Short film on CPR No. 2816’s 2024 tour to premiere this fall (with video)

Backlit photo of steam locomotive on display in front of a crowd

CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC will be premiering its short film of Canadian Pacific No. 2816’s 2024 tour this fall. The Calgary International Film Festival, scheduled Sept. 18-28, will set the stage for a public screening of Pulse of the Continent: Final Spike Steam Tour.  The 48-minute documentary was produced by the Class I railroad, covering […]

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Lionel revives its classic Pennsylvania RR S2 Steam Turbine

page of catalog with model trains

Lionel has revived its classic O gauge model of the Pennsylvania RR S2 Steam Turbine. I recently shared the story behind the outstanding versions cataloged by Lionel during its golden age of the 1940s and 1950s. Lionel enthusiast Keith Beyer shared some useful information about the Nos. 671, 681, and 682, with special emphasis on […]

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News & Products for the week of June 2nd 2025

A brown and blue model locomotive

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

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How to build a freight train

Train passes a grass-lined pond

The first step in building a freight train is understanding what railroaders mean by “compliance.” A freight train is said to be “in compliance” when it’s assembled properly and is operating according to the railroad’s rules. In practice, crews need to devote as much attention to the big picture of compliance as they do to […]

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Tehachapi Depot Museum to celebrate 15th year; Union Pacific designation as ‘Train Town’ planned

train station in sun with benches

TEHACHAPI, Calif.— The Friends of the Tehachapi Depot and the City of Tehachapi will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Tehachapi Depot Museum in early June. The replica structure was built shortly after the destruction of the original station by a fire in 2008. “We are thrilled to honor this milestone for the Tehachapi Depot […]

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Install a decoder in an Atlas cab car

A model passenger. car on a model railroad layout

I’m a huge fan of commuter services, and that definitely includes Chicago’s Metra. So when I heard that Atlas was releasing Metra Nippon Sharyo gallery cars in HO scale, I had to get my hands on some. Since Metra runs a push-pull operation, the Type 8500 cab car gets as much time leading trains as […]

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Athearn HO scale EMD GP38-2

Color photo of HO scale diesel locomotive painted orange and black on white background

Athearn HO scale EMD GP38-2 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $229.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $329.99 Era: 1970s to present (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO scale EMD GP38-2 features: All-wheel drive and electrical pickup Body-mounted […]

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Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper

Color photo of HO scale covered hopper painted gray with red and black graphics on white background

Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Era: 1960s to 2000s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper features: 36” turned-metal wheels on plastic axles All-new tooling from rails to roof Based on prototypes used to haul plastic […]

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Nevada State Railroad Museum to host ‘Star Spangled Steam Up’

Steam locomotive operating on a summer day

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada State Railroad Museum will be hosting its “Star Spangled Steam Up” during the Fourth of July weekend, July 3-6, 2025. The headliner during the event will be a guest appearance by Nevada County Narrow Gauge 2-6-0 No. 5, Tahoe, returning to the museum for the first time since the 2022 […]

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Aurora Miniatures HO GMD SD50F

Title screen of product review video showing HO scale diesel in orange and gray paint on scenicked model railroad with title bar in lower left corner.

See the General Motors Diesel Ltd. SD50F from Aurora Miniatures North America in action our HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound in our latest product review video. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the six-axle road locomotive and Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western 5454; points out the many factory-applied details on the […]

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Aurora Miniatures HO GMD SD50F

Title screen of product review video showing HO scale diesel in orange and gray paint on scenicked model railroad with title bar in lower left corner.

See the General Motors Diesel Ltd. SD50F from Aurora Miniatures North America in action our HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound in our latest product review video. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the six-axle road locomotive and Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western 5454; points out the many factory-applied details on the […]

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Websites with freight car photos

Color photo of weathered hopper car painted green and yellow.

Q: What website is best for finding prototype photos of freight cars to help with realistic weathering? — Jim Veronico A: Though some websites are certainly better than others, I’m reluctant to declare a single website as the “best” for finding prototype freight car photos. Over the years, I’ve found that using multiple sites helps […]

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