Adding Realism to Model Railroad Building Interiors

Many modelers think when they finish building and painting a model railroad structures on the outside, the project is over and done. But modeler Mike Tylick shares some tips for adding model railroad building interiors that will take your layout to another level of realism.

Basically, Mike says, adding any kind of detail that can be viewed through the windows adds depth and realism to the scene. He shows how easy it is to add window shades and pull cords, and making curtains out of toilet paper or construction paper and simply gluing them to the interior. Painting your interior walls also makes it looks more “lived in,” as does using Sharpie pens to add picture frames, wainscoting and shelving. He stresses these don’t need to look professionally done; any crude sketching on interior walls will suffice. Look for after-holiday sales to pick up sets of inexpensive figures which you can glue to add “life” to your interiors.

He adds interior walls of scrap pieces of matt board to prevent “seeing through” a structure which can detract from the realism. When he adds ceiling to the rooms, he finds they’re a handy place from which suspend grain o’ wheat bulbs for interior lighting. Make sure you wire them in parallel, not in series, so that if one bulb burns out, the others will still light up. Also, old train transformers make a great power pack for lighting, and allow you to turn down the intensity of the bulbs to make them look more realistic – and the lights will last longer, too, at lower voltage.

Adding model railroad building interiors are fast, easy tricks with little artistic experience needed. They will help take your model railroad layout scenes to a new level of realism.