Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Making accurate models from reality NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 18 Where to find HO scale double-shelf couplers RAILWAY POST OFFICE, pg. 22 Letters from our readers STEP BY STEP, […]
Did you just get a new train set for Christmas? Are you growing bored watching it go around and around the same oval? Don’t worry, your introduction into the world of model railroading is just beginning. Luckily for you, most train set manufacturers offer track expansion sets to help expand your starter train set. […]
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, […]
Locomotives, regardless of scale, have always been at the forefront of technological advancements in model railroading. Over the past decade, this trend has accelerated: bringing in innovative features and enhancements that redefine the hobby. Whether they’re seen as trailblazers for the future or as models featuring nothing but “all the bells and whistles,” let’s explore […]
There are various ways we can convey to visitors and operators our modeling objectives. Locomotives and rolling stock provide clues as to the prototype (or freelanced) railroad we’re modeling. Those same models, as well as vehicles and figures, can be used to define the era. But what about the model railroad’s locale? Signature structures or […]
A newly tooled FMC 5,347-cubic-foot capacity 50-foot boxcar has joined the Athearn HO scale freight car lineup. The injection-molded plastic model has railroad-specific doors; many separate, factory-applied details; and body-mounted McHenry scale couplers. Prototype history FMC Corp. produced the 5,347-cubic-foot capacity boxcar at its plant in Portland, Ore., from the late 1970s to the early […]
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 […]
Q: I was wondering if you could provide me with information on what kind of loads an oyster cannery sends and receives? — Markus Russ A: I cast the net wide (pun fully intended) to help answer your question. I started internally. Trains magazine Associate Editor Bob Lettenberger wrote “Five mind-blowing facts — Stilwell Oyster […]
News & Products for the week of January 27th 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 January 27th, […]
In 1980 and 1981, my wife and I rode round trips on the Viking and Badger, respectively, when they were still being used as railroad carferries operating between Wisconsin and Michigan. After those trips, I wanted to build an N scale version of the Viking. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or skills required back […]
Most of us who love model trains value them for some aspect of their engineering, artistry, and nostalgia. We tend to be a meticulous and detail-oriented community, and we prize and cherish the integrity and aesthetics of the layouts we painstakingly build. Like any machinery, model trains need maintenance and cleaning to look and function […]
A National Steel Car Corp. Ltd. (NSC) 3,294-cubic-foot capacity mechanical refrigerator car is now available from Rapido Trains. The model, offered in Canadian Pacific’s script and Multimark paint schemes, features injection-molded plastic construction, metal wheels mounted on plastic axles, and body-mounted metal couplers. Prototype history In the late 1960s, NSC built a group of mechanical […]
