Compared to their traditional reciprocating rod-driven counterparts, geared steam locomotives can be seen as “oddballs” to the casual eye. They certainly fit that bill with their unique styles of running gear consisting of cylinders positioned at different angles and connected to the drive shaft through a series of gears to ultimately power every wheel […]
Maryland & Pennsylvania 4-6-0 No. 27 is being ferried north ahead of train 1’s gas-electric car at Towson, Md., in November 1953. James P. Gallagher photo […]
Facts and features Name: Illinois Central Gulf Scale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 25 x 40 feet plus 12 x 16-foot staging in crawl spacePrototype: Illinois Central GulfLocale: Chicago to Champaign, Ill.Era: October 1976Style: walk-inMainline run: 350 feetMinimum radius: 30″Minimum turnout: No. 5Maximum grade: less than .5%Benchwork: open gridHeight: 46″ to 59″Roadbed: ¾” plywood and ½” Homasote Track: […]
Facts and features Name: Great Northern Ry., Cascade DivisionScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 30 x 42 feetPrototype: Great Northern Ry.Locale: central WashingtonEra: October 1955Style: walkaroundMainline run: 500 feetMinimum radius: 32″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 2.2 percentBenchwork: L-girderHeight: 42″ to 56″Roadbed: lattice splineTrack: codes 83 (main line), 70 (sidings and yards), and 55 (some industrial sidings)Scenery: hardshell and […]
Q: I’m working on adding lineside details to my freelance model railroad. I’d like to add station signs to help my operators identify various locations on the layout. Though I’m not modeling a specific prototype, I want the signs to look realistic. Where can I find information on prototype station signs? — Bobby T. A: […]
We’re turning the clock back to the 1960s on the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route for our latest product review video. This time around we’ll take a look at the N scale Alco RSD5 from Atlas. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the six-axle road switcher and Atchison, […]
We’re turning the clock back to the 1960s on the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route for our latest product review video. This time around we’ll take a look at the N scale Alco RSD5 from Atlas. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the six-axle road switcher and Atchison, […]
News & Products for the week of February 3rd 2025 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 February 3rd, […]
American Flyer’s No. 303 Reading Lines 4-4-2 Atlantic steam engine and tender helped to inspire a young boy growing up near Chicago back in the middle 1950s to first consider how he might make railroading the essence of his career. Kevin Keefe, who would grow up to serve as a distinguished editor for Trains Magazine […]
As an entity with 50-plus years under its belt, Amtrak now has plenty of its own history, in addition to that of the trains it took over as of May 1, 1971. Thus, it probably should not have been a total surprise when Amtrak launched a through train service in November 2024 between Chicago […]
Brooks-built class Norfolk & Western K2 4-8-2 No. 117 goes for a turntable ride at Schaffers Crossing in Roanoke, Va., in 1954. The locomotive is one of 22 class K1 Mountain types given J-style streamlining in the late 1940s. W.A. Akin Jr. photo […]
When it come to track plans, everyone has a favorite. After all, each modeler values and prioritizes different aspects of model railroading. Some prefer intricate freight switching layouts, while others prefer long, continuous passenger routes. Some like layouts with dense foliage and rolling hills, whereas other modelers may prefer flat, desert landscapes. We here at […]
