WalthersProto HO Wabash streamlined cupola caboose

Color photo of HO scale caboose molded in gray plastic with formed wire and etched-brass detail parts.

WalthersProto HO Wabash streamlined cupola caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $75.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersProto HO Wabash streamlined cupola caboose features: All-new model As-built or modernized smokejack Clear window glazing Detailed interior Factory-installed wire grab irons and handrails Minimum radius, 18”; recommended radius, 22” […]

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News & Products for the week of August 11th 2025

A blue, white and red model locomotive

News & Products for the week of August 11th 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 August 11th, […]

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Rapido Trains HO Fairbanks-Morse H16-44

Color image of HO scale diesel painted orange and black on scenicked model railroad with blue and white title bar in lower left corner.

The Rapido Trains HO Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 recently arrived at our offices. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the full-size unit and Milwaukee Road No. 435; points out the plastic, cast metal, and etched-metal detail parts on the model; and demonstrates the sound and light functions on our […]

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Rapido Trains HO Fairbanks-Morse H16-44

Color image of HO scale diesel painted orange and black on scenicked model railroad with blue and white title bar in lower left corner.

The Rapido Trains HO Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 recently arrived at our offices. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the full-size unit and Milwaukee Road No. 435; points out the plastic, cast metal, and etched-metal detail parts on the model; and demonstrates the sound and light functions on our […]

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Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar

Color photo of N scale boxcar painted dark blue with aluminum roof and red and white graphics on white background

Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar Scale: N (1:160) Price: $30.95 (undecorated, $23.95) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar features: Diagonal-panel roof Die-cast metal underframe Factory-applied end ladders, crossover handrails, and brake wheel Pin-mounted roller-bearing trucks Plastic wheelsets See-through plastic crossover platforms […]

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Rapido Trains HO TurboTrain 2.0

Futuristic toy train painted in red, white, and black colors on a model base with green grass and a tan concrete culvert in front of a blue sky backdrop with white fluffy clouds.

Rapido Trains Inc. has released an updated version of its highly detailed HO scale model of United Aircraft’s TurboTrain. The firm is calling this release TurboTrain 2.0. Much like the real high-speed train sets developed and built in the late 1960s and then upgraded through their service lives, Rapido’s own HO scale model of the […]

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Kato HO scale GE P42

Color photo showing front of modern streamlined HO scale passenger diesel painted red, silver, and black with red, blue, black, and yellow graphics on white background

Kato HO scale GE P42 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current models, $210 to $220; with pre-installed ESU LokSound sound decoder, $398 to $420 Era: 1996 to present (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com Kato HO scale GE P42 features: Both trucks have coreless motor, […]

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What was western terminus of the MR&T?

Q: What was the western terminus of the MR&T, your HO scale staff layout? — Phil Stead A: Jim Kelly explained the concept behind the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy in “Meet the MR&T” in the December 1989 Model Railroader. “You may have already guessed that the initials in MR&T stand for Model Railroader and Trains, […]

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Athearn HO EMD Model 40

Color photo HO scale diesel locomotive painted olive green and black on white background

Athearn HO EMD Model 40 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $134.98 Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO EMD Model 40 features: All-wheel drive and electrical pickup Bi-directional, constant light-emitting-diode lighting Celcon handrails and stanchions Detailed injection-molded plastic body Direct-current model with Digital Command Control Quick Plug Factory-installed bell, exhaust […]

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News & Products for the week of August 4th 2025

A white and red model caboose

News & Products for the week of August 4th 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 August 4th, […]

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Menards HO scale Grandma’s House

Color photo of HO scale house with blue siding and gray roof on scenicked base with a tree in the front yard, shrubs, a motorcycle, and figures.

Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Menards 5106 Menard Dr. Eau Claire, WI 54703 menards.com/trains Era: 1930s to present Comments: Kids on the porch swing, a dog in the front yard, and a neatly manicured yard. Those are just some of the highlights of Grandma’s House, a new HO scale structure from Menards. The two-story house has laser-cut […]

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Walthers HO ACF-design 1958 covered hopper

Color photo of HO scale two-bay covered hopper painted black without graphics on white background.

Walthers HO ACF-design 1958 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $38.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO ACF-design 1958 covered hopper features: 33” metal wheels All-new model Based on American Car & Foundry 1,958-cubic-foot capacity two-bay covered hopper Proto-Max metal couplers Separate, factory-applied Ajax brake […]

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