News & Products for the week of April 21, 2022

Photo of HO scale refrigerator car painted yellow, black, and silver.

Product news 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. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 21, 2022.   HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACe diesel locomotive. […]

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How do you bevel the edge of an HO scale cork roadbed?

Ask Trains logo

Cody Grivno explains how to bevel the edges of an HO scale cork roadbed in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have other questions about model railroading techniques, or would you like to learn more about what real railroads do? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com And if you have any other techniques for beveling […]

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Made in the USA?

Ask Trains logo

Made in the USA? Cody Grivno answers the question: “What other model railroad manufacturers have products that are made in the USA? Check out the video to find out more. If you have other companies that come to mind, please let us know in the comments field below. If you have other questions about model […]

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Midday Modeler — 04.13.2022

MR&T layout with green locomotive

Midday Modeler — 04.13.2022: This week! David Popp hosts the weekly Midday Modeler broadcast from the MR&T layout room, then off to the Model Railroader workshop we will go. Associate Producer Ben Lake kicks off the episode with a brief demonstration based on last week’s question from Facebook about a Wi-Fi control for the MRC […]

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10 tips for beginning layout builders

A translucent green track-planning stencil is surrounded by notes and diagrams

10 tips for beginning layout builders: Trains.com has thousands of articles, images, and videos. Here, we’ve collected ten links to some of the best stories for people just starting on their layout-building adventure.   1. Learning to use a track template Track planning is an essential step in the construction of a model railroad layout. […]

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Jason Shron’s HO scale Kingston Subdivision layout

Track plan of Kingston Subdivision

Facts & features Name: Kingston Subdivision Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12 x 45 feet Prototype: VIA Rail Canada, Canadian National, GO Transit, and Canadian Pacific Locale: Toronto, Ont., to Brockville, Ont. Era: November/December 1980 Style: multi-deck around-the-walls Mainline run: 310 feet scenicked, plus 245 feet in helix Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 30″ (freight-only lines) Minimum […]

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Bill Clancy’s HO scale Rio Grande Pacific layout

Track plan of Rio Grande layout

Facts & features Name: The Rio Grande Pacific RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 26′-0″ x 44′-6″ Prototype: Denver & Rio Grande Western; Great Northern; Spokane, Portland & Seattle; Union Pacific; and Western Pacific Locale: Colorado, Utah, and California Era: June 1948 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 544 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 (industrial […]

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Sketching With Steve: Freight car brake details

A sketch of how three different brake systems look from underneath a freight car

When I started in this hobby, I chose to model the early 1900s. That was before I knew what models were commercially available in my chosen time frame. (The answer was “not much.”) Since my hobby budget was limited, there was only one manufacturer making car kits appropriate for my era that I could afford. […]

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May 2022

Model Railroader May 2022 issue

Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Things to see and places to go – at last NEWS & PRODUCTS, pg. 12 Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show report ASK MR, pg. 18 What does a scale test car do? STEP BY STEP, […]

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