Rapido Canadian 3800 cylindrical hopper

Canadian cylindrical hopper: A silver model hopper car against. white background

Rapido Canadian 3800 cylindrical hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $54.95; six-pack, $329.70 Era: 1965+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Canadian 3800 cylindrical hopper features: Round-hatch or Trough-hatch design Dofasco S-2 100-ton trucks Two body variations with 6- or […]

Read More…

The West Palm Beach Terminal Co. layout in HO scale

The HO scal West Palm Terminal Co. layout

Facts & features Name: West Palm Beach Terminal Co. Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 9-0′ x 12-0′ Prototypes:  West Palm Beach Terminal Co. Locale: East coast of Florida Era: Late 1950s Style: Module Mainline run: None Minimum radius: 1821″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: None Benchwork: Hollow-core doors Height: 45″ Roadbed: Cork sheet Track: Micro engineering […]

Read More…

HO scale Autoflood III coal hopper from Rapido

HO scale Autoflood III coal hopper from Rapido Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; six-pack, $359.70 Era: 2004+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Autoflood III coal hopper features: Die-cast frame and floor Full interior rivet and K-member details Detailed […]

Read More…

Athearn HO scale General Electric Dash 9-44CW

Screen capture of product review video

Arriving in hobby shops now is the Athearn HO scale General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive. The newly tooled model features a variety of railroad-specific details. Road names offered on the first run of the six-axle road locomotive are Canadian National (red, white, and black with “wet noodle” herald); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (warbonnet); […]

Read More…

American Car and Foundry 50-foot boxcar from Moloco Trains

An illustration of a model boxcar painted orange against a white background.

American Car and Foundry 50-foot boxcar from Moloco Trains Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: 1971+ (Varies by paint scheme) Manufacturer: Moloco Trains, info@molocotrains.com, www.molocotrains.com American Car and Foundry 50-foot boxcar features: Prototype-specific cushioned or non-cushioned versions Car number specific handbrakes Prototype specific American Car and Foundry draft gear design Multiple versions of door […]

Read More…

Athearn HO scale General Electric Dash 9-44CW

Screen capture of product review video

Arriving in hobby shops now is the Athearn HO scale General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive. The newly tooled model features a variety of railroad-specific details. Road names offered on the first run of the six-axle road locomotive are Canadian National (red, white, and black with “wet noodle” herald); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (warbonnet); […]

Read More…

ScaleTrains HO General Electric ES44AC

Screen shot of video with HO locomotive on bridge.

ScaleTrains has released a second run of its HO General Electric ES44AC diesel locomotive. The modern six-axle road unit is decorated for Canadian Pacific (with and without Lord Strathcona’s Horse stencil), Citirail (silver, blue, and yellow), CSX (armed forces, first responders, and law enforcement schemes in one road number each), Ferromex (original red, white, and […]

Read More…

Meet David Popp

Meet David Popp: Balding middle-aged white male standing in front of a blurry painting of a steam train.

Meet David Popp What was your first train set? With a dad and grandfather both into model trains, I was surrounded by model railroading from an early age. The first train I can remember that I was given was a colorful plastic version of what we would now call Brio trains. It had silver-colored plastic […]

Read More…

Food Machinery Corporation 50-foot plug door boxcar from Athearn

Food Machinery Corporation 50-foot boxcar: an orange boxcar illustration against a white background

Food Machinery Corporation 50-foot plug door boxcar from Athearn Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $39.99. Add $5 for Prime for Grime models. Era: 1977+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com FMC 50’ boxcar features: Separately applied grab irons, end ladders and brake wheel Photo-etched cross-over platform 33” […]

Read More…

Conowingo Models caboose No. three

Caboose no. three: A blue caboose against a blue sky and green grass

Conowingo Models caboose No. three Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $33.00 Manufacturer:  Conowingo Models; conowingomodels.com Conowingo Models Bobber boxcar features: LaBelle trucks Plastic wheels Laser-cut wood construction Board-on-board deck 3D-printed smoke jack Tichy Train Group windows and stirrups Conowingo Railroad decals included Kadee couplers and coupler boxes Release date: Available now News & Products is a regular feature […]

Read More…

Spaces to Places III | Making a highway, part 2

Host Gerry Leone is making great inroads on his new roadway construction! In this episode, he’s all set to pave and finish the highway route defined in the debut of this relaunched exclusive Trains.com Video modeling series. But while he waits for the concrete roads to cure, Gerry shares his progress on a few other […]

Read More…

John Allen’s Locomotive Weathering Secrets

Model locomotive cab with miniature engineer figure

John Allen’s Locomotive Weathering Secrets: Digging through back issues of Model Railroader the other day, I came across a short article about John Allen’s techniques for weathering locomotives. The January 1964 article features the work of several modelers, including Bill McClanahan and John Allen, and provides some tips on their practices for painting and weathering […]

Read More…