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Ken Rodig’s Gunnison City Old Town Line layout is fascinating for many reasons. The 22 x 36 Gn3 (1:22.5 proportion) model railroad was built on the benchwork of his former HO scale Ironwood System. The indoor large scale layout is set in southwestern Colorado and features industrial narrow gauge railroading in the 1950s. Steam locomotives of […]
Heavyweight Pullman cars trail Pennsylvania Railroad train 72, the eastbound Juniata, at Marysville, Pa., in 1952. The train, which is about to cross the famed Rockville Bridge over the Susquehanna River, is en route from Detroit to New York City. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
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 […]
Passenger cab units, like this twin-engine New York Central EMD E8, rode on six-wheel trucks with the center axle unpowered, denoted as A1A-A1A. EMD built 421 E8A units and 39 E8B units making it the second most popular model in the line behind the E7. Pictured is a late production E8, with stamped-metal grill along […]
Q: I have a question about one of the articles in your special issue Best of Industries. On page 16, Rich Cobb wrote about a fertilizer blend plant. Can you tell me what kind of loads a plant like this would receive? — Markus Russ A: We released that special-interest publication in 2021, so I […]
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 […]
News & Products for the week of April 14th 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 April 14th, […]
News & Products for the week of April 7th 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 April 7th, […]
Facts and features Name: Missouri-Kansas-Texas RR St. Louis SubdivisionScale: N (1:160)Size: 15 x 25 feet with 19 foot extensionPrototype: Missouri-Kansas-Texas RRLocale: central MissouriEra: 1984Style: walk-inMainline run: 135 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 3% on Columbia BranchBenchwork: L-girder with 1 x 4 box modules on perimeterHeight: 53″ to 60″Roadbed: AMI Instant Roadbed on main […]
The Lionel No. 773 4-6-4 Hudson steam engine and tender from 1950 did much to revive the passion dedicated O gauge modeler Walt Urban Jr. has for toy trains. He reminds us that hobbyists who grew up during the 1950s will remember the annual holiday shopping season as being particularly nostalgic. Like him, many of […]
Facts and features Name: Danforth, Hadley & NorthernScale: N (1:160)Size: 38 x 52 feetPrototype: freelanced, based on Northern PacificLocale: central MontanaEra: 1955Style: walkaroundMainline run: 400 feetMinimum radius: 24″ (main), 20″ (branch)Minimum turnout: No. 5 (main), No. 4 (industrial spurs)Maximum grade: 1.5% (main), 2.25% (branch), and 3% (logging)Benchwork: L-girder, with Homasote and spline roadbedHeight: 52″ to […]
After doubling its train together at Clare Yard in Cincinnati, train 78 prepares to depart east for Portsmouth, Ohio, over the Peavine in December 1959. Doubling the train blocked the Pennsylvania’s main line diamond at Clare. Tom Smart, J. David Ingles collection […]
