Rapido Trains HO scale RTL Turboliner

Screen shot of Product Review video.

The Rapido Trains HO scale RTL Turboliner paid a visit to our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layout recently. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they take a look at the features on this ready-to-run model and take it for a tour of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. How […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale RTL Turboliner

Screen shot of Product Review video.

The Rapido Trains HO scale RTL Turboliner paid a visit to our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layout recently. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they take a look at the features on this ready-to-run model and take it for a tour of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. How […]

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The Atlas O Multi-Max autorack

Atlas O Multi-Max autorack in Kansas City Southern paint

The Atlas O Master Gunderson Multi-Max Auto Carrier is out after an almost two-year wait. The company announced the newly tooled cars in its Summer 2021 catalog. For modern operator-collectors with the real estate on their layout, having an autorack train is a virtual must. Before the announcement of these the only scale option was […]

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ScaleTrains acquires ExactRail

ScaleTrains logo

ScaleTrains, a manufacturer of N, HO, and S scale model trains based in Cleveland, Tenn., announced has acquired ExactRail, a producer of freight cars and bridges in N and HO scales. The announcement came in a press release titled “ScaleTrains acquires ExactRail” on June 9, 2023. “We’re excited about the future of our favorite hobby,” […]

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First look: The Menards Caboose Coffee Shop is smokin’ hot

Menards Caboose Coffee Shop

The Menards Caboose Coffee Shop accessory has dropped, and it’s going to make your O scale caffeine lovers very happy. I love coffee. I also enjoy cabooses. This accessory mixes both very successfully. Really, what better use for an old crummy than a shop like this? Like a lot of other Menards model railroad buildings, […]

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The promise of Silvis

Steam locomotives inside shop building

When we drove off Illinois Route 92 onto former Rock Island property recently at Silvis, I was singularly focused on seeing steam locomotives. Three of them, to be specific, including one very special engine, former Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger No. 3985.   The Challenger was among equipment that made headlines last year as Railroading Heritage […]

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The Hills Line with James McNab | Catching up, Episode 12

Back by popular demand! James McNab has returned to host all-new video episodes of his previous Model Railroader Video Plus modeling series, The Hills Line with James McNab. This series featured layout construction insights and expert tips he shared while working to complete an HO scale (1:87) rendering 0f the IAIS Hills Industrial Spur. Take […]

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Aberdeen Carolina & Western E-unit No. 103 | NODA Express

It’s May 25th, 2023, and a test run of the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railroad’s new NODA Express is heading toward Charlotte, North Carolina. The Aberdeen Carolina & Western is a 150-mile short line, which hosts recently acquired E9A, No. 103, an EMD passenger diesel that was originally built for the Union Pacific Railroad. Come along […]

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Five industries for small spaces

Color photo of a flatcar at lumberyard on an HO scale layout.

Do you need some industries for small spaces on your model railroad? If you ask modeler railroaders something they’d like to have more of, space will be a common answer. Everything in our hobby takes up space – benchwork, track, structures, and scenery, among other items. When I kick around layout plans for my basement, […]

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