Workshop tips: Roads and streets

Model roads look best when they are built to the proper size. By planning for the streets and roads at the same time you design your layout, you can be sure you have enough room for them. Rest assured that if you plan ahead and follow the prototype, your streets will realistically enhance your layout. […]

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BNSF’s Willow Springs

Trains Magazine columnist Fred W. Frailey takes a look inside BNSF Railway’s busy Willow Springs intermodal yard, near Chicago. In this free download, you’ll get a peek behind the security fence to experience the rush to move priority UPS traffic into and out of the Windy City. […]

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Locomotive 2017 DVD preview

Red-and-yellow locomotive moving over a bridge.

Get a sneak peek at our new Locomotive 2017 DVD! You’ll see locomotives old and new from both Class I freight railroads and short lines, and passenger carriers, too! Be sure to check out the Locomotive 2017 annual, too! […]

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Locomotive 2017 DVD preview

Red-and-yellow locomotive moving over a bridge.

Get a sneak peek at our new Locomotive 2017 DVD! You’ll see locomotives old and new from both Class I freight railroads and short lines, and passenger carriers, too! Be sure to check out the Locomotive 2017 annual, too! […]

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Build this Retro 4 x 8 Railroad

Build this Retro 4 x 8 Railroad

Large layouts are cool, no doubt, but we thought that something smaller that combined postwar trains with modern materials also sounded like fun. We told Classic Toy Trains Editor Carl Swanson what we were thinking, and he challenged us to actually follow through. Uh-oh. This special 13-page magazine supplement contains step-by-step instructions for creating a 4 […]

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How to model realistic track and trackside scenes

In this special supplement to Model Railroader, you’ll get expert advice on and photos of lineside details for: Roadway, ballast, rails and ties Terrain and features alongside your track Signals, signs, and grade crossings Trackside communication, safety, and maintenance equipment Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter and get your free download! […]

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Super Streamliners: Dazzling passenger trains from the classic era of rail travel

Long before the advent of diesels and lightweight equipment, streamliners shaped “high-speed rail” in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In this free, 35-page download, we revisit the classic streamliner era. This series includes: The Great Chicago-Twin Cities Speed War: How intense competition between Burlington Route, Milwaukee Road, and Chicago & North Western drastically reduced daytime […]

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Trains Tube: ‘Selling Sunshine’ DVD preview

Brightly painted diesel electric locomotive.

Join Trains Magazine Editor Jim Wrinn and video producer Rich Luckin for an early look at our next DVD production: “Selling Sunshine, the Florida Trains,” available in late August 2017. You’ll learn about the passenger trains that opened the Sunshine State to tourism and the railroads they ran on. […]

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Trains Tube: ‘Selling Sunshine’ DVD preview

Brightly painted diesel electric locomotive.

Join Trains Magazine Editor Jim Wrinn and video producer Rich Luckin for an early look at our next DVD production: “Selling Sunshine, the Florida Trains,” available in late August 2017. You’ll learn about the passenger trains that opened the Sunshine State to tourism and the railroads they ran on. […]

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