Model-Railroader Archives - Page 215 of 662

Back on Track: Fixing a few helix flaws, Episode 7

Series host Gerry Leone is definitely playing catch up in this episode, as he works to patch up a minor oversight. Watch to see how he corrects and simplifies the helix construction, and then presents a clever suggestion for looking back in time when building a new home or layout. […]

Back on Track: Painting & installing a backdrop, Episode 8

Bound and determined to build it better than his previous layout, Gerry walks through his evolved process for handling the installation of a hardboard backdrop. Plenty of neat tips and trick can be found in this and other episodes of Back on Track, an exclusive Trains.com series! […]

Model railroad humor: Casual

A man wearing an open shirt, tie askew, shorts, and pink fuzzy slippers reclines in his train room with a laptop computer on his lap.

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Ask MR: Which way should rotary-dump coal gons face?

Two Union Pacific diesels lead a unit train of rotary-dump coal gondolas

Q: When I run a unit coal train of Bethgon Coalporter gondolas, should the colored (rotary) ends face toward the front or the rear of the train? Which is most prototypical? – Nathan Penn, Monmouth, Ill. A: If possible, a double-rotary-ended car should be the first car in the train, since the coupler on the locomotive […]

Modeling from postcards

Black-and-white aerial view of Crookston, Minn., looking east in the late 1920s.

Welcome to the first of a three-part series where I’ll show you the various modeling information you can learn from postcards. The cards in this series are all from Crookston, Minn., my hometown and the focus of my modeling research. Similar postcards can be found for most communities. Online auction websites like eBay are a […]

A “Little Joe” electric locomotive, a sleek commuter train, a UP coal drag in the mountains, and other model railroad photos

A maroon-and-orange double-ended electric locomotive couples onto a manifest train in front of a depot

Trackside Photos is a showcase for the work of Model Railroader readers. Send your photos (digital images 5 megapixels or larger) to: Model Railroader, Trackside Photos, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612; or upload them to http://fileupload.kalmbach.com/contribute. For our photo submission guidelines, contact associate editor Steven Otte at sotte@mrmag.com. […]

Model railroad locomotive, freight car, passenger car, structure, detail, and electronics announcements for July 8, 2021

General Electric Lehigh Valley U23B diesel 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 July 8, 2021. HO scale locomotives General Electric U23B diesel locomotive. New […]

News & Products for the week of July 8, 2021

PIKO-America Pennsylvania RR 2-6-0T saddletank steam locomotive.

Large scale locomotives 2-6-0 saddletank steam locomotive. Pennsylvania RR. Five-pole can-type ball-bearing motor, cab interior with engineer figure, and hook-and-loop couplers. $349.99. September 2021. PIKO America, 619-280-2800, piko-america.com […]

Cody’s Trackside Finds

Minnesota Northern RR Emergency Notification System sign attached to wood post.

If you’ve been trackside in the past five or six years, you’ve probably noticed blue metal signs at grade crossings. These are called Emergency Notification System signs, or ENS for short. The top two lines of the sign read “Report problem or emergency.” Hazard may be used in place of problem in some instances. Below […]

Athearn Genesis 2.0 EMD SD60M ‘Tri-Clops’

Join Eric White trackside as he reviews the Athearn EMD SD60M ‘Tri-Clops’ locomotive! Learn all about the train’s unique details and see how it fares on the Model Railroader’s staff’s HO scale layout, the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. […]

An EMD GP40 and covered hopper, a guidebook, modeling tips, and viewer mail

Cody Grivno sitting with two train products and a book

It’s episode 269 of Cody’s Office, and group technical editor Cody Grivno is here to a discuss a new EMD GP40 locomotive, a PS-2CD covered hopper, and the 8th edition of the Tourist Trains Guidebooks, as well as go over viewer mail and offer modeling tips. […]