News Wire’s top stories of the year, 2018-2023

Welcome to 2024, News Wire readers. There’s no predicting what the new year has in store for us, but in case you’ve been otherwise occupied over the holiday season, here’s a chance to review our recent history of top News Wire stories of the year, as well as this year’s Top 10 (actually 11) topics, […]

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Two injured in fire on Toronto subway car

Logo of the Toronto Transit Commission

TORONTO — Two people were hospitalized with serious but non-life threatening injuries after a fire broke out on a Toronto subway train Sunday afternoon. CityNews reports that the fire caused by an e-bike broke out on the first car of a Toronto Transit Commission train at the Sheppard-Yonge station about 3 p.m. The bike was […]

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A retro-style O gauge track plan

track plan illustration

Nothing says “O gauge toy trains” like a postwar-style display layout. Even if these tabletop railroads don’t always make the most efficient use of floor space, it’s hard to discount their nostalgic appeal, easy construction, and potential for fast-paced toy train and accessory action. While a small layout can keep an operator busy and viewers […]

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Top 10 stories of 2023, No. 1: East Palestine

Black cloud of smoke above town

Norfolk Southern’s disastrous hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio — which put the railroad industry’s safety record under a withering spotlight — is Trains News Wire’s top story for 2023. The Feb. 3 derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border likely was caused by the catastrophic failure of a wheel bearing on a covered hopper carrying […]

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N scale turnout roundup

Picture of an N scale turnout in a scenicked area on a layout

Are you building a siding or a yard? Or are you in the process of planning an N scale layout but not sure what turnouts are available? This N scale turnout roundup should help to answer some questions you may have. Turnouts (also referred to as switches) are pieces of track that allow a train […]

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Montreal Locomotive Works DL535E diesel locomotives

DL535E diesel locomotives on flatcars

Montreal Locomotive Works DL535E diesel locomotives have proven to be versatile narrow-gauge haulers made famous by a garden railway staple.     In 1969, American Locomotive Co. of Schenectady, N.Y., was building seven six-axle, 1,200-hp DL535E diesel locomotives, Nos. 101-107, for the White Pass & Yukon when the builder abruptly shut down its manufacturing operations. […]

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T-TRAK Project Part 3: Laying Kato Unitrack

Tan wooden boxes with gray plastic model train track sections attached to the tops. Includes a black, gray, and blue small model train, as well as a brown and yellow miniature building.

Modelers David Popp, Brian Schmidt, and Bryson Sleppy add Kato Unitrack to their modular T-TRAK N scale layout. T-TRAK is a modular N scale railroading system that uses foot-wide boxes plugged together to build tabletop layouts. In this third installment, the trio demonstrates how to build, wire, and install the Kato N scale Unitrack to […]

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Model Railroader’s favorite products of 2023

A model locomotive in a red paint scheme

Model Railroader’s favorite products of 2023: As 2023 draws to a close, and we look forward to a new year, Model Railroader‘s Cody Grivno and Bryson Sleppy take a look back at some of their favorite model railroad products of 2023.   Tangent Scale Models HO scale Burlington Northern International Car Co. wide-vision cabooses For […]

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