News & Products for the week of January 5th 2026

A white and blue model hopper car

News & Products for the week of January 5th 2026 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of January 5th, 2026. […]

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News & Products for the week of December 29th 2025

Color photo of O scale brick corner building with teal door, billboard on roof, sign on corner, figures, vehicle, and other details on scenicked base with white background.

News & Products for the week of December 29th 2025 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of December 29th, 2025. […]

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Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger review

Color photo showing nose of streamlined modern passenger diesel painted red, white, gray, and blue with white graphics on white background.

In the February 2024 issue of Model Railroader, we reviewed the direct-current version of the Siemens ALC-42 Charger diesel locomotive from Kato USA Inc. Recently, we received a sample of the modern passenger unit equipped with a SoundTraxx Tsunami2 TSU-KN2 sound decoder. Prototype history With an aging fleet of General Electric P40 and P42 diesel […]

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News & Products for the week of November 17th 2025

White model passenger rail equipment with a blue stripe and tan interiors

News & Products for the week of November 17th 2025   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of November 17th, […]

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News & Products for the week of November 10th 2025

An orange and black model locomotive

News & Products for the week of November 10th 2025   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of November 10th, […]

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News & Products for the week of September 29th 2025

A black model steam locomotive with a coal tender

News & Products for the week of September 29th 2025   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of September 29th, […]

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News & Products for the week of September 22nd 2025

A black model steam locomotive with a black tender with and orange and red stripe on the side of the tender

News & Products for the week of September 22nd 2025   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of September 22nd, […]

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Understanding N scale couplers

Color photo of N scale freight car truck with Micro-Trains Line Co. Magne-Matic knuckle coupler

Q: I have gone to train shows and garage sales and bought many N scale cars with all sorts of different couplers. I am trying to create my own standard and stick with the majority of people with N scale rolling stock. I know there are many vendors out there. Can you help me sort […]

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Kato HO scale GE P42

Color photo showing front of modern streamlined HO scale passenger diesel painted red, silver, and black with red, blue, black, and yellow graphics on white background

Kato HO scale GE P42 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current models, $210 to $220; with pre-installed ESU LokSound sound decoder, $398 to $420 Era: 1996 to present (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com Kato HO scale GE P42 features: Both trucks have coreless motor, […]

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Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger

Color photo showing front of modern N scale diesel in red, white, blue, and silver paint on white background

Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger Scale: N (1:160) Price: Direct-current models, $150; with pre-installed Digital Command Control motor decoder, $250; with pre-installed DCC and sound decoder, $350 Era: 2021 to present Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger features: All-wheel electrical pickup Blackened wheels Body-mounted […]

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Koester receives Pioneer in Model Railroading award

Color photo of man with gray hair and beard wearing glasses and green shirt standing in front of an HO scale model railroad.

Tony Koester, author of the popular Trains of Thought column in Model Railroader magazine and editor of MR’s annual publication Model Railroad Planning, was one of four recipients of the 2025 National Model Railroad Association Pioneer in Model Railroading award. The citation on his award read, “Author of regular articles in the hobby press and […]

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News & Products for the week of May 26th 2025

A white model tank car

News & Products for the week of May 26th 2025   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of May 26th, […]

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