Rapido N Santa Fe mechanical refrigerator cars

Color photo showing B end of N scale mechanical refrigerator car painted orange and black on white background.

Rapido N Santa Fe mechanical refrigerator cars Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $41.95; four-pack, $167.80 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St., Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features on Rapido N Santa Fe mechanical refrigerator cars: Detailed cushion draft gear Detailed underframe including piping and equipment Etched-metal running boards See-through side grills Separate, factory-applied door […]

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News & Products for the week of September 22nd 2025

A black model steam locomotive with a black tender with and orange and red stripe on the side of the tender

News & Products for the week of September 22nd 2025   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 September 22nd, […]

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Modify an AC powered layout to run a LionChief locomotive

maroon model locomotive on layout

My son was quite proud of the Lionel FT diesel (No. 2334110) he purchased for me as a birthday gift. Unfortunately, the newer locomotive is LionChief, which needs a constant 18 volts of DC (Direct Current), with the center rail being positive. My layout was exclusively AC (Alternating Current).    Here’s what I did to be […]

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ScaleTrains HO EMD GP39E

Color photo showing front of HO scale four-axle EMD hood unit painted green and black with white graphics on white backdrop backdrop.

ScaleTrains HO EMD GP39E Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin connector, $204.99; with ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder, two cube-type speakers, and an ESU-designed “PowerPack” with two super capacitors, $314.99. Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Road NE Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com ScaleTrains HO EMD GP39E features features: 81” EMD Spartan-type replacement short […]

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ScaleTrains HO Trinity 7500 high-cube boxcar

Color photo showing B end of modern HO scale boxcar painted yellow, black, and aluminum with black, blue, red, and white graphics on white background

ScaleTrains HO Trinity 7500 high-cube boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $54.99 Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Road NE Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com ScaleTrains Trinity 7500 high-cube boxcar features: 36” machined metal wheels with .110” wheel tread ASF Motion Control 110-ton trucks with raised foundry data; rotating Timken three-sided bearing caps (blue or black as […]

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Tangent HO PS2-CD 4750 covered hopper

Color photo showing B end of HO scale three-bay covered hopper painted gray with black and yellow graphics on white background

Tangent HO PS2-CD 4750 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $67.95 (quantity discounts for direct purchases from manufacturer) Era: 1980 to present (Varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886; tangentscalemodels.com Tangent HO PS2-CD 4750 covered hopper features: Barber S-2 100-ton roller-bearing trucks or Barber S-2 100-ton […]

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Former Michigan Central coaling tower demolished

Construction equipment demolishes a concrete structure over a set of railroad tracks

MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA — Demolition experts wasted little time in dismantling the top of the former Michigan Central coaling tower that straddles Amtrak’s Michigan line, which normally hosts Wolverine and Blue Water trains. The process of crushing this fortress and another one on Michigan-owned track west of Augusta, Mich., between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, has […]

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News & Products for the week of September 15th 2025

A 3D model of a steam locomotive

News & Products for the week of September 15th 2025   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 September 15th, […]

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WalthersMainline HO 68-foot Railgon gondola

Color photo showing B end of HO scale modern gondola painted blue with red, white, and yellow graphics on white background

WalthersMainline HO 68-foot Railgon gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersMainline HO 68-foot Railgon gondola features: 36” metal wheels on plastic axles Based on prototypes in service from 2010 to present day Body-mounted Proto-Max metal couplers Detailed brake gear New paint […]

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Awe-inspiring track plans for a Santa Fe-themed layout

Santa Fe 1951

From Midwest farmlands to the Pacific Coast, and the mountains and deserts in between, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway offers a buffet of modeling opportunities. This popular former Class I railroad has captured the hearts of model railroaders, and there are many modeling products and materials readily available to help modelers go “Santa […]

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