Benchwork for the East Troy Industrial Park

Balding older man with gray hair and beard wearing dark-framed glasses holds a bright green power nailer to the top of two wood boards resting on yellow sawhorses in a work room with light blue walls. 

From tabletop, to shelf, to open grid, there are a lot of different methods you can use to build model railroad benchwork. For our HO scale East Troy Industrial Park project layout, we used a combination of two methods, cookie cutter and L-girder, to make solid, stable benchwork. While not exactly framing for a layout, […]

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WalthersMainline HO EMD NW2

Screen capture from product review video with HO scale end-cab switcher painted orange, green, and black on scenicked layout with title bar in lower left corner.

The WalthersMainline HO EMD NW2, an end-cab diesel locomotive based on a Phase V prototype, switches cars on our Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch project layout in our latest product review video. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the switcher and Great Northern No. 158; points out the various detail parts […]

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WalthersMainline HO EMD NW2

Screen capture from product review video with HO scale end-cab switcher painted orange, green, and black on scenicked layout with title bar in lower left corner.

The WalthersMainline HO EMD NW2, an end-cab diesel locomotive based on a Phase V prototype, switches cars on our Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch project layout in our latest product review video. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the switcher and Great Northern No. 158; points out the various detail parts […]

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News & Products for the week of April 28th 2025

A yellow and gray model coach car

News & Products for the week of April 28th 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 April 28th, […]

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Hornby: Book of Collectable Toys

cover of book with toys on it

Frank Hornby, British businessman and inventor born in 1863, is a name known across the globe for model trains and toys alike. This book, Hornby: Book of Collectable Toys, takes a deep dive into the history of the Hornby manufacturing company and its many subsidiaries. This book isn’t just about model trains–it includes all of […]

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News & Products for the week of April 21st 2025

An orange and green model locomotive

News & Products for the week of April 21st 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 April 21st, […]

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WalthersMainline HO EMD SD60

Screen capture from product review video showing HO scale diesel in blue and white paint on layout with title bar in lower left corner.

The WalthersMainline HO EMD SD60 is back, this time with new features. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno uses this six-axle road unit to switch cars on our Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch project layout. In addition, he shares a condensed history of the Electro-Motive Division road unit and Oakway Leasing No. 9009; highlights the detail […]

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Loads for a fertilizer blend plant

Color photo showing portion of three-bay covered hopper painted light orange.

Q: I have a question about one of the articles in your special issue Best of Industries. On page 16, Rich Cobb wrote about a fertilizer blend plant. Can you tell me what kind of loads a plant like this would receive? — Markus Russ A: We released that special-interest publication in 2021, so I […]

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WalthersMainline HO EMD SD60

Screen capture from product review video showing HO scale diesel in blue and white paint on layout with title bar in lower left corner.

The WalthersMainline HO EMD SD60 is back, this time with new features. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno uses this six-axle road unit to switch cars on our Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch project layout. In addition, he shares a condensed history of the Electro-Motive Division road unit and Oakway Leasing No. 9009; highlights the detail […]

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News & Products for the week of April 14th 2025

A yellow model caboose

News & Products for the week of April 14th 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 April 14th, […]

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A new era for the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy

new era Milwaukee Racine Troy: A model train led by three blue and white locomotives proceeds through a town

When Kalmbach Publishing Co. moved from Milwaukee to the western suburb of Waukesha in 1989, the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy had a blank slate. The ink-stained concrete floor; large, drafty windows; and sun-faded scenery were in the past. “Our new layout room is a beautiful place, an open, rectangular space with a tile floor, drop […]

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Rapido Trains HO GE C30-7

Color photo showing side of HO scale diesel locomotive.

The C30-7 is the latest addition to the lineup of General Electric diesel locomotives from Rapido Trains. The HO scale model, offered in eight paint schemes, has a five-pole motor with dual flywheels; a heavy, die-cast metal weight; and prototype-specific details. Prototype history General Electric produced the C30-7 from September 1976 to May 1985. During […]

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