Tommy Rhoden considers himself another huge fan of the Angela Trotta Thomas illustrated locomotives and rolling stock cataloged by Lionel. As a lifelong three-rail operator and collector, he has a blast laying FasTrack under his Christmas tree in Evans, Ga., and running everything from his boyhood Marx set from 1959 to some of the latest […]
The Athearn Genesis HO GP40-2L diesel locomotive, based on a prototype built by General Motors Diesel Division, recently arrived at our offices. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the four-axle road unit and Quebec-Gatineau Ry. No. 3014; points out the many factory-applied details; and demonstrates the sound […]
This scene on Robert Buenzly’s 4½ x 12-foot O gauge layout display reflects his creativity and motivation. He arranged some of the porcelain structures he had purchased around two loops of Lionel FasTrack and then fired up this MTH New York Central 4-6-4 Hudson and Lionel 0-8-0 switcher for his pleasure. Classic Toy Trains’ Photo […]
Where has 2025 gone? We’re already into July, which means county fair season is in full swing. Right on its heels, back-to-school sales will begin! Between all of that hustle and bustle, take a few minutes to enjoy the July 2025 episode of Cody’s Office. We have an exciting lineup of products this month. Leading […]
The bustling scene on Michael Nowicki’s model railroad resembles any number of O gauge layouts from the 1950s, when families had a ball gathering their trains and operating cars to display around their Christmas tree. Lionel stalwarts, including the No. 671 Turbine engine and whistle tender leading the way on Mike’s layout in Newark, N.J., […]
It’s a snowy December 24th in Swansea, Ill., under the beautifully decorated tree at the home of Mark and Shirley Childress. Officials at the Southern Ry. decided to shift the 4-6-4 Hudson steam engine and tender usually assigned to passenger service over to freight duty. With residents of the tiny village Shirley set up with […]
Visitors to the King residence in Albany, N.Y., get a kick out of watching the postwar No. 343 Nickel Plate Road 0-8-0 switcher drop off tankers at refinery Gary designed for his 10 x 24-foot railroad. Classic Toy Trains’ Photo of the Day features a toy train image from our archives. For full access to […]
Ed Berry is just one of the many current layout builders who use a section or two of the O gauge layout they have recently finished as a way to display some of the die-cast metal vehicles they collect. On his three-rail display in Kinston, N.C., he specializes in miniature Corvettes, and so has arranged […]
The guys holed up in the shack by the main line on David Brown’s O gauge layout caught a break today when the temperature climbed above the freezing mark. On a whim, they decided to set up their checkerboard outdoors for a few games before their fingers get numb or the noise of that passing […]
The Atlas Classic HO Alco RS11 is back in new paint schemes and road numbers. We recently received a sample decorated for Burlington Northern, and our resident BN fan, Senior Editor Cody Grivno, is here with the scoop. Learn about the full-size Alco RS11 and Burlington Northern 4183; get a close-up look at the factory-applied […]
In the August 2025 issue of Model Railroader, we featured Art Kear’s HO scale Buffalo & Susquehanna to Wellsville, Addison & Galeton. The 12 x 32-foot multi-deck walk-in layout features a logging line circa 1910 and the steam-to-diesel transition era in 1950. “Once the train room was completed, it was time to get started on […]
A new run of the WalthersMainline HO scale EMD GP9 was recently released. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno shares a brief history of the Electro-Motive Division road switcher and Central Vermont No. 4445; highlights the detail parts on the ready-to-run model; and demonstrates some of the sound and light functions on the locomotive, which […]
