Atlas N EMD GP60 review

Color photo showing side view of N scale hood unit painted scarlet and gray on white background.

An Electro-Motive Division GP60 has joined the Atlas Model Railroad Co. Master Line. The manufacturer acquired the model, originally produced by Life-Like in 2004, when it purchased all N scale locomotive and freight car tooling from Wm. K. Walthers Inc. in June 2018. Features on the four-axle road unit include an injection-molded plastic shell, Scale […]

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MTH Premier SD60E diesel locomotive

black and white model locomotive

MTH announced its latest run of Norfolk Southern SD60E diesel locomotives in November 2024 and they arrived in late summer 2025. This version, much like its predecessor, features DCS and Proto-Sound 3.0. After nine years (the last run was in 2016), these models have become challenging to find. For those with an affinity for the […]

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RMT East Broad Top tank car

silver and black model tank car

The history of the tank car dates back more than 150 years. Coworker Carl Swanson from Trains Magazine wrote an article about their history if you’d like to learn more. This car is a single-domed version, lettered for the East Broad Top Railroad (No. RMT-96899-12). I was surprised to learn that the EBT owned one […]

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Rapido Trains HO FM H16-44 review

Color photo showing front of HO scale diesel painted orange and black on white background.

A Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 diesel locomotive, based on a Phase III prototype, is now available from Rapido Trains. The HO scale model features injection-molded plastic and die-cast metal construction, prototype-specific details, and body-mounted Macdonald-Cartier metal couplers. Prototype history Fairbanks-Morse, and its Canadian subsidiary Canadian Locomotive Co., produced the H16-44 from April 1950 until March 1963. During […]

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RMT 40’ woodchip car

Black, white and blue wood-chip car

The hauling of wood chips necessitated unique rail equipment, especially during the 1960s-70s. This included both specially built cars, such as the Greenville wood-chip hopper, and repurposed gondolas, hoppers, and boxcars that were modified with extensions. Ready Made Toys’ (RMT) newest O gauge wood-chip hopper in the Trainmaster Premium Line goes the route of repurposing […]

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Athearn N scale acid tank car

Color photo showing brake end of N scale tank car painted black with yellow and white graphics on white background.

A 13,600-gallon sulfuric acid tank car is now part of the N scale Athearn Genesis line. The newly tooled model, based on a Union Tank Car Co. prototype, features a plastic body; many separate, factory-applied details; and body-mounted McHenry double-shelf couplers, available for the first time in 1:160. Prototype history Athearn offers the sulfuric acid […]

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Menards Cripple Creek Rail Maintenance Office

structure with green base

After a long day of track maintenance or repairing rolling stock, a rail employee needs a place to sit down and catch up on paperwork or perhaps schedule tomorrow’s activities. The Cripple Creek & Western crew can now do just that — Menards has released the Cripple Creek Rail Maintenance Office (No. 275-9491). The ready-to-use […]

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Rapido Trains HO TurboTrain 2.0

Futuristic toy train painted in red, white, and black colors on a model base with green grass and a tan concrete culvert in front of a blue sky backdrop with white fluffy clouds.

Rapido Trains Inc. has released an updated version of its highly detailed HO scale model of United Aircraft’s TurboTrain. The firm is calling this release TurboTrain 2.0. Much like the real high-speed train sets developed and built in the late 1960s and then upgraded through their service lives, Rapido’s own HO scale model of the […]

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RMT 40′ PS-1 boxcar

red, black, and gray model boxcar

The Pullman-Standard 40-foot PS-1 boxcar was first introduced in 1947. You can learn more about the full-size cars in this WalthersMainline review from the February 2016 issue of Model Railroader magazine. Ready Made Toys (RMT) sent us a sample of its Pullman-Standard 40-foot PS-1 boxcar with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) graphics. If CPKC isn’t […]

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Menards HO scale Grandma’s House

Color photo of HO scale house with blue siding and gray roof on scenicked base with a tree in the front yard, shrubs, a motorcycle, and figures.

Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Menards 5106 Menard Dr. Eau Claire, WI 54703 menards.com/trains Era: 1930s to present Comments: Kids on the porch swing, a dog in the front yard, and a neatly manicured yard. Those are just some of the highlights of Grandma’s House, a new HO scale structure from Menards. The two-story house has laser-cut […]

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Rapido HO PFE R-40-28 refrigerator car

Color photo of HO scale refrigerator car painted orange and black on white background.

Pacific Fruit Express class R-40-27 and R-40-28 ice cooled refrigerator cars are now available in HO scale from Rapido Trains. The models, offered for the first time in plastic, are scaled from prototype blueprints and field measurements. Product features include wire grab irons; prototype-specific brake wheel, running boards, and cooling fan housings; and body-mounted Lincoln-Washington […]

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RMT Atomic Energy Commission ore car

maroon model ore car

The history of ore cars dates back to around the time of the Civil War, when they were primarily made of wood. Body construction shifted to steel starting in the late 1880s to the early 1900s, allowing for increased strength and capacity. Ready Made Toys (RMT) has released a new version of its ore car, […]

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