Renting cars at train stations: inside tips and information

Enterprise at Amtrak's Fort Worth, Texas, station

Enterprise is among the tenants at Amtrak’s Fort Worth, Texas, station, one of just 19 train stations in the U.S. and Canada with rental car counters. Even at these locations, most counter hours are limited and advance reservations are required. Bob Johnston If you need to rent a car as part of your next Amtrak […]

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Seattle’s Railroad Scene

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A Union Pacific line runs along the east bank of the Duwamish River in Seattle. Benjamin B. Bachman A similar BNSF Railway line follows the west bank, ending at Port of Seattle Terminal 115, where Alaska-bound freight is transferred from trucks and railroad cars to barges. Benjamin B. Bachman Puget sound looks calm enough on […]

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Looking for ghosts in West Virginia

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Click the image to download this interactive PDF. Many who love narrow-gauge railroads consider West Virginia’s Babcock State Park hallowed ground, for that’s where the Mann’s Creek Railway operated. From 1886 to 1955, this 9-mile threefooter hauled Sewell-seam coal from Clifftop, along the old Midland Trail about 70 miles east of Charleston, to Sewell, in […]

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Bachmann HO scale 0-6-0T steam switcher

Bachmann HO scale 0-6-0T steam switcher

Bachmann HO scale 0-6-0T steam switcher This diminutive steam switcher features a lot of separately applied detail parts for an HO scale locomotive that’s the same size as many N scale engines. Part of Bachmann Trains’ Spectrum line, this well-detailed HO scale saddle-tank steam switcher uses the same tooling as the first release several years […]

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Athearn HO scale Southern Pacific MT-4 steam locomotive

Athearn HO scale Southern Pacific MT-4 steam locomotive

Athearn HO scale Southern Pacific MT-4 steam locomotive Fans of Southern Pacific steam locomotives have had a few GS-class 4-8-4s to choose from as ready-to run HO models in recent years, but the Athearn MT-4 marks the first time that an SP 4-8-2 has been available as a ready-to-run plastic model. This Athearn Genesis series […]

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Sievers Benchwork

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Sievers Benchwork I was looking for benchwork that was easy to assemble. Siever’s Benchwork is a regular advertiser in Model Railroader, so I figured it had to be a good product. When I received the benchwork, it looked nice, it was sturdy, and it could possibly be transportable (modular capability). It’s nice that the benchwork […]

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Lionel-branded bridge by T W Trainworx

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T W TRAINWORX IS NOTED FOR BOTH ITS LIONEL DISPLAYS AND, MORE RECENTLY, ITS LINE OF LIONEL-BRANDED ARCH BRIDGE KITS. These structures evoke images of catalogs of the past with trains rolling beneath and across the bridge, and the name LIONEL centered in the archway below the deck. How neat is that? Jumping right inWhen […]

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O gauge Premier Line Liberty Liner by MTH

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IN THE WORLD OF RAILROADING, IT ISN’T ALL THAT OFTEN WHEN A PIECE OF SECONDHAND RAILWAY GEAR makes as big a splash with the follow-on owner as it did with the original titleholder. The two Red Arrow Lines Liberty Liners fall into this category. OriginsWith great fanfare two of the stylish, high-speed train sets were […]

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Tips to rejuvenate postwar freight cars

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In the September 2010 issue, I showed how I rejuvenated a postwar Lionel No. 2458 boxcar. It’s one of several cars I bought from my local hobby shop’s bargain shelf. Here are photos of a few more cars I worked on, along with comments on what I did to improve their appearance. Sunoco tank car […]

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How to lay flex track

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Trackwork at the Hoot Valley complex shows #8 limestone gravel roadbed underlying the #9 limestone ballast. The near track is the mainline and the other is the lumber-yard and engine-service siding. (The mainline runs through the train-storage shed in the background.) Don Parker     Now it’s time to get that track onto prepared roadbed […]

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