Q: I’m curious why I’ve never seen four 20-foot intermodal containers in a single well car, stacked two on top and two on the bottom. I’ve only ever seen two 20-foot containers in the well and a 40-foot (or larger) container on top. — Benjamin Stewart A: David Lassen, senior editor at Trains magazine, put me […]
The Athearn Genesis HO GP40-2L diesel locomotive, based on a prototype built by General Motors Diesel Division, recently arrived at our offices. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the four-axle road unit and Quebec-Gatineau Ry. No. 3014; points out the many factory-applied details; and demonstrates the sound […]
Atlas recently sent us one of their new “Dash 9” diesel-electric locomotives from the Premier line: the C44-9W. Cody Grivno, in a 2019 Model Railroader review, wrote a nice summary of the prototype Dash 9 series in a review of a ScaleTrains HO scale model. GE built more than 3,500 of these diesels between 1993 […]
Atlas has released the C44-9W locomotive as part of the Premier line. Chris Montagna sent us videos of this engine in action on his layout. Read a review from Editor Rene Schweitzer. […]
Athearn HO drop-frame spread-axle chassis We recently received a pre-production sample of the Athearn HO drop-frame spread-axle chassis. This is a hand-assembled model. Details on production models may vary slightly. Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $49.99 Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO drop-frame spread-axle chassis features: Air tanks and […]
News & Products for the week of July 7th 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 July 7th, […]
Walthers HO Gunderson 50-foot boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $49.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO Gunderson 50-foot boxcar features: 36” metal wheelsets Based on full-size cars that handle paper rolls 10 feet or more in diameter for magazine and newspaper production Body-mounted Proto-Max metal […]
An upgraded HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP38-2 is available from Athearn. The Genesis-series model is now offered with illuminated number boxes and class lights, along with light-emitting-diode lighting and all-wheel drive and electrical pickup. Prototype history Electro-Motive Division produced the GP38-2 from January 1972 through July 1986. During the course of the production run, […]
Three Southern Railway E8s curve through Atlanta with the New Orleans cars of the Southern Crescent, running in two sections this August 1977 day. Southern began painting its passenger steam power green with gold trim in the 1920s. Its early passenger diesels wore an ornate green-white-gold livery, simplified in the 1940s to match the lines of […]
Rapido Trains HO PC&F 5241 boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $54.95; three-pack, $164.85; six-pack, $329.70 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido Trains HO PC&F 5241 boxcar features: Factory-installed and painted wire grab irons Full underbody detail Multiple road numbers for each scheme Rapido semi-scale metal couplers Roller-bearing […]
We are working on a new special issue! Classic Toy Trains’ next special interest publication features 14 layouts you can visit across the United States, from the The Choo Choo Barn, the Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the Illinois Railway Museum, and much more. Plus, find a handy reference map and […]
Q: I have some N scale cars from Micro-Trains. Recently, I swapped out the factory-installed plastic wheelsets with metal wheelsets, but now the cars don’t roll freely. What can I do to fix this? — Kelly Walton-Harper A: Metal wheelsets aren’t one-size-fits all. The first thing you’ll want to check is wheel size, as it’s […]
