Walthers HO scale Electro-Motive Division NW2

Color photo of HO scale end-cab switcher on scenic base

Walthers HO scale Electro-Motive Division NW2 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with Next18 DCC plug, $154.98; with dual-mode ESU Sound & DCC, $209.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO scale Electro-Motive Division NW2 features: Dual tall conical exhaust stacks Factory-installed grab irons on hood […]

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Modeling seasons on your layout

Color photo of steam engine pulling freight train through snow-covered scenery.

Back in 2010, I was part of a group of contributors to Scenery by the Seasons by Kalmbach Publishing Co. The 98-page book featured stories on modeling seasons on your layout. Among the topics covered were spring backdrops; lily pads, cattails, and pond scum; easy autumn trees; and ice and snow. Though the title is […]

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Athearn N scale F89-F TOFC flatcar

Color photo of N scale flatcar with trailer load on white background.

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.  Athearn recently released an F89-F TOFC flatcar in its Genesis line. The flatcar is based on a prototype built in the 1960s by Bethlehem Steel Co. at its […]

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New publication salutes Montana Rail Link

Cover of Montana Rail Link sip

Thirty-seven years ago, Montana businessman Dennis Washington entered into a 60-year lease with Burlington Northern for nearly 1,000 miles of ex-Northern Pacific Railway trackage and launched the Montana Rail Link. The newly created Class II regional stretched from Spokane, Wash., across southern Montana to Huntley, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it community not far from Billings, Mont. The railroad […]

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Otter Valley Railroad N scale gondola

Color photo of N scale freight car painted black with white graphics.

Price: Single car, $37.99; six-pack, $219.99 Manufacturer Otter Valley Railroad Inc. 37 Tillson St., Unit E Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada N4G 0B7 ovrtrains.com Road names: American Iron & Metal Co. (20000 and 21000 series), Midwest Railcar Corp., Triple M Metal, and XRMX. Also available painted black with data only. Six to 12 road numbers per paint […]

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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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C&NW No. 1385 return to Mid-Continent museum postponed

Steam locomotive by concrete coaling tower

NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — The move, scheduled to begin May 5, bringing Chicago & North Western 4-6-0 No. 1385 back to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum has been postponed, says Jeffrey Lentz, museum office manager. A statement from the museum indicates that the trucking firm slated to handle the road move withdrew its services “on short […]

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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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Riding Amtrak’s Palmetto

Passenger train at a station platform

Summary: This article discusses riding Amtrak’s Palmetto, which runs an 829-mile route between New York City and Savannah, Georgia. It highlights the Palmetto‘s unique characteristics as a long-distance train without dining cars or sleeping accommodations. The article also delves into the train’s history, including its origins in 1976, its various route changes and service adjustments […]

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