:11 +0100

I am just starting out and would like to document the evolution of the layout. Is it possible to have a feed/blog/thread dedicated to a single layout?

In reply to - Modeltrainmedia posted an update in the group Show Your Layout – Feedback & Inspiration

Welcome to Show Your Layout – Feedback & Inspiration! This is the place to share your model railway projects, layouts, […]