Four red-and-white GP40s lead fast freight train 33, the Texas Special, into Valley Park, Mo., on Nov. 25, 1980, four days after merger with Burlington Northern. […]
Frisco fast freight
Era: 1971 - 1999
Heads and tails on Crawford Hill
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Second life for an old boxcar
This is what happens when a railroad has more resourcefulness than resources. Perpetually short of funds but needing a station in the southeastern Iowa community of Mediapolis, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific RR, simply added a roof, two doors, and five tiny windows to an aging boxcar. It wasn’t just the Rock Island that […]
How do I add Kadee couplers to a Lionel Flyer steam engine?
I recently bought a Lionel No. 2121060 American Flyer Baltimore & Ohio 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive and tender and would like to install Kadee couplers. I see holes on the bottom of the S gauge tender for mounting a scale coupler adapter, but I don’t know which adapter will fit there and how to mount it. […]
ScaleTrains HO Thrall 86-foot high-cube boxcar
ScaleTrains HO Thrall 86-foot high-cube boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $55.95 Era: 1964 to 2010s Manufacturer: ScaleTrains.com Inc., 4901 Old Tasso Rd. NE, Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com ScaleTrains HO Thrall 86-foot high-cube boxcar features: 33” machined metal wheelsets All-new model Body-mounted die-cast metal semi-scale standard Type E couplers Double 10-foot plug doors with […]
Small numbers on MR&T diesels
Q: When I was looking at pictures of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy locomotive fleet, I noticed small numbers near the herald on some diesels. Were those numbers tied to the control system used on the layout, or did they have another meaning? — Jason Trew A: Those single- and double-digit numbers near the herald on […]
Atlas HO scale newsprint boxcar
Atlas HO scale newsprint boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $36.95; undecorated, $29.95 Era: 1967 to late 2000s Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Atlas HO scale newsprint boxcar features: Body-mounted Accumate couplers Injection-molded plastic body Metal wheelsets Screw-mounted roller-bearing trucks See-through crossover platforms Separate, factory-applied brake wheel, door […]
News & Products for the week of May 19th 2025
News & Products for the week of May 19th 2025 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. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of May 19th, […]
WalthersMainline HO EMD GP9
WalthersMainline HO EMD GP9 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin DCC plug and factory-installed 28mm round speaker, $159.98; with dual-mode ESU Sound & DCC, $214.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersMainline HO EMD GP9 features: Constant, directional light-emitting diode headlights Footboard or plow-equipped pilot […]
50 years ago in Trains: A 1975 visit to Grand Central Terminal
Fifty years ago, in the May 1975 Trains Magazine, prolific author William D. Middleton visited New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. His 14 page article opened on a down note, with Middleton writing: Grand Central’s great long-distance trains are gone now. deposed by the airplane and the automobile: and no longer do the rich, the […]
How do I remove black marks from tubular track?
I recently took out my old toy trains that have been packed away for about 25 years. The tubular track sections that were brand new back then now have black marks on them. How do I clean them and get them usable again? — Joe Rampe If it’s just dry corrosion, a Scotch-Brite pad will […]
Rapido HO scale EMD F40PHM-2
The Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 is the latest HO scale commuter diesel from Rapido Trains. The four-axle unit uses plastic and die-cast metal construction and has numerous factory-applied detail parts and an assortment of lighting functions. Prototype history Electro-Motive Division produced the F40PHM-2 between October 1991 and December 1992. Initial assembly was done in London, Ontario, […]
