The General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR)

By the 1850s, railroad operating rules, often printed as pamphlets or on the back of a time card, had evolved to near universal application on all/most railroads. On April 14, 1887 representatives of 48 railroads voted for the adoption of what is now known as the Standard Code of Operating Rules (SCOR), published by the […]

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How to build and paint model railroad backdrops

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Don’t miss the backdrop special in the June 2018 Model Railroader. If you’re looking for more backdrop-related projects, check out this digital collection of previously published articles. Whether you’re looking for a simple sky-blue scene divider or a detailed mountain vista, adding scenic backdrops to your layout isn’t hard with help from some experts featured […]

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Custom HO scale Aerotrain – 1950s movie and how it was made

Model of aerotrain locomotive

A 1950s-style documentary of my HO scale Aerotrain locomotive and observation car. Now a fully DCC and sound operational locomotive, it started out as a 1960s Bowser “toy” shell. Except for the shell, all parts came from other HO and O gauge part sources and many were custom made. Though not my best work at […]

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JLWII2000 Video: Athearn Genesis HO EMD SD70M

Athearn Genesis HO EMD SD70M box

    In this exclusive video for Model Railroader from James Wright of the JLWII2000 YouTube channel, you’ll see highlights of the superdetailed HO scale SD70M from Athearn Trains. Part of the firm’s Genesis series, the diesel locomotive model features a SoundTraxx Tsunami2 Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. […]

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New model trains for the week of April 19, 2018

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Wm. K. Walthers HO scale Union Pacific Electro-Motive Division E9A and E9B diesel locomotives HO scale locomotives Union Pacific Electro-Motive Division E9A and E9B diesel locomotives. For 1960-1971 City of Los Angeles. Working backup light on A and B units, modified etched-metal Farr air grills, and working Western-Cullen rotary beacon on A unit. Direct-current models […]

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Model Railroader June 2018 desktop wallpaper

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Click on the links at left to download the image sized for your computer screen. It’s early June in Washington, and the Great Northern’s Fast Mail is running late on Lee Marsh’s HO scale layout. Click on the links below to download the image sized appropriately for your computer screen. Download the 1600 x 900 […]

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New products from the May 2018 issue of Classic Toy Trains magazine

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ILLUMINATE THE ROAD: Woodland Scenics has announced the Just Plug Vehicle line. The O gauge series features 12 vintage vehicle designs, including eight coupes, one station wagon, and three light trucks. The designs had been previously offered in N and HO scales. To light the vehicles, just connect them into your Woodland Scenics Just Plug […]

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Canadian Canyons Series: Part 34 – Rock coloring and more

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page The flexible foam, rubber, and Sculptamold rocks are now set on our Canadian Canyons N scale layout! Kent Johnson now shows you how to blend these bits using liquid pigment washes and subtle drybrushing techniques. And to keep the progress rolling, David Popp […]

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Canadian Canyons Series: Part 34 – Rock coloring and more

The flexible foam, rubber, and Sculptamold rocks are now set on our Canadian Canyons N scale layout! Kent Johnson now shows you how to blend these bits using liquid pigment washes and subtle drybrushing techniques. And to keep the progress rolling, David Popp jumps in to show you a fast, cost-effective way to model more […]

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PDF: Build Gull Pond Station

Download the plan to build a 1:22.5-scale station. To learn more about converting this to another scale, see our free conversion chart.Click on the icon to download this PDF project.Part 1 Part 2 Note: This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ […]

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