Spaces to Places V | Highway construction, part 5

Host Gerry Leone sets his sights on highway construction for his HO scale Bona Vista model railroad. Catch up with his off-camera preliminary efforts, before following his technique for making authentic roads and streets using medium-grit sandpaper. As he notes, even more insights regarding this technique can be viewed in a prior Trains.com video series, […]

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CPKC Final Spike Steam Tour | Canada into U.S.

Welcome to Canada! It’s April 26th, 2024, and Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 is on its way to Mexico. The preserved vintage steam locomotive is on a public relations tour to celebrate the one year anniversary of the merger between the Canadian Pacific and the Kansas City Southern to create the CPKC railroad, operating a […]

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Trains LIVE — Rail news analysis with Bill Stephens

Man in vest with pictures on wall behind him.

Trains LIVE — Rail news analysis with Bill Stephens — 5-3-2024 — Every day Trains News Wire brings you the latest railroading news. There are some stories that unfold over weeks and months with each new twist adding to the story’s depth. Bill Stephens, Trains business analyst, reports on the most significant railroad business events, […]

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Union Pacific unveils first mother-slug set of hybrid switchers (with video)

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today took the wraps of its first mother-slug set of hybrid switching locomotives that can run on diesel fuel or batteries. The units, SD40-2 slug set UPY No. 409 and UPY No. 309, were converted at the railroad’s Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, Ark., and will begin testing […]

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Amtrak Pacific Surfliner along the California Coast

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Join Trains.com staffers Kent Johnson and Ben Lake, for a narrated ride aboard Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner! From Downtown San Diego (SAN) to Burbank-Downtown Station (BBK), you’ll follow Ben on his early morning roll-out in Unreserved Coach Class. And then, tag along with Kent as he continues from the L.A. metro area, amidst […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Sidetrack Ep. 4 | A horse apiece

Back on the sidetrack, David resumes construction of the drivers, plus the horses and mules used to pull the various wagons and carts he’ll place into his On30 layout scenes. Initial efforts in this episode involve the basic material prep and assembly of all the white metal parts and pieces in the selected kits. By […]

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Ask Trains.com April 2024 compilation

Ask Trains.com April 2024 compilation | Our host Cody Grivno addresses a wide array of modeling and prototype railroading questions, including an explanation why and how modern railroads still use cabooses; where to find a sound modules used to enhance specific layout scenes; what the pros and cons are replacing plastic trucks with metal trucks; […]

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Trains LIVE — Along the rails with JDI

35mm slide of J. David Ingles. Trains LIVE — Along the rails with JDI

Trains LIVE — Along the rails with JDI — 4-18-2024 — J. David Ingles — “Diesel Dave” — is among eight people to serve as editor of Trains. He was a member of the Kalmbach staff for 47 years, 1971 to 2018, when he transitioned to working as a contributing editor. Ingles was a prolific […]

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Great Railfan Roads | U.S. Route 30 in Nebraska

The Union Pacific main through Nebraska is one of the best train-watching spots in America, with a plethora of trains operating over double track and sometimes triple track mainline.  U.S. Route 30 closely parallels the railroad, making this stretch of the Union Pacific a great place to see trains.  Let’s follow the route from Cheyenne, […]

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Steve Miazga’s N scale Missabe Junction operating session

Enjoy an insider’s look at an informal operating session hosted on Steve Miazga’s N scale (1:160) model railroad, set in northern Wisconsin. While you can read about the construction of this 14 x16-foot basement layout in Trains.com bonus articles and Model Railroader magazine’s September 2018 issue, the real thrill comes from seeing Steve and his […]

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