Model Railroader Photo of the Day: Railroads and paper mills

A model diesel locomotive leads a train across a bridge over a river on a model railroad layout

Railroads and paper mills were important industries in Bellows Falls, Vt., in the mid-1800s, and they still are today. Here, a Springfield Terminal SD26 and a Boston & Maine U30C rumble past the Liberty Paper Products mill. Thomas Nordanberg took the photo on Ole Pade’s HO scale New England-themed layout in Sollentuna, Sweden. Model Railroader‘s […]

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Predicting the unpredictable for intermodal

Two trains work with container lifts for ships in distance

Intermodal analyst Larry Gross says that normally he’d be able to draw on his 45 years of transportation experience to make predictions about freight volume in the months ahead. “Theoretically, it would mean that I would be bringing some long-term insight to the situation that we find ourselves in today: You know, a sense that, […]

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A thrilling 90 mph steam locomotive ride

A magazine spread from the June 1950 issue of Trains Magazine featuring a photo of a fast-moving Milwaukee Road steam locomotive

A thrilling ride on a high-steed steam locomotive is featured in this article from June 1950 Trains Magazine by then-Editor David P. Morgan. Engineer Valentine Ureda pulls up the drop seat within the door of his Hudson’s vestibuled cab, wipes it off with cotton waste, then pauses for a logical question: “Ever ride a steam […]

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Burlington Northern renumbering

Color photo of red and gray HO diesel on scenicked base.

Q: I’m building a layout based on the early Burlington Northern in Idaho. I’ve seen a number of photos of renumbered locomotives and cabooses. Most have white numbers and reporting marks, but I’ve seen a few prototype photos online with the data in black. Did BN have a standard font and size for renumbering equipment, […]

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Atlas Premier GP38-2 Conrail No. 8061

nose of a blue and white model locomotive

Atlas has continued the slow drip style of releasing their acquired Premier Line toolings from MTH. Over the past two years, their style of regular catalog drops created an almost consistent arrival of models to the market. In their Summer 2024 catalog, they announced today’s spotlight: the Premier GP38-2.  A partial shipment of the GP38-2s […]

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