‘Tis the season to enjoy illuminated Metra trains routing along the rails of the commuter lines around and about Chicago, Ill. Happy Holidays! […]
Holiday Trains on Chicago Metra routes

‘Tis the season to enjoy illuminated Metra trains routing along the rails of the commuter lines around and about Chicago, Ill. Happy Holidays! […]
News & Products for the week of December 18th 2023 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 December 18th […]
Lionel’s perfect postwar train set The perfect postwar Lionel train set should have a great locomotive, exciting and attractive pieces of rolling stock, and maybe an operating accessory. There would be plenty of track, too. Which engine and cars would you choose if you were able to assemble a perfect outfit from the post-World War […]
The Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP35 visits our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout in this Product Review video. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he talks about the features on our Paragon4-equipped Chicago, Burlington & Quincy sample. Learn more about the sound and light functions on the four-axle road locomotive, see it […]
In the steam age, most Chicago & North Western locomotives burned coal, but those assigned to divisions west of the Missouri River were oil burners; in addition, the four Pacifics rebuilt for the 400s were converted to oil. One group of light Pacifics was fitted with special grates for burning lignite, a low-grade coal. […]
The Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP35 visits our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout in this Product Review video. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he talks about the features on our Paragon4-equipped Chicago, Burlington & Quincy sample. Learn more about the sound and light functions on the four-axle road locomotive, see it […]
CHICAGO — Metra announced earlier this year that it would use trains decorated for special holiday excursions — which have been running to downtown Chicago on various routes on Saturdays since Dec. 2 — in regular commuter service, as well [see “Metra, CTA set plans …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 19, 2023]. This is a […]
News & Products for the week of December 11th 2023 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 December 11th […]
For toy train collectors looking to up their game to include more and collectible pieces without breaking the bank, consider Lionel’s 2227W from 1954. Set No. 2227W, which had a retail price of $69.50 ($795 in 2023 dollars), relied on an iconic A-A combination of Santa Fe F3 diesels as its motive power. The […]
In the years after World War II, Lionel strengthened its presence in Canada by working closely with the heads of its sales office in Toronto. Roy Clarke and his son, William, represented the toy train giant and made sure Lionel had a significant presence in department stores and retail chains across Canada. Evidence of Lionel’s […]
CHICAGO — In a rarity on a number of fronts, Metra operated a special train today (Sunday, Dec. 10) for members of Congress between Chicago Union Station and the O’Hare Airport station on the North Central Service line. The train, using one of Metra’s decorated holiday train sets generally led by F40PH-3 No. 104, the […]
The EMC TA diesel locomotive was an early passenger diesel and a Rock Island oddity. If it looks and sounds like an early EMC E-series streamlined diesel passenger locomotive, there is a good chance it is. But don’t bet the family farm. The locomotive in question is the EMC TA diesel, a […]