Model Railroad Equipment Buyer’s Guide 1965-66

catalog page with train sets

Tucked away in a drawer, I discovered a “Model Railroad Equipment Buyer’s Guide 1965-66” booklet, published by Kalmbach Publishing. It contained a variety of books, tools, and yes, model trains.  While the majority of the booklet focused on HO scale trains, page seven was a surprise. It contains several American Flyer train sets and scenic […]

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How to keep your model railroad layout clean

It’s all-too-easy to turn your layout into a depository of dirt-carrying items and cover it with cookie crumbs!

Tips for keeping your model railroad layout clean: A clean layout is fun to run, fun to work on, and fun to look at.  Unfortunately, the three D’s – dust, dirt and debris – are in season all year long and can make keeping a layout clean a constant, time-consuming job. Here are a few […]

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Jim Hediger’s HO scale Detroit Western RR

Color photo showing yard scene on model railroad.

Jim Hediger, a member of the Model Railroader staff for 43 years, passed away on February 9, 2024. His family generously donated his slide collection to Kalmbach Media. While going through the images, I found several slides featuring Jim’s HO scale Detroit Western RR. The layout was the successor to the 5 x 9-foot NJ&E […]

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Illinois senators meet with CN CEO about Chicago Hub project

Passenger train with Chicago skyline in background

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (both D-Ill.) met with Canadian National Railway CEO Tracy Robinson on Tuesday to discuss the railroad’s involvement in the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, the plan to modernize Chicago Union Station and rail routes leading to the station. U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) also participated in the […]

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News Photos: Amtrak celebrates California Zephyr’s 75th birthday

California Zephyr logo

CHICAGO — Passengers who drifted in to the westbound California Zephyr’s crowded Sightseer Lounge leaving Chicago on Tuesday found themselves in the middle of an Amtrak-sponsored onboard event commemorating the first runs of the original Burlington-Rio Grande-Western Pacific streamliner on March 20, 1949. They were treated to an informative lecture by Thomas Whitt, director and […]

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Five mind-blowing facts — The Merci Train

black and white photo of a French boxcar on a U.S. railroad flatcar. Five mind-blowing facts — The Merci Train.

On February 2, 1949, 75 years ago, a train arrived in New York harbor. It was not on the rails serving some dock, but rather small boxcars tucked into the hold of the S.S. Magellan. The ship docked at Weehawken, N.J., amid great fanfare — scores of U.S. Air Force planes saluted in a flyover, […]

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Cathcart Rail plans expansion of Kansas City facilities

Logo of Cathcart Rail

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Freight rail company Cathcart Rail is set for a two-phase expansion, valued at more than $10 million, of its railcar repair facility, the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City, Mo., has announced. Plans call for Cathcart to renovate its and expand its existing facility at 7750 Wilson Ave., near the Missouri […]

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Atlas N scale Fairbanks-Morse Train Master

Title screen of Product Review video with N scale locomotive painted gray, maroon, and yellow.

The Atlas N scale Fairbanks-Morse Train Master, a part of the Master Line since 2000, is the subject of our latest Product Review video. Senior Editor Cody Grivno kicks things off by sharing a brief history of Erie-Lackawanna H24-66 No. 1854. Then he points features on the injection-molded plastic shell and demonstrates some of the […]

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