How to build a stow-away model railroad test track

modelrailroadtesttrack

Tom Knapp’s workshop now sports this N scale standard and narrow gauge model railroad test track that folds up. With the safety bolt retracted, Tom can lift the table out of its hangers and tip it up against the door. The test track folds flat against the door, where it’s held by a magnetic latch […]

Read More…

Fun with MTH accessories

MTH model gas station with model car

Name: Robert Mayer Forum User Name: Robert Mayer Railroad Name: bobntrains Location: Tucson Scale: 3 Rail O Theme: 1950s Description: Ever wanted to shrink yourself down to the size of the model layout you’re watching? Now you can. […]

Read More…

‘Human error’ likely cause of MBTA collision, derailment

MBTA

BOSTON — “Human error” is being blamed for Tuesday’s collision of two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trains near Boston’s South Station, which resulted in the derailment of one train and cancellation of commuter trains on the MBTA’s Fairmount Line for part of Wednesday. The accident occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday, when a Fairmount Line train […]

Read More…

Fun with MTH accessories

MTH model gas station with model car

Name: Robert Mayer Forum User Name: Robert Mayer Railroad Name: bobntrains Location: Tucson Scale: 3 Rail O Theme: 1950s Description: Ever wanted to shrink yourself down to the size of the model layout you’re watching? Now you can. […]

Read More…

A map of the Union Pacific today — that includes the original route of the Transcontinental Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad Map Transcontinental Railroad successor

Union Pacific Railroad as of 2019 The original Transcontinental Railroad route was the combined efforts of two railroads: the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. By 2019, 150 years after joining their rails at Promontory Summit, Utah, only the Union Pacific remains.  Union Pacific operates along much of the original Transcontinental Railroad route between Sacramento, […]

Read More…

What’s in the Transcontinental Railroad’s most famous photograph?

Andrew J. Russell champagne photograph A.J. Russell

1.) Samuel S. Montague, Central Pacific chief engineer 2.) Grenville M. Dodge, Union Pacific chief engineer 3.) James H. Strobridge, CP construction superintendent 4.) Unknown UP officials 5.) CP Jupiter engineer George Booth 6.) Beverages, possibly champagne 7.) UP No. 119 engineer Sam Bradford 8.) Funnel or “Yankee” stack for a wood burning locomotive 9.) Coal oil or […]

Read More…

All aboard the Easter “Eggspress”

Easter themed S gauge layout

Name: Scott Plunkett Railroad name: Easter Eggspress Location: Milwaukee WI Scale: S gauge Description: I’ve always had a Christmas layout. Why not have an Easter layout? When I had first received this Civil War 1959 American Flyer S-Gauge train set, for Christmas of 1963,  I was 9 years old. As you can see, I still […]

Read More…

Ask Trains: How do train crews earn their pay?

Union Pacific Ask Trains engine crew pay

A Union Pacific local train passes through suburban areas near Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., in October 2017. TRAINS: Steve Sweeney Question: How do trains crews earn their money? — Lee Martens, Rifle, Colo. Answer: In short, it is complicated. There are differences between how most Class I railroaders are paid and their short line colleagues — […]

Read More…