New model trains for the week of April 2, 2020

Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD24 and SD26 diesel locomotives

Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD24 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD24 and SD26 diesel locomotives. New paint schemes. SD24 (low short hood unless otherwise noted): Burlington Northern (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy patchout with high short hood), Southern Pacific (scarlet and gray, three road numbers), and Union Pacific (Armour Yellow […]

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Video: Atlas HO Trainkids Acela Train Set

Atlas HO scale Trainkids Train Set

The Atlas Trainkids Acela Train Set has everything needed to get a youngster started in model railroading. Senior editor Dana Kawala shows you have to set up the track and get trains rolling. You can get the Atlas Trainkids Train Set and additional cars and track at KalmbachHobbyStore.com […]

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Video: Atlas HO Trainkids Acela Train Set

Atlas HO scale Trainkids Train Set

The Atlas Trainkids Acela Train Set has everything needed to get a youngster started in model railroading. Senior editor Dana Kawala shows you have to set up the track and get trains rolling. You can get the Atlas Trainkids Train Set and additional cars and track at KalmbachHobbyStore.com […]

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Lionel curtails operations

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Lionel’s message to customers posted on its Facebook page as of March 27. Lionel via Facebook CONCORD, N.C. — Lionel, the famed toy train manufacturer, is closing its corporate headquarters and has employees working remotely. In an email sent to customers and read by Classic Toy Trains, Lionel CEO Howard Hitchcock writes that the company […]

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What to do after you open a toy train starter set

Green, red, and white decorated Christmas-themed train, facing left.

First cataloged in the 2017 Lionel Christmas catalog, the no. 82982 LionChief Christmas Express train is a colorful and rugged modern starter set. Everything you need is included in the set box. Better yet, you can even operate this train from a smartphone! William Zuback A version of this article first appeared in the January […]

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Ask MR: What did MR’s birthplace really look like?

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Question: I just purchased the Model Railroader animated sign [available from the Kalmbach Hobby Store at kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/ layout-accesory/84033 – Ed.]. I also have a resin kit of “The Birthplace of Model Railroader” sitting on the shelf. Not that the combination would be prototypical in any way, but I’m considering using the two together on a […]

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How to use Z scale couplers to make N scale equipment more realistic

A comparison of two N scale boxcars, one with a Z scale coupler, another with an N scale coupler

In N scale, oversized, truck-mounted couplers are still a de facto standard, but body-mounted scale-sized couplers aren’t exclusive to larger scales. Micro-Trains Line sells N scale freight cars with pads and mounting holes for easy installation of body-mounted couplers. For an even more in-scale appearance, I install Z scale couplers instead of N scale couplers. […]

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Remembering the Pere Marquette Railway

Two E7’s, just months old, stand outside the trainshed of Chicago’s Grand Central Station, ready to depart for PM’s hub of Grand Rapids, Michigan, with train 6, on June 21, 1947.

Two E7’s, just months old, stand outside the trainshed of Chicago’s Grand Central Station, ready to depart for PM’s hub of Grand Rapids, Michigan, with train 6, on June 21, 1947. Dave Wallace Chasing the spirit of the Pere Marquette When I first encountered the former Pere Marquette Railway as a boy in southwestern Michigan […]

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Big town, no main lines

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The Milwaukee Road was one of the big players in Sioux Falls. One of its hottest trains in the late 1940s was the daily-except-Sunday meat train to Chicago, seen passing a diesel switcher as it departs Sioux Falls. Mikado 508 carries an extra tender to reduce water stops. Henry J. McCord Growing up in an […]

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Remembering Clinchfield Railroad locomotives

A train sitting on the tracks

Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and lore of famed (and infamous) railroads. In March 2020, we celebrate the Clinchfield Railroad. Please enjoy a collection of locomotive images located in the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include the Clinchfield’s iconic locomotives and classic scenic photos. You might also enjoy […]

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