Trains.com is undergoing website maintenance that is expected to last approximately two weeks. Click here to learn more.
Modelers with small spaces, please consider the above Colorado Joint Line short train as one prototype you might want to model. Back in 2017, I was chasing trains from Denver south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo along Colorado’s famed Joint Line before a rail industry conference began. I was told something like “trains run like […]
BNSF covered hopper variations are easy to spot if you live near or have railfanned along the BNSF Railway anytime in the past 20 years. If you have, you’ve most likely seen one of the railroad’s 100-plus car grain shuttles. These trains, dubbed “earthworms” by railfans because of how the long string of mineral red […]
Q: What kind of cargo is in those gondolas I see that have rounded covers on them? – John Martin A: That depends on the kind of covers you’re talking about. If the gondola in question has low sides and the cover is a tall one with lifting and stacking brackets on it, it’s a […]
Cody Grivno answers this question: Is there anything that can dissolve superglue? Got a modeling question for us? Send us an email: AskTrains@trains.com […]
Reviving a 1980s Z scale train set I bought this 1980s Z scale train set, made by Märklin, as a high school student in 1981 while on a short exchange program visit to southern Germany. I immediately set it up in the bedroom of my host family in the village of Marienthal, in the Rhineland […]
David shares two options for modeling rivers on the State Line Route. He demonstrates how to make a muddy river using two-part resin and tints, and a clear river using one-part resin. Lastly, he adds waves, ripples, and other details to complete the water scene. […]
Model train layout operating ideas can come from a variety of places. I returned from a couple of operating weekends in the fall of 2021 ready to run more trains, but I also picked up a few ideas I thought were worth sharing. In the Omaha, Neb., area, I visited Don Zinnacker’s Chicago, Burlington […]
[…]
Q: I have made several stacks of scale 4 x 8 plywood for use as scenery on my HO scale layout. I place them as boxcar loads, but was wondering how lumber is shipped on the railroads? Was plywood in fact shipped in boxcars, or were other types of railcars used? – David Bellamy, Caledon, […]
Product news 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. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of January 13, 2022. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD45-2 diesel locomotive. Atchison, […]
Union Pacific’s big boy steam locomotive is popular with rail fans and modelers alike. Hans Leys is looking to find HO scale models of the modern Big Boy water tenders. Cody shares where they are available for purchase. […]
Rapido Trains is ringing in 2022 with another exciting steam announcement. Canadian Pacific (CP) Class H1a and H1b 4-6-4 Hudsons will be joining the HO scale Icons of Canadian Steam product range. The models will have road-number-specific details; separate, factory-applied handrails and grab irons; blackened metal wheels and driving rods; correct cylinders and valve gear; […]
