Rapido Trains HO Alco RS11

Title screen of video showing HO scale locomotive painted green and yellow.

The Rapido Trains HO Alco RS11 diesel locomotive recently visited our Wisconsin & Southern layout. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno — who really didn’t pick his shirt to match the locomotive’s paint scheme — as he shares a brief history of Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific No. 3600; highlights the various railroad-specific details on the four-axle […]

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News & Products for the week of April 15th 2024

A model passenger car in a green paint scheme

News & Products for the week of April 15th 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 April 15th […]

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The Musselshell & Yogo Peak RR

Three orange, red, and black model train engines on a bridge over trees

Yogo Peak, at 8,812 feet above sea level, is located in the Little Belt Mountains on the Judith Basin between Lewiston and Great Falls, Mont. Winding its way through the basin is a tributary of the Missouri River known as the Musselshell River, named by the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1805 for its abundance […]

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The Georgia & Florida RR layout in HO scale

A model railroad track plan with two men standing inside of it

Facts and features   Name: Georgia & Florida RRScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 12 x 13 feetPrototype: Georgia & FloridaLocale: Central and South GeorgiaEra: late summer, 1966-1972Style: around the wallsMainline run: 55 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: No. 4Minimum grade: noneBenchwork: open gridHeight: 40″Roadbed: corkTrack: Atlas code 83 flextrackScenery: cardboard strips covered with plaster gauze and SculptamoldBackdrop: 1⁄8″ […]

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The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4th Street Spur layout in HO scale

A shelf layout track plan

Facts and features   Name: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4th Street SpurScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 1′-6″ x 8′-0″Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa FeLocale: downtown Los AngelesEra: 1950-1953Style: shelfMainline run: 8 feetMinimum turnout: No. 4Maximum grade: noneBenchwork: 1⁄2″ plywood secured to wall with shelf bracketsHeight: 48″Roadbed: 3⁄32″ basswood Track: Atlas code 83 Scenery: extruded-foam insulation board […]

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News & Products for the week of April 8th 2024

A series of 5 model cabooses in various paint schemes

News & Products for the week of April 8th 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 April 8th […]

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Meet Bryson Sleppy

An image of a man in a blue polo shirt standing in the Model Railroader workshop

What was your first train set (or locomotive)? I’ll answer this one in two parts: locomotive and set. You may have already read on Trains.com or the Winter 2023 issue of Classic Toy Trains that my first model train locomotive was a Lionel Santa Fe Alco. That’s right, just Alco, with no model designation. The […]

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PIKO America HO scale diesel-hydraulic locomotive

Color photo of gray and red HO scale locomotive on scenic base.

The much-anticipated Krauss-Maffei ML-4000 diesel-hydraulic locomotive is now available from PIKO America. The newly tooled model, based on the 1961 prototype, has an injection-molded plastic body, die-cast metal chassis, and can motor with dual flywheels. Prototype history The PIKO America models are decorated as Southern Pacific 9000, 9001, and 9002 in their as-delivered appearance. The […]

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Spaces to Places V | A new path to the underpass, part 4

Our host Gerry Leone heads for the hills in this episode of Spaces to Places! More specifically, he works a bit on the topography of the underpass area and how the highway routes through it all. Wisely, Gerry elects to make a template of his initial design, and then uses it to guide his efforts shaping up […]

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News & Products for the week of April 1st 2024

A model tank car in a black paint scheme

News & Products for the week of April 1st 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 April 1st […]

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Rapido Trains HO RS18u diesel locomotive

Color photo of HO locomotive painted red with black-and-white graphics.

Do you have a soft spot for railroad-rebuilt diesel locomotives? Then you’ll want to check out the HO scale Canadian Pacific RS18u from Rapido Trains. The model, designed from field measurements and a 3-D scan of a full-size engine, is offered in a variety of paint schemes from 1980 to the present. The prototype In […]

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