August 2024

The August 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 Putting the model into Model Railroader RAILWAY POST OFFICE, pg. 10 Letters from our readers WELCOME TO FIRECROWN MEDIA, pg. 11 A letter from CEO Craig Fuller NEWS AND PRODUCTS, pg. 12 ScaleTrains HO Trinity refrigerator car […]

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A real-world industry you can model

A freight crane is posed above multiple freight shipping containers in various colors

While on a recent trip to the National Model Railroad Association’s Southeast Regional Convention in Decatur, Ala., I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to Huntsville’s International Intermodal Center. Right when our van arrived in the parking lot, I knew that this would be a perfect real-world industry that anyone can model on […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale GP9RM

Screen shot from video showing HO scale diesel locomotive painted red, white, and black.

The Rapido Trains HO scale GP9RM, based on prototypes rebuilt by Canadian National in the 1980s, recently arrived at our offices. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he shares a brief history of CN No. 4000; highlights the many separate, factory-applied parts on the model; and demonstrates the sound and lighting effects (and a few […]

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News & Products for the week of July 29th 2024

A gray and yellow model locomotive against a white background

News & Products for the week of July 29th 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 July 29th […]

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Hang clipboards with hook and loop fasteners

A hand raises a clipboard hanging from a model railroad fascia

If you’re like me, you put a lot of work into your model railroad scenery, and the last thing you want to see is an operator putting his paperwork on the layout during an operating session. This situation was a concern for me, so I turned to hook and loop fasteners and piano hinges to […]

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Revisiting AI for model railroaders

An AI generated image of a green and yellow model locomotive in a northeastern US setting

Large language models (LLMs) or as they are colloquially known, AI, have made impressive progress since I last explored possible use cases relating to model railroading last summer, in the form of both chat-based programs and image generation. With a year having passed between then and now, I thought it would be worth revisiting this […]

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PIKO SmartControl wlan DCC system

Color photo showing components of Digital Command Control system

PIKO is a well-known European manufacturer that has a following among G scale modelers in the United States. More recently, the firm has released HO scale engines for the North American market, including a Whitcomb 65-ton switcher and Krauss-Maffei ML-4000 diesel-hydraulic locomotive. However, PIKO is also a producer of Digital Command Control (DCC) products, ranging […]

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News & Products for the week of July 22nd 2024

A model locomotive in a green and yellow paint scheme

News & Products for the week of July 22nd 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 July 22nd […]

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Why did railroads use train orders?

Scan of train order with information written in pen.

If you’ve read Model Railroader or many of our books and special issues, you’ve probably seen references to timetable-and-train-order operation, or TTTO for short. Employee timetables (ETT) that governed TTTO operation listed station names, mileposts, train numbers and classes, departure and arrival times, and operating instructions, among other items, to govern train movements. So why […]

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Did short line railroads use timetables?

Two pages of handwritten notes on a book showing a railroad timetable

Q: Did short line railroads use timetables for such loads as logs, lumber, cattle, grain, merchandise, and the like for short distances such as 100 miles or less? For example, is a timetable necessary for a train running back and forth between a log landing site and a small lumber mill? — Russell Brenchley, Cottage […]

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