Welcome to the May 2025 installment of Cody’s Office. Thanks for all of the positive feedback from last month’s episode. It’s great to be back! Four new products are featured in the May 2025 episode of Cody’s Office. First up is the Rapido Trains HO scale Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 diesel locomotive. The commuter engine is […]
All-new episodes of Cody’s Office are back into production! That’s right, the popular Trains.com Video series returns at the Firecrown Media offices in suburban Milwaukee, Wis. The setting may be different, but Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno returns with all of your favorite segments, including new products, a modeling tip, and viewer mail. Four […]
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Facts and features Name: Missouri-Kansas-Texas RR St. Louis SubdivisionScale: N (1:160)Size: 15 x 25 feet with 19 foot extensionPrototype: Missouri-Kansas-Texas RRLocale: central MissouriEra: 1984Style: walk-inMainline run: 135 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 3% on Columbia BranchBenchwork: L-girder with 1 x 4 box modules on perimeterHeight: 53″ to 60″Roadbed: AMI Instant Roadbed on main […]
Facts and features Name: Danforth, Hadley & NorthernScale: N (1:160)Size: 38 x 52 feetPrototype: freelanced, based on Northern PacificLocale: central MontanaEra: 1955Style: walkaroundMainline run: 400 feetMinimum radius: 24″ (main), 20″ (branch)Minimum turnout: No. 5 (main), No. 4 (industrial spurs)Maximum grade: 1.5% (main), 2.25% (branch), and 3% (logging)Benchwork: L-girder, with Homasote and spline roadbedHeight: 52″ to […]
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Facts and features Name: Green Bay Area Model Railroaders ClubScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 26 x 68 feetPrototype: Green Bay Western, Chicago & North Western, and Milwaukee RoadLocale: Fox Valley, northeast WisconsinEra: 1950 to 1976Style: walkaroundMainline run: 2,000 feetMinimum radius: 42″Minimum turnout: No. 8 on mainlineMaximum grade: 3%Benchwork: Open gridHeight: 423∕4” to 491∕2“Roadbed: corkTrack: Atlas code 100 […]
Facts and features Name: Wheeling & Lake Erie Ry. Scale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 27 x 44 feet (in three rooms)Prototype: original W&LE Ry.Locale: southeastern Ohio, West VirginiaEra: 1957Style: linear walkaroundMainline run: 115 feetMinimum radius: 30″ (main), 24″ (industrial)Minimum turnout: No. 6 (main), No. 4 (steel mill)Maximum grade: 1.75%Benchwork: shelf Height: 551∕2” to 571∕2“Roadbed: HO and N […]
Ask Trains.com March 2025| Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he addresses your questions…regarding both model railroading and 1:1 scale railroading too! In this installment, Cody discusses how to replicate short line operations on a model railroad; what a hypothetical MR&T steam era might have looked like; wire choices for a DCC layout; plus […]
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Facts and features Name: Illinois Central Gulf Scale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 25 x 40 feet plus 12 x 16-foot staging in crawl spacePrototype: Illinois Central GulfLocale: Chicago to Champaign, Ill.Era: October 1976Style: walk-inMainline run: 350 feetMinimum radius: 30″Minimum turnout: No. 5Maximum grade: less than .5%Benchwork: open gridHeight: 46″ to 59″Roadbed: ¾” plywood and ½” Homasote Track: […]
Facts and features Name: Great Northern Ry., Cascade DivisionScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 30 x 42 feetPrototype: Great Northern Ry.Locale: central WashingtonEra: October 1955Style: walkaroundMainline run: 500 feetMinimum radius: 32″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 2.2 percentBenchwork: L-girderHeight: 42″ to 56″Roadbed: lattice splineTrack: codes 83 (main line), 70 (sidings and yards), and 55 (some industrial sidings)Scenery: hardshell and […]
