On30 Annual - 2012 Carstens On30 Annual Preview

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The 2012 On30 Annual is here! The detailed Muskingum Valley Railroad has found a new permanent home and Michael Yoakum shares his ideas on room, benchwork, fascia, valance and lighting design. A beautiful room aesthetic makes railroading more enjoyable, and Michael provides the inspiration for all of us to spiff up the train room a bit. Photo by Michael Yoakam

2012 Carstens On30 Annual Preview

By Chris Lane/Photos as noted

You've waited all year for it... The 2012 Carstens On30 Annual! Now in our seventh year of publication and featuring 116 pages of exclusive On30 model railroading content, we thought we'd share a quick sneak peek with you. We have everything you have come to expect from the On30 Annual, including gorgeous layout tours, in-depth construction features, and practical historical features. Of course, we don't have room to show you everything we would like to, but here's a few samples to give you an idea of what's in store...

Building is fundamental to On30 and this year’s Annual is packed with great projects. Peter Reisiger takes us step by step through building Evanoff Pattern & Foundry (shown above). But that’s not all! Bill Iwan builds a heavy duty On30 flatcar, Jim Schulz and Dave Wingrove provide two fun railbus builds, Sam Swanson shows us how to spruce up commercial turnouts, Bob Bennett builds a waterfront, Al Sohl hides the edge of his layout and expands his yard with a mirror/bridge combo and Gil Flores shares his Mack wrecker and shows us a great technique for rusty metal. And that’s just a partial listing! Photo by Peter Reisiger

The Annual is known for great layouts and the 2012 issue is not exception. We are pleased to present for the first time in print the fabulous Cranberry Wharf by Danish modeler Troels Kirk. This layout is the talk of the internet, but wait until you see the rich beautiful photos in print. But we don’t stop there! You’ll also find Steve Austin’s Elkhorn Timber & Iron which can be visited during the 2013 NMRA National in Atlanta, and Chris Comport’s latest profession layout build, the Crown Valley District Ry. & Monarch Mining Railroad and professional structure builder Dennis Dunning shares his home layout. Photo by Troels Kirk

Like plans to build from? Who doesn’t! We are happy to give the On30 modeler several detailed drawings this year. How about the entire business district of Sundance, Wyoming? Vic Worthington gives us the block of great false front buildings. And Chris Lane has an On30-sized water tank based on the D&RGW tanks at Villa Grove and Jacks Cabin. Vic Worthington drawing

Finally, did we mention layouts? Yes we did, but we understand that not everyone has space for room -sized monsters. That’s OK, because we have you covered there too. Buzz Allen’s diorama (shown above) is a contest winner, yet is only 2 foot by 4 foot. Likewise, Lowell Ross’ Soggy Bottom Mining Company is super-detailed in a compact 14 inches by 6 foot, yet like Buzz’s, can be incorporated into a larger layout someday. We even have a micro layout from Tad Dowdy that could fit on a hat! Photo by Chris Lane

Is there any way there could be any more packed into this issue? Yes there is, but you are going to have to get a copy to find out!