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The Rapido Trains HO Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 recently arrived at our offices. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the full-size unit and Milwaukee Road No. 435; points out the plastic, cast metal, and etched-metal detail parts on the model; and demonstrates the sound and light functions on our […]
When designing their layouts, many model railroaders gravitate towards the 1960s. It’s easy to understand why — to many in the hobby, the 1960s represents one of the most dynamic decades in American railroading, as the last vestiges of steam power faded and diesel locomotives began their reign over America’s rail network, a reign which […]
Kansas City Southern F3 No. 30 leads the northbound Southern Belle past Terminal Ry. tower no. 6 on its last lap into Kansas City Union Station. To the right, a Kansas City Terminal switcher brings in a sleeper to set out for the westbound Super Chief. The action takes place on Nicholas Muff’s HO scale […]
Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar Scale: N (1:160) Price: $30.95 (undecorated, $23.95) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar features: Diagonal-panel roof Die-cast metal underframe Factory-applied end ladders, crossover handrails, and brake wheel Pin-mounted roller-bearing trucks Plastic wheelsets See-through plastic crossover platforms […]
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 […]
Porter no. 2 is busy switching ore cars at the King Solomon Mine on Rod Eaton’s freelanced 1:22.5-proportion Hitchcock Ry. The Porter 0-4-0T is an LGB model, and the ore cars are Northeast Narrow Gauge products. Rod, of Champlin, Minn., also took the photo. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the Day features images from our archives, […]
Kato HO scale GE P42 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current models, $210 to $220; with pre-installed ESU LokSound sound decoder, $398 to $420 Era: 1996 to present (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com Kato HO scale GE P42 features: Both trucks have coreless motor, […]
The mill in LaPointe is a bustling industry that requires frequent switching by the Bona Vista RR. Today, 2-8-0 Consolidation no. 28 is assigned to the local, and it will pick up the two loaded hoppers at the mill. Gerry Leone took the photo on his freelanced HO scale layout. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the […]
Facts and features Name: Brush Creek & Western Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 21 x 45 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: St. Louis, Mo., to Oklahoma City, Okla. Era: 1935 to 1975 Style: peninsula Mainline run: 300 feet Minimum radius: 28″ Minimum turnout: No. 5 Maximum grade: 2% Benchwork: open grid Height: 16″ to 72″ Roadbed: lauan […]
Q: What was the western terminus of the MR&T, your HO scale staff layout? — Phil Stead A: Jim Kelly explained the concept behind the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy in “Meet the MR&T” in the December 1989 Model Railroader. “You may have already guessed that the initials in MR&T stand for Model Railroader and Trains, […]
Facts and features Name: Boston & Maine Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 13′-0″ x 34′-9″ Prototype: Boston & Maine Locale: Five villages of Wakefield, N.H. Era: 1909 Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: approximately 90 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: No. 4 Maximum grade: Less than 1% Benchwork: manufactured truss joists with 1 x 4 L-girders and […]
Welcome to the August 2025 Cody’s Office! Perhaps we should have called this the Consolidation episode, as we’re on program number 2-8-0. This month the show starts with an exciting lineup of products. First up is the HO scale Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 from Rapido Trains. Features on the four-axle road unit include an injection-molded plastic body, […]
