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Open houses, whether at model railroad clubs or private home layouts, offer fantastic opportunities to connect with fellow modelers and share the hobby. It’s also a joy to see what makes a layout tick and how one differs from another. While hosting an open house requires careful planning — as Arlan Tietel thoroughly explains in […]
A Maine Central 2-8-0 leads a two-car local on Don Virtue’s HO scale Essex Junction & Monadnock RR. The model railroad is loosely based on the B&M’s Cheshire Branch in New Hampshire. Lou Sassi took the photo. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the Day features images from our archives, celebrating decades of model railroad heritage and […]
Tangent HO PS2-CD 4750 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $67.95 (quantity discounts for direct purchases from manufacturer) Era: 1980 to present (Varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886; tangentscalemodels.com Tangent HO PS2-CD 4750 covered hopper features: Barber S-2 100-ton roller-bearing trucks or Barber S-2 100-ton […]
While a few employees from Sutter’s Mill enjoy their mid-afternoon break outside, New York, New Haven & Hartford RS1 No. 0663 is hard at work pulling a string of boxcars. The scene is on Marshall Sommer’s HO scale Rhode Haven RR in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Lou Sassi took the photo. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the […]
Broadway Limited HO instruction and exhibit cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $89.99 Era: Varies depending on paint scheme Manufacturer: Broadway Limited Imports, 9 East Tower Circle, Ormond Beach, FL 32174; 386-673-8900; broadway-limited.com Features on Broadway Limited HO instruction and exhibit cars: ABS body and chassis Based on modified coach tooling developed for 1947 American Freedom […]
A Rapido Trains HO scale (1:87.1) Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP40 diesel locomotive arrives in Model Railroader magazine’s workshop for review and testing! With cameras rolling, Senior Editor Cody Grivno takes a close look at the real-life EMD GP40, including the history of Western Pacific no. 3511, built by EMD in April 1967. The model features […]
An Association of American Railroads (AAR) 50-ton flatcar is the latest body style from Kadee Quality Products Co. The newly tooled HO scale model features injection-molded plastic construction, a detailed underbody, and No. 158 whisker couplers. Prototype history The AAR recommended three 50-foot flatcar designs in 1941. In his book Freight Cars of the ’40s […]
With the sun just about to set, Fred Lagno of Queenstown, Md., snapped this shot of a Chesapeake & Ohio caboose bringing up the markers on a passing freight. Fred scratchbuilt the house. The caboose is a Walthers model. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the Day features images from our archives, celebrating decades of model railroad […]
News & Products for the week of September 15th 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 15th, […]
New York, Kittatinny & Western Alco RS32 No. 2032 rolls through Hainesburg, N.J., with a manifest freight. In the background, another Alco switches the local industries. The action, photographed by Bernard Kempinski, takes place on Bernie Halloran’s freelanced HO scale layout, featured in the October 2006 issue of Model Railroader. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the […]
WalthersMainline HO 68-foot Railgon gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersMainline HO 68-foot Railgon gondola features: 36” metal wheels on plastic axles Based on prototypes in service from 2010 to present day Body-mounted Proto-Max metal couplers Detailed brake gear New paint […]
Host David Popp shows viewers how to build realistic scenery around the high embankments of the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout. In this instructional video, you’ll learn how to use foam board, packing peanuts, and plaster cloth to create a durable base for additional ground cover and fine scenery materials. It […]
