PECO Model Railways has announced a new competition to honor 200 years of British railways. RAIL200 is open to modelers based in the U.K., with two simultaneous competitions focusing on different disciplines of model railroading. A press release shared with Model Railroader states: “The RAIL200 Competition aims to celebrate two centuries of railway heritage by […]
Lionel’s 2025 Catalog Volume I updates some landmark prewar and postwar locomotives individually and in incredible sets certain to delight operators and collectors. While exploring the brand-new 252-page full-color catalog as legwork for developing the upcoming edition of Greenberg’s Pocket Price Guide to Lionel Trains, 1901-2025, I discovered several impressive and desirable new models. Frankly, […]
Frank Hornby, British businessman and inventor born in 1863, is a name known across the globe for model trains and toys alike. This book, Hornby: Book of Collectable Toys, takes a deep dive into the history of the Hornby manufacturing company and its many subsidiaries. This book isn’t just about model trains–it includes all of […]
Atlas Model Railroad Co. has announced the roll out of a new Price Lock program, effective through May 31, 2025, as a response to market uncertainty brought on by the rollout of U.S. tariffs. “We know our partners are navigating a rapidly changing market. This decision is about providing them time, clarity, and trust,” said […]
Menards continues to release an interesting variety of structures for your O gauge layout, from industrial, to whimsical, and anything else you might see in Anytown U.S.A. This latest structure, called “O gauge Main Street,” fits squarely in that Anytown category. A sticker on the clamshell box states that this is part of the Main […]
The following is a series of edited excerpts from an interview conducted by David Popp with Stacey Walthers Naffah, president and CEO of Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. on April 21, 2025. It is part of Trains.com and Model Railroader‘s ongoing coverage of U.S. tariffs. Click here to watch the complete video interview on Trains.com Video. […]
Trains.com Insider Interview | Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., CEO and President Stacey Walthers Naffah stops by the Firecrown Media Wisconsin office to visit with Trains.com Director David Popp. The shift in U.S. trade policies and practices remains the topic of greatest interest to hobbyists. You’ll want to hear, directly from Stacey, how tariffs impact the […]
Trainz has acquired all of the Lionel TMCC1 and modular Legacy conventional reverse and sound printed circuit boards (PCBs). These parts include Odyssey 1 motor drivers, Legacy motor drivers, R2LCs, R4LCs, and Railsounds 2, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 4E, 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0. Trains has also acquired conventional reverse units for AC and DC motors, as […]
Lionel first introduced its No. 3435 Aquarium Car in 1959. This freight car featured a simulated aquarium with “swimming” fish, accomplished with a loop of decorated plastic, a Vibromotor, and a lightbulb. Over the years, dozens of variations of this car have been released, including those with stingrays, sharks, mermaids, and koi. The Train Collectors […]
Norm Charbonneau’s Northbrook Layout in O scale | Come along with Model Railroader Editor Eric White as he and Trains.com Video captures Norm Charbonneau’s 29 x 36-foot O scale (3-rail) basement layout, depicting steam-diesel transition era, Pennsy-inspired railroading action. Catch a sneak peek months before crowds arrive to visit the display during the 2025 NMRA National […]
There’s something magical about childhood memories, especially those centered on beloved toys. My grandparents had a Marx train set, once belonging to my uncles, hidden under a bed upstairs. My sisters and I discovered it and, of course, wanted to set it up and play. We’d wait until the evenings, when my grandparents were busy […]
Around the time that I got my driver’s license in the late 1960s I started to visit a local train store in High Point, N.C. Not having a lot to spend, I was looking for bargains. Two freight cars caught my eye, a nice brown Pennsylvania boxcar (No. 202) and a black Wabash coal hopper […]
