What do I collect? I collect original prewar trains in Standard and Wide Gauge, i.e. 2 1/8”. Lionel created the gauge in 1906, and called their trains the “Standard of the World.” Soon, Standard gauge caught on as a label, possibly to differentiate from other gauges at the time. When the Ives Toy Co. modified […]
News & Products for the week of December 8th 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 December 8th, 2025. […]
Milwaukee and model railroading share deep, historic ties. Model Railroader Magazine, Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., and the National Model Railroad Association all had their humble beginnings in the beer city. This rich heritage has fostered a healthy and diverse group of model railroad clubs throughout Southeast Wisconsin that are still active today. Finding these clubs […]
A brick interlocking tower guards the crossing of Soo Line (left to right in photo) and Chicago & North Western trackage in Shawano, Wis. Gordon Odegard photo […]
News & Products for the week of December 1st 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 December 1st, 2025. […]
By the time you’ve laid and wired your track and installed your train and turnout control system, it’s easy to let construction of your new layout take a back seat to running trains. After all, the entire purpose of building the layout is to be able to have a place to enjoy operating your model […]
When I cut a hole in the living room wall in order to expand my N scale railroad into the hallway beyond, I thought that was as large a model railroad as I would ever own. I was just happy that my wife agreed to my bizarre suggestion (see “Harlowton, Montana, in N scale,” Model […]
In the December 2006 issue of Classic Toy Trains, then-Editor Neil Besougloff presented his design for a “three times around the tree” layout. It has since become a favorite with many readers and has inspired several holiday layouts. We’re presenting Neil’s original plan, featuring Lionel O-42 tubular track curves, a tunnel, and a 45-degree crossing. […]
Host Gerry Leone faces a yet another challenge along the opposite side of his recently developed roundhouse space on his Bona Vista HO scale layout – finding another way to hide a train as it emerges from a hole in the backdrop! See how Gerry borrows the “air rights” concept from Model Railroader magazine legend […]
Master Model Railroader Gerry Leone is back to give us an exclusive tour of the progress he’s made on the famed Bona Vista HO scale (1:87.1) layout! You’ll want to watch this update to see the latest work on a layout that’s featured in the pages of Great Model Railroads 2026 special issue magazine, now […]
We pick up where we left off in part one. Having recently completed the roadbed, track, and wiring on our East Troy Industrial Park project layout, we advance now to… Digital Command Control Digital Command Control (DCC) is the best way to power and operate a brand-new model railroad. The biggest advantage of DCC is […]
The concrete west portal of Erie’s Otisville (N.Y.) tunnel — from which a Berkshire-powered freight emerges — is fairly simple, but with pilasters and the inscription “19–OTISVILLE–08” in embossed lettering overhead. Note the early installation of welded rail on the eastward track. Wayne Brumbaugh photo […]
