General Steel Castings 58’-4” depressed-center flatcar with 21-foot long lower deck from ClassOneModelWorks.com

Drawing of red depressed-center flatcar

General Steel Castings 58’-4” depressed-center flatcar with 21-foot long lower deck Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $64.99 Era: 1950s to 1990s (depending on scheme) Manufacturer: ClassOneModelWorks.com, 8610 NW 107th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64153; 816-243-0044; ClassOneModelWorks.com General Steel Castings heavy duty flatcar features: Dual-end brake system components See-through etched-metal grating on upper decks as appropriate Road-specific body, […]

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Athearn 200-ton crane and boom car set

Yellow and black crane train car and brown flatcar

200-ton crane and boom car Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $94.99 Era: 1960s+ to 1980s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Rotating boom Boom and blocks raise and lower Flatcar with boom support arms Machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours Body-mounted McHenry knuckle couplers Injection-molded […]

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A small S gauge layout with big ideas

A small S gauge layout

A small S gauge layout can give a lot of play value. For proof, check out John Mansueto’s layout in the November-December 2022 issue. It’s like many of the compact O and S gauge layouts spotlighted in Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces, the 2021 special issue from Classic Toy Trains. Spare bedrooms, garage stalls, […]

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A small S gauge layout with big ideas

A small S gauge layout

A small S gauge layout can give a lot of play value. For proof, check out John Mansueto’s layout in the November-December 2022 issue. It’s like many of the compact O and S gauge layouts spotlighted in Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces, the 2021 special issue from Classic Toy Trains. Spare bedrooms, garage stalls, […]

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City of San Francisco is the latest WalthersProto name train

Model train passing mountainous terrain during a sunset

City of San Francisco The City of San Francisco will be the next train in Walthers’ line of name trains. This offering will feature equipment from the various railroads that jointly operated this streamliner from Chicago to San Francisco, including Southern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Union Pacific, and Texas & New Orleans. Electro-Motive Division E9A and […]

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Building under construction from Custom Model Railroads

Model of a high rise building under construction

Building under construction Scale: HO (1:87.1) and N (1:160) Price: HO, $249; N, $127 Era: 1970s+ Manufacturer: Custom Model Railroads, 3937 Keswick Road, Baltimore, MD 21211; 410-889-0010; cmrtrain.com Building under construction features: Laser cut acrylic and 3-D printed parts Based on a high rise building under construction HO scale measures 8” x 6” x 17”; […]

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Toxic chemicals on model railroads throughout history

vintage illustration of lift bridge on model railroa

Can you believe hobbyists used to use toxic chemicals on model railroads? In the days before hobby shops sold premade scenery and wiring products, hobbyists made their own. Unfortunately, some of the materials weren’t very safe. Note: We’re providing this article for information and entertainment only. We are definitely not endorsing any of these substances […]

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