Explore Wisconsin’s Osceola and Saint Croix Valley Railway

The scenic town of Osceola, Wisc., recently hosted the inaugural Trains Magazine diesel photo special, attracting rail enthusiasts and photographers. The Osceola and Saint Croix Valley Railway typically offers passenger services along a former Soo Line branch, owned by Canadian National. However, special events extend the experience to other tracks, including the line’s northern terminus […]

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Meet Steven Otte, Model Railroader Senior Associate Editor

Meet Steven Otte in this latest installment of Q&A with the Editors! Here, Model Railroader Magazine Senior Associate Editor Steven Otte speaks about his time at Kalmbach, interests in railroading and model railroading alike, and – of course – his role at Model Railroader. Learn the full backstory on how Steven’s many talents steered him from […]

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Spaces to Places IV | Light up this whole town, part 6

Westcott is now officially more of a place than it is a space! It’s time for host Gerry Leone to shine a light on and around this town on his HO scale model railroad. Follow along to learn how he added interior illumination to the structures, period-correct streetlights, and fine details that give select scenes […]

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Spaces to Places IV | Light up this whole town, part 6

Westcott is now officially more of a place than it is a space! It’s time for host Gerry Leone to shine a light on and around this town on his HO scale model railroad. Follow along to learn how he added interior illumination to the structures, period-correct streetlights, and fine details that give select scenes […]

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The Hills Line with James McNab | Adventures in tracklaying, Episode 15

In this episode, Host James McNab embarks on a journey to elevate model railroading skills by exploring cutting-edge methods. Specifically featuring the use of Central Valley tie strips to build hand laid trackwork. With the objective of encouraging modelers to employ fresh techniques, James demonstrates the process on his portable HO scale Hills Line module, […]

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Ask Trains.com September 2023 compilation

One man standing behind a table

Ask Trains.com September 2023 compilation: Cody Grivno answers viewer questions regarding what railfans mean by the term “tri-clops,” industries that receive coal, modeling at-grade crossings between two railroads, why the HO scale Soo Line Red Wing Division is his favorite Model Railroader project railroad, and more! Are you looking to learn more about your model […]

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Discover Paw Paw, W.Va.’s Historic CSX Magnolia Cutoff

Explore Paw Paw, WV’s rich history with the Magnolia Cutoff, an engineering masterpiece from 1913 designed to streamline the Baltimore and Ohio mainline, reducing congestion and enhancing rail transport efficiency. This legacy route, complete with tunnels, bridges, and a massive retaining wall, continues to serve CSX today. Read more about this route in Trains magazine’s […]

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Trains LIVE — Durango & Silverton all-female engine crew

TV screen image with two women and a man in an interview

Trains LIVE — Durango & Silverton all-female engine crew — 8-30-2023 — What was the Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge line between Durango and Silverton, Colo., has been in existence for 142 years. In that time, across all of it operators, including the current Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, there has never been […]

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Summer Camp 2023 | After Hours

Trains.com Summer Camp 2023 has shut down for the season. But that certainly doesn’t mean Camp Director David Popp’s modeling efforts will come to an end! In fact, David recently hosted a Trains.com Webcam live stream video session (akin to Midday Modeler) from his basement, just to show and share many of the projects he’ll […]

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Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum debuts rare EMD BL2 (with video)

Blue and gray locomotive on bridge

EMD BL2 NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — On a cloudless Saturday, Sept. 2, Todd Flanigan smiles in the cab of BL2 No. 52 and draws on his cigar. It is a celebratory smoke, since Flanigan, president of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, is minutes from operating the rare Electro-Motive Division locomotive on its first run following […]

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Summer Camp 2023 | Day 7

Last Day of Summer Camp 2023 on Trains.com Video! Camp Director David Popp has been been working really hard all week to get his locomotive weathered, boxcar decaled, bridge constructed, detailed parts assembled and painted, as well as the truck project completed too. Although camp closes after this session, we’ll see you back on the regularly programmed Olympia […]

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