A ghost from the past is staging to return! In the spring of 2023, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad announced that No. 722 would be going into the shops for a return to operational service. Let’s take a look back to see how this historic Southern Railway 2-8-0 steam locomotive arrived at this point. […]
Watch trains steaming through the builder’s depiction of coal operations in Virginia and West Virginia in the 1950s. On this layout, mirrors and a cathedral ceiling make the mid-sized HO scale (1:87.1) layout feel much larger! To learn even more about the builder and layout details, be sure to read the July 2023 issue of […]
Steam trains have been running at Durbin, W.Va., for the past 20 years. But if you look closely, this video captures double-headed Shay steam locomotives working up from Cass, W.Va., for the first time since 1985! Hop aboard for the sights and sounds on this special, restored route along the Greenbrier River. Want to see […]
In this episode, Ben shows how he used NCE Switch-8 devices to control turnouts on the upper staging yard of Model Railroader’s MR&T HO scale layout, with the goal of preparing the railroad for operating sessions. Be sure to follow the exclusive In The Workshop series for tips, tricks, tools, and clever insights, as demonstrated by various members of […]
Our host proves that you don’t have to focus on just one thing for great lengths to find the fun in this hobby! This time out, he’s got a paint stripping project to tackle, retaining walls to install, and a tunnel to daylight a tad more. And if that’s not enough, David even discovers a […]
Watch electric traction streetcars running on the Northwestern Traction Group’s HO scale (1:87) modules, a layout that Model Railroader magazine staff members enjoyed on display during Trainfest 2022. […]
The Rocky Mountaineer began as a VIA Rail service in Canada in the late 1980s. Operating over Canadian National tracks from Vancouver, British Columbia to Jasper, Alberta, the service was privatized in 1990 and the Rocky Mountaineer now operates three routes in Canada and a new route in the United States. We caught up with […]
In 2022, Rapido Trains, Inc., founder Jason Shron, hosted U.S. and Canadian dealers on the property of the Illinois Railway Museum. Trains.com cameras captured an exclusive interview with Jason, plus various Rapido models, and even some of the prototype railroad equipment that inspires the Toronto-based company’s well-detailed N (1:160) and HO (1:87) scale offerings! More […]
It’s time to hit the streets of Westcott, the developing new town on Gerry Leone’s HO scale model railroad. After adding lights to structure interiors, adjusting city blocks, and then building, painting, and weathering sidewalks, our host shows his technique for paving roads made from medium-grit sandpaper! Want to see more of Gerry’s work in […]
Ben, Eric, and David team up to work through the process for wiring trackwork on Model Railroader’s modular project, but the steps apply to just about any DCC layout. They’ll cover basic techniques for attaching feeder wires to the rails, fixing them to bus wires below the benchwork, and provide other helpful insights along the way! […]
In this episode, our host intentionally works his way between a rock and a hard place! The tough stuff starts when he discovers a flaw in his operating scheme. With a remedy in place, David starts into the scenery. As he shares here, installing the foreground rock wall scenery is an easy lift when using […]
Model Railroader Editor Eric White and Senior Editor Cody Grivno walk through the process for constructing a track crossover, starting from a pair of turnouts. The duo uses Walthers HO scale Code 83 No. 6 turnouts in this instance, but other brands and varieties work too. Be sure to follow the exclusive In The Workshop […]
