The train that never came

NYC6069Matteson

Michigan Central’s elusive train to Joliet, Illinois, approaches the Maple Street crossing in Matteson, Illinois, in mid-1968. Ralph Eisenbrandt photo, Paul Jaenicke collection In the mid-1960s, I attended a parochial school in the far south Chicago suburb of Matteson, Illinois, that bordered on the Joliet branch of the New York Central. Old-timers in town referred to it […]

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Trainfest live stream recording, Session 2

Soo Line boxcar in a box

The fun continues from Trainfest 2019 at the Wisconsin State Fair Park near Milwaukee, Wis.! In this commercial-free replay of Model Railroader Video Plus’ second live-streaming session (Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.), you’ll get to see David Popp, Cody Grivno, and Steve Sweeney hosting segments featuring our $20 Challenge contestants, layouts and displays at the […]

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Trains Photo Contest 2019 winners: Go West!

FULL SCREEN Photo by Bryan Bechtold Runner-up: To appreciate the daunting task of the transcontinental railroad builders, you need only go west to Wyoming. The modern Union Pacific Railroad remains tested by the same vast landscape that challenged the pioneers. In a scene repeated for 150 years, a manifest train climbs out of Rock River, […]

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Trains Photo Contest 2020: In the City

Sumpter Valley trains Ben Duncan Grand Prize winner Trains photo contest 2019

2019 Grand Prize: Ben Duncan This photograph captures my perceptions of American westward expansion. It creates a tension between ideas of East and West, past and future, static and dynamic, confinement and freedom. Taken on my first visit to the western United States, it depicts the Sumpter Valley Railroad, which runs close to one of […]

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How-to Library: Easy Model Railroad Photography – Episode 3 Depth of Field and Lighting

Model train going past a building.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page In this episode, Gerry Leone talks about how to adjust your camera settings to capture model railroad settings with a realistic depth of field. He also addresses lighting options (type and placement)! […]

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The final chapter closes on Toledo’s Hallett Tower NEWSWIRE

HallettTowerToledo

A CSX local returning from the “back side” of the former Toledo Terminal passes Hallett Tower in August 2016. Brian Schmidt TOLEDO, Ohio – Watco Companies will close the final chapter on Toledo’s final interlocking tower this week with the transfer of dispatching duties from Hallett Tower to its Pittsburg, Kan., offices. The move, expected […]

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Photographer Ralph Hallock dies NEWSWIRE

REHallock

Ralph Hallock aboard the Allis-Chalmers Co. private car ‘Queen of Scots’ (ex-Missouri-Kansas-Texas No. 403) in 1979. Hallock wrote about his experiences with the car when he was with A-C in the Fall 2017 issue of ‘Classic Trains.’ SANDPOINT, Idaho – Ralph E. Hallock, who began contributing photos to Trains in the late 1940s, died Aug. […]

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Trains Presents: Chesapeake & Ohio steam locomotive No. 2716 goes home in Kentucky

In late July 2019, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. moved its leased former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 steam locomotive No. 2716 from its home at the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven to its new home at Kentucky Steam’s headquarters in Ravenna. The goal is to restore the locomotive to operation there. Doing the honors […]

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