Also in this issue: EDITOR’S DESK, pg. 4 Solving a Marx mystery YOUR LETTERS, pg. 6 YOUR PHOTOS, pg. 8 NEWS & REVIEWS, pg. 12 Lionel U28C diesel, MTH Bump-N-Go trolley, Menards mine shaft, custom runs, and more COLLECTIBLE CLASSICS, pg. 18 Lionel’s No. 395 Floodlight Tower QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, pg. 58 Wire a signal […]
Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Adding skills adds to our enjoyment NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 18 Why won’t my N scale freight cars roll? STEP BY STEP, pg. 23 How to model ball signals […]
Freight on the Iron Range The Canadian-owned Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific line (now part of Canadian National) links the Midwestern United States with the CN’s east-west line in Ontario and provides CN with a direct route to the Port of Duluth on Lake Superior. According to The Historical Guide to North American Railroads, Third Edition […]
Time capsule When construction of Pennsylvania’s iron ore and coal-hauling East Broad Top began in 1872, more than 150 years ago, its builders decided it would be a narrow gauge line, with rails set 3-feet apart instead of the North American standard gauge of 4-feet, 8.5-inches. Narrow gauge offered significant advantages, as the smaller locomotives […]
Steam over Cumbres Pass On a sunny June morning in Antonito, Colorado, Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad’s 4-6-0 No. 168, built by Baldwin in 1883, is readied for another run over the mountains. Its relatively tall 46-inch drivers made it suitable for fast passenger service. Carl Swanson The 64-mile-long Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is […]
TILTON, N.H. — Dwight A. Smith, founder of the Conway Scenic Railroad, has died at age 100. Smith, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II, had been living at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton since 2020. The Conway Scenic said in a statement that it “mourns the passing of its […]
Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 What’s the right size layout for you? NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news RAILWAY POST OFFICE, pg. 16 Letters from our readers ASK MR, pg. 18 Burlington Northern renumbering STEP BY STEP, pg. 22 […]
Trains Magazine, the world’s leading publication on railroading and trains, has launched TrainsPRO as a new website under the Trains.com family of brands. TrainsPRO features articles on railroad industry news and analysis, covering areas such as freight rail, passenger rail, mechanical, maintenance of way and regulatory updates. These coverage areas are nothing new for Trains […]
On July 22, 2025, Chicago Union Station in Downtown, Chicago, Ill., hosted a centennial celebration of the site’s official dedication in 1925. As referenced in the companion Trains.com article, notable city, regional, state, and federal officials staged near the Great Hall to recognize the station’s quintessential role, longevity, and impactful renovations aimed to keep it […]
SHILTON, England — Officials in the United Kingdom have announced a new feature for the 200th anniversary of the first modern steam railway in September: A newly restored replica of the Stockton & Darlington Railways original locomotive, Locomotion No. 1, will operate on sections of the original railway on Sept. 26-28, part of a weeklong […]
SACKETS HARBOR N.Y. — As he approached his final days in recent weeks, Ross E. Rowland could look back secure in the knowledge that U.S. steam — indeed even the entire rail preservation scene— owes him a substantial debt. From his Golden Spike exhibition train of 1969 to the American Freedom Train of 1975-76 to […]
Senior Editor David Lassen is now scheduled to serve as the Trains Magazine host on the Trains/Special Interest Tours “UK Celebration Steam Bicentennial Tour,” a 10-day, nine-night event set for Sept. 23-Oct. 2, 2025. Space remains available for the tour, which begins in London and ends in Manchester. It includes private-car excursions on the Ffestiniog […]
