Operating and programming an NCE Mini Panel

Back on the MR&T HO scale model railroad, Ben demonstrates how to program the NCE Mini Panel device used to send out DCC commands to locomotive, accessory, or signal decoders. Ben’s thorough explanations of the NCE Mini Panel, its connections, and the programming steps required to make it a useful tool on your layout are […]

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Midday Modeler – June 14th, 2023

Midday Modeler – June 14th. 2023. David Popp is back hosting this week’s episode. The end is in sight for the competition of the project layout! David, Cody, Eric, Steve, and Mitch all give updates on the layout and various projects associated. Questions for the Crew? Post them down below in the comments section! […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale P-S New Haven County-series baggage-lounge cars

Orange, silver, and black model train passenger cars showing silver baggage door with two small windows.

Rapido Trains HO scale P-S New Haven County-series baggage-lounge cars: Rapido Trains has been a great friend to New Haven passenger train modelers, providing icons such as the EP-5 electric passenger locomotive, EMD FL9s, and an ever-growing fleet of HO scale NH Pullman-Standard stainless-steel and lightweight Osgood-Bradley passenger cars. The most recent additions are the […]

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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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Spaces to Places IV | Installing the Streets, part 4

Gerry Leone recaps his work on the sandpaper street of Westcott, a town on his new HO scale (1:87.1) model railroad. Now it’s time to add rule, order, and realism to the roadways – by means of basic road markings and subtle weathering. Grab your brush, paint, water-soluble decals, and tools, to join in the […]

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News & Products for the week of June 12th 2023

An image of a model passenger car

News & Products for the week of June 12th 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 June 12th 2023. […]

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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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John Grosner’s New Haven Derby Junction in HO scale

First showcased in the April 2009 issue of Model Railroader, John Grosner’s HO scale (1:87.1) 15 x 19-foot model railroad depicts the sights on and along the tracks of Derby Junction, Conn., in the late 1940s to mid 1950s. In this walking/talking video tour of his basement, John’s attention to fine detail brings New Haven […]

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Midday Modeler – June 7th, 2023

Midday Modeler – June 7th. 2023. It’s a Classic Toy Trains Takeover! Hal and Rene host this week’s episode to give updates on the land of Classic Toy Trains. Hal shows off a new building from Menards, along with providing some maintenance tips for your large locomotives (and shows few small locos as well). Rene […]

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N scale decoder woes

Nscaledecoderwoes1

N scale decoder woes: This month I’m going to vent about a round of recent frustrations dealing with N scale Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder installations. The villain of the story will be the Internet, but in an unexpected twist of plot, that same villain shall emerge as the hero. The moral is that the […]

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Cleaning an airbrush while weathering can be a chore

An airbrush sprays a faint mist of paint across a green model freight car

Q: I would like some advice on cleaning an airbrush while weathering. I use an older Paasche airbrush to weather my N scale rolling stock. Since N scale models take very little paint, the painting process usually only takes a few seconds to a minute per color. But cleaning the tip, the air point, and […]

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