Model Railroader Photo of the Day: The Naugatuck Valley layout

A model train on a model railroad layout

A New York, New Haven & Hartford RS-1 brings the three-car River Job past Bank Street Junction. The southbound train will switch industries along the Naugatuck River before returning to Waterbury. Senior editor David Popp photographed the scene on his N scale Naugatuck Valley layout, featured in the April 2006 issue of MR. Model Railroader‘s […]

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Why won’t my N scale freight cars roll?

Color photo of N scale wheelsets in packaging

Q: I have some N scale cars from Micro-Trains. Recently, I swapped out the factory-installed plastic wheelsets with metal wheelsets, but now the cars don’t roll freely. What can I do to fix this? — Kelly Walton-Harper A: Metal wheelsets aren’t one-size-fits all. The first thing you’ll want to check is wheel size, as it’s […]

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News photos: Lincoln (locomotive) in Springfield

Red, maroon, and gray diesel with crowd at passenger station

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Abraham Lincoln — or at least the locomotive celebrating his memory — returned to Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Ill., today (Tuesday, July 1). Union Pacific’s Lincoln commemorative locomotive came to Springfield to celebrate the day Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act authorizing construction of the Transcontinential Railroad — the day UP recognizes […]

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What does it take to save historic rail equipment?

Blue and yellow passenger train

What does it take to save historic rail equipment? It might seem like a lot, even for a simple flatcar. However, learning from the experiences of others — and getting some helpful tips — can help first-time preservationists and new organizations determine how they can get involved. Having a plan The modern rail preservation movement […]

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