Bill Stephens named editor of Trains Magazine

BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Firecrown Media has named veteran railroad journalist Bill Stephens as the new editor of Trains Magazine. Stephens, a longtime Trains contributor and columnist, brings more than three decades of experience covering North American freight and passenger railroads, industry trends, and regulatory developments. His byline has been a fixture on Trains News Wire, […]

Read More…

Bill Stephens named editor of Trains Magazine

BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Firecrown Media has named veteran railroad journalist Bill Stephens as the new editor of Trains Magazine. Stephens, a longtime Trains contributor and columnist, brings more than three decades of experience covering North American freight and passenger railroads, industry trends, and regulatory developments. His byline has been a fixture on Trains News Wire, […]

Read More…

November 2025

The November 2025 cover of Model Railroader

Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Anniversaries and milestones NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 18 Milwaukee, Racine & Troy western terminus STEP BY STEP, pg. 24 Swinging into autumn with handbuilt oak trees ON OPERATION, pg. […]

Read More…

October 2025

The October 2025 cover of Model Railroader, which features a streamlined passenger train advancing towards the viewer across a bridge

Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Novi convention: Not your father’s NMRA NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 17 Understanding N scale couplers STEP BY STEP, pg. 24 Do-it-yourself building interiors PROTOTYPE TO MODEL, pg. 60 Fisher […]

Read More…

MR Classroom | Freight Car Class: Lesson 1, Kit Building Basics

Freight Car Class: Lesson 1, Kit Building Basics| Building, operating, and weathering freight cars are essential skills for any modeler to acquire, regardless of experience level. This five-part video series is designed to help you create better freight cars! In the first lesson, expert instructor David Popp gets things rolling with the basics of kit […]

Read More…

Trains.com Video | MR Classroom Series Trailer

Model Railroader Classroom Series Trailer | Learn essential skills for assembling, detailing, and weathering freight cars with an all-new, multi-lesson video series set to stream on Trains.com Video! Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience, this Model Railroader Classroom series is designed to help you build better freight car models – in any scale! Hosted […]

Read More…

Summer 2025

The Summer 2025 cover of Classic Toy Trains magazine

Also in this issue: EDITOR’S DESK, pg. 4 Solving a Marx mystery YOUR LETTERS, pg. 6 YOUR PHOTOS, pg. 8 NEWS & REVIEWS, pg. 12 Lionel U28C diesel, MTH Bump-N-Go trolley, Menards mine shaft, custom runs, and more COLLECTIBLE CLASSICS, pg. 18 Lionel’s No. 395 Floodlight Tower QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, pg. 58 Wire a signal […]

Read More…

September 2025

The September 2025 cover of Model Railroader

Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Adding skills adds to our enjoyment NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 18 Why won’t my N scale freight cars roll? STEP BY STEP, pg. 23 How to model ball signals […]

Read More…

Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific: Delivered with pride

Three blue and red diesel locomotives lettered DWP. A hill beyond is covered with vegetaton in fall colors. A railroad track covered with taconite pellets is in the foreground.

Freight on the Iron Range The Canadian-owned Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific line (now part of Canadian National) links the Midwestern United States with the CN’s east-west line in Ontario and provides CN with a direct route to the Port of Duluth on Lake Superior. According to The Historical Guide to North American Railroads, Third Edition […]

Read More…

East Broad Top: America’s Oldest Narrow Gauge Railroad

A steam locomotive sits inside a roundhouse

Time capsule When construction of Pennsylvania’s iron ore and coal-hauling East Broad Top began in 1872, more than 150 years ago, its builders decided it would be a narrow gauge line, with rails set 3-feet apart instead of the North American standard gauge of 4-feet, 8.5-inches. Narrow gauge offered significant advantages, as the smaller locomotives […]

Read More…

Discover the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Sideview of an old steam locomotive being looked over by a crewman wearing bib overalls

Steam over Cumbres Pass On a sunny June morning in Antonito, Colorado, Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad’s 4-6-0 No. 168, built by Baldwin in 1883, is readied for another run over the mountains. Its relatively tall 46-inch drivers made it suitable for fast passenger service. Carl Swanson The 64-mile-long Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is […]

Read More…