Guide to HO scale couplers

Color image of HO scale Kadee No. 148 coupler.

Although small, couplers play a big role in smooth, reliable operation. If couplers function properly and are installed per the manufacturer’s instructions, you should have few, if any, problems. In this guide to HO scale couplers, we’ll explore some of the different offerings on the market today. The evolution of  HO scale couplers   When […]

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News & Products for the week of July 31st 2023

An image of a section of a model railroad layout, with a bridge and green scenery

News & Products for the week of July 31st 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 July 31st 2023. […]

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News & Products for the week of July 24th 2023

News & Products for the week of July 24th 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 July 24th 2023. […]

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News & Products for the week of July 17th 2023

News & Products for the week of July 17th 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 July 17th 2023. […]

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HO scale freight car kit roundup

Color image of three HO scale freight cars on kit boxes.

When I got into model railroading as a kid in the 1980s, factory-decorated HO scale freight car kits were the industry norm. I remember staring in awe at the shelves at McGiffin’s in Grand Forks, N.D., and Bader’s in Moorhead, Minn., two of the larger shops near my hometown, which were lined high and wide […]

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Amtrak eras tour: the 1990s

In recent months, I have dug deep into the archives to find the shortest Amtrak trains of each decade. Since most of us modelers have limited layout space, if we still want to model prototypical passenger consists, these short trains are a perfect fit. Join me on a tour of Amtrak eras, this time exploring […]

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Diesel locomotives by generation

Color photo of HO scale passenger engine in green and yellow paint.

If you’ve read stories about diesel locomotives on Trains.com or in Kalmbach Media’s railroad magazines and books, you’ve most likely seen references to diesel locomotives by generation. But what does generation mean? Unlike automobiles, locomotive manufacturers don’t bring out new models each year. The same basic locomotive model can stay in production for years – […]

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News & Products for the week of June 12th 2023

An image of a model passenger car

News & Products for the week of June 12th 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 June 12th 2023. […]

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News & Products for the week of June 5th 2023

An image of a model freight car

News & Products for the week of June 5th 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 June 5th 2023. […]

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Short Amtrak consists of the 1980s

A model passenger train stops at a station.

Throughout the past few months, I have shown you how different small Amtrak trains can be modeled with only a few pieces of equipment. If you’ve read those previous articles, you might have noticed a pattern. Amtrak trains that operate between a big city and a much smaller city or town, such as Chicago and […]

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Model a merger-era caboose fleet

Color photo of transfer caboose.

When the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Great Northern; Northern Pacific; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle merged to create the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, the new railroad had an interesting fleet of cabooses. While there were plenty of cars built by commercial builders, mainly International Car Co., BN’s fleet was also filled with cabooses […]

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