MR Classroom | Freight Car Class: Lesson 3, Weathering with Pastels

Freight Car Class: Lesson 3, Weathering with Pastels | Transform pristine products into well-weathered, prototypical models using various powdered pastel techniques! In this segment of the freight car series, you’ll learn how to apply powdered pastels with brushes, makeup applicators, and artist sponges to simulate realistic rust. Discover how to use two shades of rust pastel […]

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Train Guys Christmas Toy Train exhibit dates set for 2025

section of colorful layout

The Elizabethtown Public Library in Elizabethtown, Pa. has announced dates and times for the popular annual Train Guys Christmas Toy Train exhibit.  The display is 65 feet long by 18 feet wide and capable of running 20 trains simultaneously. It features 53 pushbuttons on the display’s perimeter, where visitors can activate trains and accessories. New […]

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Hafner toy trains

six vintage colorful locomotives

Former Editor Neil Besougloff purchased this manuscript in 2002, and wondered why it hadn’t been used. I found the answer while scanning the slides–the photo quality is not great. While the photos are not usable in print, I hope they find some value in this online version. I’ve also learned that author Peter J. Corrigan […]

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Compact Track Plans: 5 recommendations for cramped spaces

CSX Ridgecrest overhead diagram

Let’s be frank, not all of us have the luxury of immense space for a massive model railroad empire. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the hobby, even in the most cramped room. By turning the pages of past issues and books by the Model Railroader staff, here are five recommendations for compact track […]

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Accurately modeling the 1940s for model railroaders

Large black steam locomotive pulling freight train.

It’s a cliché to refer to a decade as a “decade of change.” In the summation of our nation’s history, what decade wasn’t a decade of change? Change is perhaps the great constant of American history, and in many ways it is that forward-looking dynamism that keeps America at the vanguard of the international community. […]

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MR Classroom | Freight Car Class: Lesson 2, Upgrading Kits for Better Operation

Freight Car Class: Lesson 2, Upgrading Kits for Better Operation | In this lesson, David shares essential steps for upgrading your model’s operation and realism. First, you’ll learn how to use the NMRA recommended practice (ARP 20.1) to calculate the target weight for your car, and how to install a peel-and-stick weight to achieve that […]

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Tune up your toy train equipment

hand holding oil next to model train

Christmas is just around the corner so it’s time to make sure seasonal train displays are ready to deliver holiday fun – toy train style! Let’s start with locomotives and rolling stock.   Inspection, oil, and grease Before trying to run anything, I recommend doing a preliminary inspection. Now is the time to replace broken […]

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Why modern trains lack traditional signal lights

A diesel locomotive with a red and white striped nose rounds a curve in a forested rock cut

Soon after the first railroad bought the second locomotive it became apparent that some rules of the road were needed. There had to be a way to keep a following locomotive from running into the one ahead and to prevent head-on collisions when locomotives are moving toward each other on a single track. In the […]

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An interview with MTH Electric Trains

Model train products together

In 2020, MTH Electric Trains President Mike Wolf announced his May 2021 retirement and the subsequent closure of the company after 40 years in business. It’s now 2025, and MTH remains alive and well, continuing to produce products for the model railroad and toy train industry at a more modest pace in O, Standard, and […]

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Working with 3D-printed parts

Color photo showing HO scale 3D printed truck bed attached to the support structure on white background. A metal sprue cutter is also visible in the image.

Q: I’m excited by all the new 3D-printed figures and details that have become available. Lately, however, I’ve received some figures that are still attached to the support structure. I work in HO scale, and I’m not sure how to safely remove all this material without damaging the details or figures. Do you have any […]

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Tips for restoring a vintage toy train

Join Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as they share essential tips for restoring a vintage toy train. They address a viewer’s request for help with his father’s old Ives train set, which is in poor condition with bent metal, rust, and poor paint. Their discussion covers key […]

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Tips for restoring a vintage toy train

Join Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as they share essential tips for restoring a vintage toy train. They address a viewer’s request for help with his father’s old Ives train set, which is in poor condition with bent metal, rust, and poor paint. Their discussion covers key […]

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