MTH Electric Trains HO scale USRA twin hopper

MTH HO scale USRA twin hopper

This 55-ton twin hopper is a recent addition to the MTH line of HO freight cars. The model has a molded plastic body with a die-cast metal underbody, metal wheelsets, many add-on details, and knuckle couplers. Our sample was smoothly painted and neatly lettered.The prototype for this car was one of five standardized freight car […]

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Glossary of steam locomotive terms

CS1-L1111_31

Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac 4-8-4 No. 602, named Governor Thomas Jefferson, rushes an 18-car passenger train toward Washington, D.C., near Four Mile Run, Va., in June 1940. C. W. Whitbeck Back pressure Back pressure is caused by the resistance of the exhaust steam exiting the cylinders. Overcoming this resistance represents negative work done by the […]

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Model train set video demonstrations

MRR 021412 Walthers Trainline HO train set

Most model railroaders get started in the hobby with a ready-to-run train set. These sets include a locomotive, cars, track, and a power pack. In these videos you’ll see members of the Model Railroader magazine staff showing you how to set up and run some recently released model train sets. Are you new to the […]

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Build a table for a small model railroad

benchwork lead

Good plywood benchwork provides a solid foundation for a model railroad. There are many different ways to support your railroad, and they all fall under the general heading of “benchwork.” Benchwork can be just about anything. We’ve heard of one modeler who uses the top of his piano for his railroad so he can enjoy […]

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Guide to model railroading scales and gauges

Image of model locomotives arranged by scaled size

You don’t have to spend much time with model trains to realize that they come in a number of different sizes. These differences are one of the things that make model trains so much fun because there are advantages to each size. Let’s take a look at them so you can think about which size […]

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Video: Athearn Genesis HO scale EMD GP9

This HO scale Electro-Motive GP9 diesel-electric locomotive features a SoundTraxx Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. The HO locomotive model is part of Athearn Trains’ Genesis series. See and hear the Athearn Genesis HO scale GP9 as we run the locomotive model on the Model Railroader club layout, the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. […]

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