The HO scale Pennsylvania RR Panhandle Division

A model railroad track plan for the Pennsylvania railroad panhandle division layout

Facts and features Name: Pennsylvania RR Panhandle Division Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 41 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR Locale: eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia panhandle Era: late 1940s and early 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 24″ (branch) Minimum turnout: No. 6 (main), No. 5 (branch) Maximum […]

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Rapido HO Alco PA1 and PB1 diesels

Color photo showing nose of HO scale six-axle cab unit painted gray, maroon, and yellow with black roof, trucks, and fuel tank on white background

Rapido HO Alco PA1 and PB1 diesels Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single A unit — without sound, $239.95; with ESU LokSound V5 decoder, $349.95. A-A and A-B sets — without sound, $459.90; with ESU LokSound V5 decoder, $669.90 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido Trains HO Alco PA1 and […]

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News & Products for the week of September 8th 2025

A yellow blue and orange model caboose

News & Products for the week of September 8th 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 September 8th, […]

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WalthersMainline HO 40-foot wood stockcar

Color photo showing B end of HO scale stockcar painted black with white graphics on white background

WalthersMainline HO 40-foot wood stockcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $31.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Features on WalthersMainline HO 40-foot wood stockcar: 33” metal wheels All-new tooling Auxiliary, emergency, and brake cylinder pipes Body-mounted Proto-Max metal couplers Detailed underbody with factory-applied air reservoir, brake cylinder, and […]

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Curt LaRue’s PRR Panhandle Division in HO scale

Embark on an epic journey back to the late 1940s and early ’50s, as depicted on Curt LaRue’s HO scale (1:87.1) Pennsylvania Railroad Panhandle Division! Originally presented in the October 2025 issue of Model Railroader magazine, this stunning layout comes to life as cameras capture various modeled rural and industrial sites along the multi-track mainline […]

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Menards O rail maintenance office

Color photo of O scale rail maintenance office with boxcar body, pickup truck, trees, and figures on scenicked base on white background.

Menards O rail maintenance office Scale: O (1:48) Price: $49.99 Manufacturer: Menards, 5106 Menard Dr., Eau Claire, WI 54703; menards.com/trains Menards O rail maintenance office features: Factory-assembled scene Factory-installed figures, barrels, cans, crates, ladder, and railroad ties Includes small Cripple Creek & Western Rail Maintenance sign on left side of boxcar and large logo on right […]

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Lionel’s No. 2159W GG1 Freight Set for 1950

toy train set contents with box

Lionel’s No. 2159W GG1 Freight Set for 1950 often has received criticism from collectors for being less than outstanding. In fact, this O gauge outfit generally has been assessed as a disappointment because it came with some common items.  Admittedly, the locomotive included with the five pieces of rolling stock outshines these freight cars and […]

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Atlas Trainman HO EMD GP38-2

Senior Editor Cody Grivno reviews the new Atlas Trainman HO Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP38-2 diesel locomotive. First, you’ll learn new insights about full-size EMD GP38-2 units, and specifics details about Helm Leasing no. 3805, which was originally built as Texas Mexican Railway no. 866. Then, as possible only through video demonstration, Cody highlights the model’s […]

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Atlas Trainman HO EMD GP38-2

Senior Editor Cody Grivno reviews the new Atlas Trainman HO Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP38-2 diesel locomotive. First, you’ll learn new insights about full-size EMD GP38-2 units, and specifics details about Helm Leasing no. 3805, which was originally built as Texas Mexican Railway no. 866. Then, as possible only through video demonstration, Cody highlights the model’s […]

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News & Products for the week of September 2nd 2025

Five yellow model passenger cars

News & Products for the week of September 2nd 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 September 2nd, […]

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75 years ago in Trains: New hope for Cherry River Boom & Lumber

Magazine cover shows a steam locomotive passing a water tanks. The word Trains appears in white on a red box

“TlMBER!” It was that cry ringing across West Virginia’s Appalachian slopes that put loads on the flat cars of the Cherry River Boom & Lumber Company’s Railroad, and cash in the company coffers. Once the Cherry River trundled 100 million board feet of lumber a year down to the mill at Richwood. But timber grows […]

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Norfolk & Western’s ‘Big Three’ steam locomotives

NWSteam

Roanoke, Va., headquarters of the former Norfolk & Western Railway and once known as the “Alamo for Steam,” is home to the renowned East End Shops. This facility, still standing today, was where the bulk of the railroad’s steam fleet was built. Among these were three locomotive classes from the 1940s-50s, known as the “Big […]

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