Trackside Photos: Don Ball model railroad images

Don Ball model railroad images: Man wearing glasses smiling for photographer wearing breastplate transmitter and headset.

  Don Ball model railroad images Don Ball model railroad images: Don Ball, a contributor to Model Railroader and Model Railroad Planning magazines, died on January 21, 2022 at his home in Blue Springs, Mo. He was 73 years old. Through the pages of our magazines, Don shared his passion for modeling the 1890s. He […]

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Midday Modeler 02.09.2022

Man standing at a bench in a workshop.

  Join the cast and crew of Model Railroader and Trains.com for this Live recorded session from the MR workshop at Kalmbach Media. This is the second video that was live streamed via Facebook, but avaialble after the fact only to Trains.com Members. Enjoy! […]

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March 2022

Model Railroader March 2022 cover

Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Issue archive offers insights, inspiration NEWS & PRODUCTS, pg. 12 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 18 What freight cars would my diesels pull? STEP BY STEP, pg. 24 Light and easy on an N scale […]

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Meet the Modeler: Kathy Millatt

Kathy, in red T-shirt, poses with a paintbrush and several structures

What was your first train set (or locomotive)? My first set was my Dad’s Hornby Dublo 3-rail set from the 1950s. He had loads of buildings and track that we put out every Christmas. Over time, I moved on to a 4-by-8-foot piece of plywood. The height of my modelling was using (bright orange!) builder’s […]

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Buying used track

Pieces of flex track being cut off of layout.

Buying used track: You’ve heard the old saying, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Well, for model railroaders – as tempting as it sounds – saving money by buying used track may not be the bargain it seems. Repurposing a few pieces of track might help you purchase another boxcar or perhaps a few […]

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Hosting a virtual operating session

Man with mask operating a model railroad

Hosting a virtual operating session is change. During a thoughtful dinner conversation, a friend quipped: “Count on two things. People always complain about the way things are and they always complain about change.” But our hobby numbers remarkably resourceful people who do change. When COVID-19 protocols had people hunkering down, operating sessions began to reappear, […]

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Model railroad products for the week of February 10, 2022

Five HO scale barrel ore cars in various Canadian National and Ontario Northland paint schemes on white background.

Product news Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about model railroad products like 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 February 10, 2022.   HO scale locomotives   […]

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Ask MR: What does a scale test car do?

A yellow scale test car with green signs on the top is pulled behind a train.

    Q: What was the purpose of a scale car? Was it to check the track, and where was it located in the train? Were all Class 1 railroads required to have these cars? Were there measuring instruments in those cars? I do realize that with today’s technology they are obsolete. – Gilles Bouthillier […]

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