Facts and features Name: Great Northern Ry., Cascade DivisionScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 30 x 42 feetPrototype: Great Northern Ry.Locale: central WashingtonEra: October 1955Style: walkaroundMainline run: 500 feetMinimum radius: 32″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 2.2 percentBenchwork: L-girderHeight: 42″ to 56″Roadbed: lattice splineTrack: codes 83 (main line), 70 (sidings and yards), and 55 (some industrial sidings)Scenery: hardshell and […]
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Q: I’m working on adding lineside details to my freelance model railroad. I’d like to add station signs to help my operators identify various locations on the layout. Though I’m not modeling a specific prototype, I want the signs to look realistic. Where can I find information on prototype station signs? — Bobby T. A: […]
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We’re turning the clock back to the 1960s on the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route for our latest product review video. This time around we’ll take a look at the N scale Alco RSD5 from Atlas. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the six-axle road switcher and Atchison, […]
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Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Making accurate models from reality NEWS AND REVIEWS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 18 Where to find HO scale double-shelf couplers RAILWAY POST OFFICE, pg. 22 Letters from our readers STEP BY STEP, […]
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Did you just get a new train set for Christmas? Are you growing bored watching it go around and around the same oval? Don’t worry, your introduction into the world of model railroading is just beginning. Luckily for you, most train set manufacturers offer track expansion sets to help expand your starter train set. […]
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News & Products for the week of February 3rd 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 February 3rd, […]
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Locomotives, regardless of scale, have always been at the forefront of technological advancements in model railroading. Over the past decade, this trend has accelerated: bringing in innovative features and enhancements that redefine the hobby. Whether they’re seen as trailblazers for the future or as models featuring nothing but “all the bells and whistles,” let’s explore […]
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There are various ways we can convey to visitors and operators our modeling objectives. Locomotives and rolling stock provide clues as to the prototype (or freelanced) railroad we’re modeling. Those same models, as well as vehicles and figures, can be used to define the era. But what about the model railroad’s locale? Signature structures or […]
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A newly tooled FMC 5,347-cubic-foot capacity 50-foot boxcar has joined the Athearn HO scale freight car lineup. The injection-molded plastic model has railroad-specific doors; many separate, factory-applied details; and body-mounted McHenry scale couplers. Prototype history FMC Corp. produced the 5,347-cubic-foot capacity boxcar at its plant in Portland, Ore., from the late 1970s to the early […]
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When it come to track plans, everyone has a favorite. After all, each modeler values and prioritizes different aspects of model railroading. Some prefer intricate freight switching layouts, while others prefer long, continuous passenger routes. Some like layouts with dense foliage and rolling hills, whereas other modelers may prefer flat, desert landscapes. We here at […]
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Q: I was wondering if you could provide me with information on what kind of loads an oyster cannery sends and receives? — Markus Russ A: I cast the net wide (pun fully intended) to help answer your question. I started internally. Trains magazine Associate Editor Bob Lettenberger wrote “Five mind-blowing facts — Stilwell Oyster […]
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News & Products for the week of January 27th 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 January 27th, […]
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