Meet Walthers Open Class Contestant DJ Arlia

A CSX train sits in the middle of a track, the scene is partially covered by a bush

WAUKESHA, Wis. — It’s mid-April and the second-annual Walthers National Model Railroad Build-off is well-underway. Across the country, modelers are hard at work on their layouts. With four different categories and hundreds of contestants, the judges are sure to see no shortage of talent from this year’s submissions. “Open class” contestant Domenic Joseph Arlia, otherwise known […]

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Model Railroader’s 2021 Essential Product Guide

Model Railroader’s 2021 Essential Product Guide Sponsored By: Industry Partners of Model Railroader magazine There has never been a better time to be a model railroader. Advancements in product technologies have made the hobby more realistic, easier to operate, and frankly more fun than ever before! This article highlights some of the top products on […]

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Ask MR: When were pallets and forklifts in wide use?

A forklift operator lifts a pallet load of boxes from a high shelf in an HO scale warehouse

Q: I model some small industries and businesses in the early 1950s. Were pallets and forklifts in common use at that time? – Chris Gabel, Loveland, Colo. A: As you alluded to, the development of the pallet went hand-in-hand with the development of the hand-operated pallet jack and its motorized version, the forklift. Prior to […]

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Stainless steel finish for passenger cars

An HO scale passenger car with a shiny silver finish coupled between two other cars.

The stainless steel finish for passenger cars made of plastic is typically silver paint that lacks the mirror sheen of real stainless. Even the plated finishes of the brass models don’t have a realistic stainless look, and plated cars from different makers don’t match. I hadn’t found a finish I really liked, though, until I […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, train set, and detail announcements for April 15, 2021

Electro-motive locomotive

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 April 15, 2021. HO scale locomotives  Electro-Motive Division F-series locomotives. Bessemer & […]

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Scale It Down: Making big plans fit into less space, Episode 1

Scale It Down logo over image of unfinished benchwork and track work.

Steve Brown, host of It’s My Railroad, launches into an all-new, Trains.com exclusive series! Follow along as he walks through his plans and strategies for building a reduced-scope, N scale version of his favorite HO scale layout, the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway (The Tar Branch), previously featured in Model Railroader magazine and MRVideoPlus.com. […]

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Scale It Down: Laying Track, Episode 2

Steve Brown laying track on his N scale model railroad

Trains.com exclusive video series host Steve Brown gets to work on the trackwork of his down-sized (N scale) depiction of the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway. True to form, Steve follows his “Regular Guy” routine, and finds that some unexpected complications are cause for contemplation…and deviation from the original Model Railroader magazine HO scale track plan!   […]

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