Model a merger-era caboose fleet

Color photo of transfer caboose.

When the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Great Northern; Northern Pacific; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle merged to create the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, the new railroad had an interesting fleet of cabooses. While there were plenty of cars built by commercial builders, mainly International Car Co., BN’s fleet was also filled with cabooses […]

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News & Products for the week of May 30th 2023

An image of a model freight car

News & Products for the week of May 30th 2023 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 May 30th 2023. […]

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Dave Wendt’s Norfolk & Western in HO scale

Watch trains steaming through the builder’s depiction of coal operations in Virginia and West Virginia in the 1950s. On this layout, mirrors and a cathedral ceiling make the mid-sized HO scale (1:87.1) layout feel much larger! To learn even more about the builder and layout details, be sure to read the July 2023 issue of […]

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Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels

Screen shot of Product Review video.

The Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels recently arrived in hobby shops. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they talk about the features on these newly tooled HO scale six-axle diesels and then operate an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe passenger train with the U28CG on our Milwaukee, […]

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Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels

Screen shot of Product Review video.

The Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels recently arrived in hobby shops. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they talk about the features on these newly tooled HO scale six-axle diesels and then operate an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe passenger train with the U28CG on our Milwaukee, […]

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Dave Wendt’s Norfolk & Western in HO scale

Watch trains steaming through the builder’s depiction of coal operations in Virginia and West Virginia in the 1950s. On this layout, mirrors and a cathedral ceiling make the mid-sized HO scale (1:87.1) layout feel much larger! To learn even more about the builder and layout details, be sure to read the July 2023 issue of […]

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Built by Others: Robert Mountenay’s HO scale Merkiomen Valley Branch

Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its associated magazines. The Alkali Central was an HO scale project railroad built by the MR staff and featured in the December 1995 issue. Robert Mountenay adapted the track plan to fit […]

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News & Products for the week of May 22nd 2023

An image of a model caboose

News & Products for the week of May 22nd 2023 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 May 22nd 2023. […]

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The Virginia & Western Tidewater District layout in HO scale

An image of a model railroad trackplan

Facts & features Name: Virginia & Western RR, Tidewater DistrictScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 1′-3″ x 17′-0″Theme: Waterfront industrial districtLocale: Mid-Atlantic tidewaterEra: 1948-54Style: ShelfMainline run: NoneMinimum radius: Cosmetic curvesMinimum turnout: No. 5Maximum grade: NoneBenchwork: Plywood on shelf bracketsHeight: 44″Roadbed: CorkTrack: Handlaid code 70Scenery: tabletopBackdrop: Painted 1⁄4″ plywoodControl: Digitrax DCC Download a PDF of this track plan! Buy […]

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The HO scale Seaboard Central layout

Facts & features Name: The Seaboard Central Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 11′-9″ x 22′-9″ Prototype: Proto-freelanced Era: Spring 2015 Locale: Griffin, Ga. Style: Walk-in Mainline run: 68 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: No. 6 Maximum grade: None Benchwork: Open grid, sectional Height: 40″ Roadbed: Cork, trackbed Track: Micro Engineering code 83 flextrack Scenery: Foam […]

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Built by Others: Michael Maurer’s On30 scale Wood Hog Lumber Co

Brown strips set out in straight and curved lines on a plywood surface

Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its associated magazines. The Olympia project was an On30 layout built by the MR Video Plus team for a series of videos that can be found on Trains.com Video. A “what if” […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 12 | Paint stripper. Retaining wall. Tunnel centered.

Our host proves that you don’t have to focus on just one thing for great lengths to find the fun in this hobby! This time out, he’s got a paint stripping project to tackle, retaining walls to install, and a tunnel to daylight a tad more. And if that’s not enough, David even discovers a […]

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