In Memoriam: Paul J. Dolkos

Color photo of man in blue shirt in front of orange background.

Paul J. Dolkos, a longtime contributor to the pages of Model Railroader magazine and its annuals and special issues, passed away on August 9, 2024. Paul became interested in trains and model railroading as a teenager. His second hobby was photography. Paul’s first MR cover photo, a scene on the Severna Park Model Railroad Club’s […]

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News & Products for the week of August 12th 2024

A navy blue and yellow model locomotive

News & Products for the week of August 12th 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 12th […]

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Drones are shaping the future of railroading

man standing next to giant drone

Drones With artificial intelligence growing at breakneck speed, businesses worldwide are experimenting with drone technology. No longer just a topic for science fiction, the use of drones has expanded rapidly over the last decade in a wide range of industries, including railroading. In the 2010s, Class I railroads gradually embraced the use of drones within […]

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Restoration and painting tips

two gray locomotive shells

You might recognize my name as a restorer of Lionel trains, this having been my livelihood for more than 50 years. Some people may question my sanity in giving up “secret” painting tips that I have used for decades; I don’t mind at all. If I can make the hobby more enjoyable to my fellow […]

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An engineer’s life: Standby

man in front of train

Stand by, helpers While my life is beyond the daily grind of being a working railroader, there are three things I miss: No. 1: The sound, which I can still get while out railfanning. No. 2: It took me many years as an engineer to realize I missed working as a conductor with a caboose. […]

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The basics of 3-rail track

Sections of track on the table

Choosing the right O-gauge, 3-rail track can put you on the right track when building a layout in scale, semi scale, or even a mixture of both. It all starts with three deciding factors: Layout size Types of trains you plan to run Your budget From these determinations come three options for the types of […]

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Replacing roadbed on my garden railway

yellow vehicle on track

In my January 3, 2022, Garden Railways article, I detailed how I used landscaping timbers as the roadbed for my garden railway. The railway was built in the summer of 2013. Now, 11 years later, after successfully operating trains without any track or roadbed problems, I’m ready to do a much-needed maintenance service of this […]

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Norfolk Southern sets date for RoadRailer finale

ATLANTA — RoadRailer has reached the end of the line. The last runs of Norfolk Southern Triple Crown RoadRailer trains 255 and 256 are scheduled to depart their respective terminals outside of Detroit and Kansas City on the weekend of Aug. 24-25. The freight the aging equipment carries — auto parts in general and particularly […]

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Brightline West obtains $1 billion bond offering

Group of people pose for photo behind "Brightline West Groundbreaking" banner

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Trains News Wire has obtained an 1,160-page “Limited Remarketing Memorandum” issued earlier this month announcing the $1 billion availability of bonds by California and Nevada authorities. The financing is part of Brightline West’s quest to secure operating capital for its proposed 218-mile high speed venture between Las Vegas, Nev., and Southern […]

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News report: UP seeks changes to engineer scheduling agreement

Yellow diesel brings train in to junction

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific is seeking changes to the quality-of-life scheduling agreement it reached with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen last year, saying it is getting significantly less work than expected out of engineers where it has implemented the new schedule. The BLET has gone to court because the agreement has not […]

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Cleveland commuter trains

Streamlined passenger train under road overpass

Little known outside the region, two Cleveland commuter trains closed out passenger rail service to the giant Cleveland Union Terminal. Shortly after 5 p.m. on a January day in 1977, passengers descended the only stairwell still open to track level at CUT (see Spring 2005). A single lightbulb revealed peeling paint. Wearing white shirts, navy […]

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