At first glance, aggregates — stone, sand, and gravel — are unlikely darlings among railroad commodities. They’re low-value and they tend to move only short distances. But even though their revenue per car is low, they are nearly perfect freight: indestructible and relatively harmless if spilled. In fact, stones and sand not only make […]
As CTT Editor Hal Miller shares, getting a toy train set up and running for the holidays is a timeless tradition! And as CTT Senior Editor Roger Carp explains, getting your hands on an uncatalogued Lionel/MPC set from 1973 can be a special treat in the 2020 holiday season. […]
Turnouts are generally reliable right out of the package. But sometimes problems arise that simple fixes can’t solve. Here are 3 advanced tips to try. 1. Fill flangeways In a perfect world, the wheel treads are wide enough, the gauge is correct, and the flangeways are precise enough that a wheel never drops into the […]
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Freight cars are the stars of James McNab’s HO scale Hills Line layout, so he’s working to get them performance ready! Discover his helpful modeling tips, tricks, and insights that you can use to keep your rolling stock in prime operating condition! […]
It’s a new year and a new Cody’s Office! Cody shares the Railway Prototype Cyclopedia Vol. 35, an HO scale Menards water tower, an Athearn N scale Pullman-Standard 4,427-cubic-foot covered hopper, modeling tip, and viewer mail. […]
Name: Peter Atonna Railroad Name: Seligman and Paulden Lines Location: Arizona Scale: O Theme: Railroad running through Arizona serving its big and little towns Description: Union Pacific officials decided that since the S&P Lines furnish a good amount of traffic to the UP, they would do a tour of the railroad. Join them in the […]
What’s a port without the water? A drydock at best! So after months of work around and about his N scale (1:160) layout, host Steve Brown finally gets his feet wet in the Port Smith scene. Follow along to see what went right, what went wrong, and how he fixed it all the “Regular Guy” […]
Enjoy this exclusive video tour of Dave Abeles’ Onondaga Cutoff HO scale (1:87) layout inspired by Conrail railroad operations. Follow the action along the line, and then look for additional coverage of the model railroad in the February 2021 issue of Model Railroader magazine. […]
Name: Don Wolford Railroad Name: Don’s Magical Kingdom Location: Barrington, IL Scale: O Theme: Amusement/Theme park Description: Our 2020 show, inspired by Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. […]
In this final episode of our Trains.com Holiday Party, Cody Grivno shows how to assemble an HO scale kit made from styrene and acrylic parts. Cody shares his helpful hints for working with acrylic components to form a sturdy, contemporary structure. […]
