‘American Orient Express’ observation car ‘New York’ at Denver in June 1996. Ten years later, the train would be rebranded as GrandLuxe Express. Chip Sherman Q What happened to the American Orient Express? It appeared on several railroad videos from the 1990s. – Frank Klos, San Diego, Calif. A The genesis of the American Orient […]
When you have more than a bedroom for your railroad, you have some choices to make regarding what to fill the space with. Download this free 15-page PDF for 28 inspiring N, Nn3, HO, HOn 2 ½, Sn3, and On 2 ½ layout plans. […]
Sometimes finding the space to build model railroads can be difficult. To help combat this problem, we have compiled six railroads that you can model in an apartment-sized room. Download this free 15-page PDF to gain access to detailed information on room-sized plans for both HO and N scale layouts. […]
Click on the links at left to download this trackside photo. Paul Dolkos Baltimore & Ohio class E-24 Consolidation arrives to switch the industries at Winchester, Va., on John King’s HO scale B&O Shenandoah Valley Branch model railroad. Frequent Model Railroader contributor Paul Dolkos shot the photo. Click on the links below to download the […]
Staging, major industries, interchanges between railroads, and prototype inspiration are four characteristics that all successful model railroads tend to have. However, incorporating all four of these characteristics into one small space can be challenging. Download this free 12-page PDF download for HO and N scale plans, waterfront railroad layouts, small shelf Union Pacific inspired layouts, […]
MGPX No. 201, part of the first batch of Magnetation iron ore cars built by FreightCar America, arrives in Superior, Wis., in June 2014. David C. Schauer Q I live along the BNSF Railway main line west of Chicago, and I have seen black gondola unit trains with MGPX reporting marks. Even from my second-story […]
Download this free 33-page PDF for a detailed look at how to recreate the town of Red Oak, Iowa. We organized this free PDF into four, easy-to-follow, sections: Part one covers how to utilize a hollow-core household door for a 3 x 7 N scale layout. Part two dives into building benchwork, working on terrain, […]
Download this free 31-page PDF download for an in-depth look at how to build a 4 x 9 N scale modern-era Western layout. This beginner-to-intermediate skill level layout of the Union Pacific Salt Lake Route is broken up into five sections: Part one covers the inspiration behind the layout. Part two gets into how to […]
This free 15-page PDF download is packed with interesting city and country HO and N scale layouts for small to mid-size spaces. Complete with full-color schematics and operational details, all of the track plans featured in this download placed in the top three! […]
Download this free, detailed, 32-page PDF for step-by-step instructions on how to fit plenty of railroad and realistic scenery atop a single sheet of uncut plywood. In this free download, the Classic Toy Trains magazine staff dispel most of the myths about designing and building an enjoyable 4 x 8 toy train layout. […]
A Cargill unit feed train rolls through Shawnee, Kan., in June 2009. The train consists of covered bathtub gondolas pulled from coal service. Zach Pumphery Q While traveling near Atchison, Kan., I noticed a BNSF Railway train with covered bathtub coal gondolas. What were the covers for, and could they be removed should they be […]
Building a layout is the ultimate expression of the hobby of model railroading. In this free 14-page PDF download, we provide you with step-by-step instructions for one HO scale layout and one N sale layout. Perfect for beginners, this free download includes complete track lists, tips for building simple table benchwork, wiring instructions, laying and […]
