The HO scale South Durham Railway layout

A model railroad track plan for the south durham railroad, with two figures seen from above standing in an around-the-walls layout

Facts and features Name: South Durham Ry.Scale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 9’-6″ x 11’-0″Prototype: freelancedLocale: North CarolinaEra: 1970sStyle: around the wallsMainline run: 22 feetMinimum radius: 22″Minimum turnout: No. 4Maximum grade: none (flat)Benchwork: shelf Height: 57″Roadbed: cork on HomasoteTrack: code 83 extrackScenery: tabletopBackdrop: photo backdrop from Backdrop JunctionControl: Lenz DCC   Click the link to download a PDF […]

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Jacksonville Terminal N scale container flatcar

A 60-foot intermodal container flatcar has joined Jacksonville Terminal Co.’s growing N scale freight car lineup. The newly tooled car features Very Real Knuckle (VRK) couplers and insulated metal wheelsets. Prototype history The sample we received is decorated as Trailer Train car VTTX 91927. The proto­type VTTX cars were a mix of Pullman-Standard 60-foot bulkhead […]

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September 2024

The September 2024 cover of Model Railroader magazine

Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Building the stuff of fantasies NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 ScaleTrains HO scale EMD GP30 reviewed, plus the latest new products ASK MR, pg. 18 Which trains worked the Beer Line? STEP BY STEP, pg. 21 How […]

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Why join the hobby of model railroading?

Color photo of HO scale diesel on scenicked layout.

So you’ve found the hobby of model railroading. Whether you were introduced to it by a family member or friend, or picked up an issue of Model Railroader at the newsstand, or found a video of modeling on YouTube, you’re here for a reason. Why should you join the hobby of model railroading?   Community […]

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News & Products for the week of September 3rd 2024

A black model steam locomotive

News & Products for the week of September 3rd 2024   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 September 3rd […]

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What causes a rough finish on an airbrushed structure?

A blue-gloved hand airbrushes brick red paint on a plastic model of a factory

Q: I wonder if you could offer some ideas as to what might have caused a rough finish on an airbrushed structure. The prototype’s facade has white enameled panels, which I made by scribing lines in white styrene. The rest of the exterior is gray with a concrete block pattern, which I also modeled in […]

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Model railroad cellphone photography tips

A model passenger train on a model railroad layout

While reminiscing and revisiting my archive of photos of our dearly departed Milwaukee, Racine & Troy HO scale layout, I found myself admiring my own work. No, not my contributions to the MR&T, of which there were none, but rather my own photos, all of which were captured with my smartphone camera. For better or […]

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Vote in the Model Railroader Hall of Fame

Man in white shirt stands in model railroad scene

Since January, we’ve been nominating people to establish a Model Railroader Hall of Fame. Just to be clear, this isn’t a Model Railroader magazine Hall of Fame, but a Hall of Fame for all model railroaders. This idea had been percolating in my mind since a couple of middle-aged model railroaders came to visit the […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale Budd Slumbercoach

End view of HO scale passenger car.

A Budd Slumbercoach is the latest addition to the Rapido Trains HO scale passenger car fleet. The 24-single-room, 8-double-room car is based on the as-built version with steam heat equipment. The injection-molded plastic model features separate, factory-applied name boards; etched-metal end gates; and sprung diaphragms. Prototype history Budd produced the Slumbercoach from 1956 to 1959. […]

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Ken Smith’s South Durham Ry.

Title screen showing black-and-white road diesel pulling a freight on Ken Smith's HO scale South Durham Ry. model railroad.

Ken Smith’s South Durham Ry. is an HO scale shelf layout that fills a 9′-6″ x 11′-0″ spare room. The freelanced model railroad depicts a North Carolina bridge line connecting the Southern Ry. (SOU), Seaboard Coast Line (SCL), and Durham Southern in the 1970s. Second-generation diesel power moves grain, plastic pellets, perishable fruit, and other […]

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News & Products for the week of August 26th 2024

A collection of model cabooses in various paint schemes

News & Products for the week of August 26th 2024   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 August 26th […]

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Make your layout tell a story

a steam engine pulls a short train around a curve past two workers conversing

If you want to fascinate visitors and draw their eyes into your layout, make your layout tell a story. Many modelers put a lot of effort into making their locomotives, track arrangements, and operating schemes as realistic as possible. But not all of us put the same amount of thought into the little plastic people […]

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