Athearn N FMC offset double-door boxcar Scale: N (1:160) Price: $29.99 to $34.99 Era: 1977+ to 2000s+ (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn N FMC offset double-door boxcar features: Body-mounted McHenry couplers Die-cast metal underbody with cast center sill, brake system, and crossmember detail […]
GAVIOTA, Calif. — Union Pacific and Amtrak operations along the Coast Line in Santa Barbara County have been shut down by a washout that led to an incident in which a maintenance worker was injured. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department reports it responded at 7:47 a.m. today (Jan. 6, 2026) to an incident north […]
Like Robert Frost once wrote, good fences may make for good neighbors. I’ve learned that good fences also make for great models. With a little thought, fences can define and separate scenes and add considerable detail to your layout. While there is a wide variety of interesting fencing available today, the old board fence is […]
MIAMI — South Florida’s Tri-Rail set a ridership record in calendar 2025 with 4.5 million rides, breaking the record of 4.4 million set pre-pandemic in 2019. The calendar-year mark follows a record of 4.5 million in fiscal 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025), which broke the mark set in fiscal 2019. “We were not kidding […]
The Trump Administration has rolled out a variety of proposed ideas to address the ever-present “affordability” issue. President Trump’s Dec. 17 speech on the topic proposed a number of potential changes — including efforts to reduce drug prices and mortgage payments as well as a tariff dividend — in an attempt to help consumers. However, […]
CARTHAGE, N.Y. — A long-dormant Upstate New York rail line has returned to life after 25 years of inactivity. Genesee Valley Transportation subsidiary Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern restored freight rail service to its Newton Falls Line on Nov. 7, 2025, operating a five-car train to Benson Mines, N.Y. The five gondolas, bracketed by MA&N Alco […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration announced it has collected $15.4 million in civil penalties from Class I railroads under what it calls a new streamlined settlement negotiation process. The process involves discussions on the most significant cases while continuing to collect data to improve railroad safety, the FRA says. Class I railroads and Amtrak […]
Rapido HO Greenbrier transverse coil car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; six-pack, $359.70 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido HO Greenbrier transverse coil car features: 100-ton trucks with metal wheelsets Detailed, die-cast metal underframe See-through, etched-metal walkways Metal grab irons and uncoupling levers Removable plastic hood Semi-scale […]
NEW YORK — New York City’s congestion pricing program has reduced vehicular traffic in lower Manhattan by 11% and increased transit ridership by 7%, officials said on Monday as they marked the first anniversary of the tolling program that helps fund Metropolitan Transportation Authority capital projects. The congestion tolling, which began on Jan. 5, 2025, […]
KINGSTON, N.Y. — A 25-year-old Kingston man has been arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 1 fire that damaged an out-of-service Catskill Mountain Railroad locomotive. The Kingston Police Department said in a press release that John J. Dwyer had charged with criminal mischief in the third degree, a felony, and arson in the […]
SEPT-ÎLES, Quebec — The Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway has reopened after a week-long shutdown because of a derailment near the town of Sept-Îles, parent company Iron Ore Co. of Canada has announced. In a Facebook post, Iron Ore Co. said the line reopened at midnight this morning (Jan. 5) with traffic initially operating […]
News & Products for the week of January 5th 2026 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 January 5th, 2026. […]
