How George Sellios Makes Realistic Model Railroad Signs

The structures on George Sellios’s model of Franklin & South Manchester Railroad are rife with realism, from weathered brick and boarded windows to the antique advertisements plastered around 1935 Boston. There’s no denying that George is a master of detail; many of the techniques beginner and expert modelers utilize on their railroads today were first discovered by George and other innovators of his kind. Host Allen Keller wanted to get a sense of how George is able to create such remarkably detailed structures, so he visited the master modeler’s workshop to learn some of his techniques.

In this segment, you’ll discover the expert methods George has used on the F&SM to design and construct a scene that is astoundingly realistic. One such technique involves using cutouts from antique magazines to create the old-timey advertisements and signs that George has become famous for. While the signs appear to be painted on, they are in fact just deftly applied and weathered pieces of paper. See how George does it, and try this technique on your next layout!