Build an HO scale weed sprayer for fun

Small model of a brown railroad car with large windows on mountain side railroad track.

Build an HO scale weed sprayer Building an HO scale weed sprayer car was not just enjoyable; it was downright fun! It all started when my friend Paul Weiss declared that he was going to run a weed sprayer maintenance-of-way train at an upcoming operating session on his Central Vermont Ry. (www.cvrailroad.com). Five days before […]

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Brass engine disassembly basics

An image of a model steam locomotive

Brass engine disassembly basics: When I was a kid, I’d go to the local hobby shop and drool over the brass steam locomotives in the glass display case near the cash register. I’d seen most of them in the Pacific Fast Mail advertisements that used to grace the back cover of Model Railroader, and here […]

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News & Products for the week of February 13th 2023

News & Products for the week of February 13th 2023: an image of a model structure

News & Products for the week of February 13th 2023 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 February 13th 2023. […]

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Model Railroad Planning 2023

Model Railroad Planning 2023

Model Railroad Planning is back for 2023 with 12 new stories curated by longtime Model Railroader contributing editor Tony Koester. This essential guide for model railroad planning mixes track planning, operating a model railroad, construction, scenery, and operation into one outstanding publication. Don’t miss these new design ideas for N, HO, and O scales! […]

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Plaid FX flexible acrylic paint

Photo of three paint bottles on white background

Plaid FX flexible acrylic paint. Last week my wife needed to make a stop by the local Hobby Lobby to get some supplies for her classroom. While my wife and daughter were busy shopping, my son and I walked through the rest of the store. I’m always on the lookout for potential modeling products, and […]

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Model train packaging: So it arrives in one piece

Two blue boxes, one with a clear window and the other with a locomotive blueprint on it, on white table

On October 10, 2022, at approximately 12:36 p.m. local time, a pallet carrying 846 LNER Dynamometer Cars fell off of a delivery truck at Rapido’s UK headquarters. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, as you’ll find out), none of the models were destroyed. In a time where more and more of what we purchase arrives in a cardboard […]

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11 easy urban lighting tips for your model railroad layout

An image of the Model Railroader Beer Line layout lit for night operations

Trains.com Director David Popp shares 11 easy urban lighting tips to help model railroaders learn to light their layouts for nighttime operations. As if model railroads aren’t cool enough by themselves, adding miniature lights to the streets, buildings, and automobiles on your layout can make it so cool it glows – literally!   Recently, I […]

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The N scale Adamsville Branchline layout

Facts & features Name: Adamsville Branchline Scale: N (1:160) Size: 3′-3″ x 3′-6″ Prototypes: Freelanced Locale: New England Era: Steam-to-diesel transition era Style: Island Mainline run: 13 feet Minimum radius: 9.5″ Minimum turnout: No. 4 Maximum grade: 2% Benchwork: 1 x 2 open grid Height: 8″ Roadbed: Cork Track: Atlas code 80 flextrack Scenery: Cardboard […]

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The Gulf & Pacific Railroad layout in HO scale

Facts & features Name: Gulf & Pacific RR Scale: HO (1:87) and HOn3 (HO scale, 3-foot narrow gauge) Size: 20 x 24 feet Prototypes: Freelanced Locale: Generic Era: Early 1960s Style: Shelf Mainline run: 180 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (main), 24″ (branch and spurs) Minimum turnout: No. 6 (main), No. 4 (branch and spurs) Maximum […]

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