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Rapido HO scale PFE refrigerator cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; six-pack, $359.70 Era: 1957 to 1982 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St., Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features on Rapido HO scale PFE refrigerator cars: 33″ metal wheelsets Body-mounted Lincoln-Washington metal semi-scale couplers Factory-installed and painted wire grab irons Freestanding door rods, […]
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, […]
Kadee HO scale 50-ton flatcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $54.99 Era: 1942+ (as decorated) Manufacturer: Kadee Quality Products Co., 673 Ave. C, White City, OR 97503; 541-826-3883; kadee.com Kadee HO scale 50-ton flatcar features: 33” ribbed-back metal wheels with raised foundry data mounted on plastic axles Body-mounted Magne-Matic No. 158 scale “whisker” couplers in narrow […]
News & Products for the week of June 2nd 2025 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of June 2nd, […]
David and Bryson can’t run trains on the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout without routing power to the rails! Follow along, as the hosts work to attach feeders to the rails and string a network of wiring underneath the model railroad. You won’t want to miss any of the insider tips […]
I’m a huge fan of commuter services, and that definitely includes Chicago’s Metra. So when I heard that Atlas was releasing Metra Nippon Sharyo gallery cars in HO scale, I had to get my hands on some. Since Metra runs a push-pull operation, the Type 8500 cab car gets as much time leading trains as […]
Athearn HO scale EMD GP38-2 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $229.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $329.99 Era: 1970s to present (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO scale EMD GP38-2 features: All-wheel drive and electrical pickup Body-mounted […]
Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Era: 1960s to 2000s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper features: 36” turned-metal wheels on plastic axles All-new tooling from rails to roof Based on prototypes used to haul plastic […]
The following is a series of edited excerpts from an interview conducted by David Popp with Jason Shron, owner and CEO of Rapido Trains Inc. on May 20, 2025 on the subject of United States tariffs in relation to the model train industry. You can find the complete interview on Trains.com Video by clicking here. […]
See the General Motors Diesel Ltd. SD50F from Aurora Miniatures North America in action our HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound in our latest product review video. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the six-axle road locomotive and Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western 5454; points out the many factory-applied details on the […]
See the General Motors Diesel Ltd. SD50F from Aurora Miniatures North America in action our HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound in our latest product review video. Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno provides a brief history of the six-axle road locomotive and Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western 5454; points out the many factory-applied details on the […]
Q: What website is best for finding prototype photos of freight cars to help with realistic weathering? — Jim Veronico A: Though some websites are certainly better than others, I’m reluctant to declare a single website as the “best” for finding prototype freight car photos. Over the years, I’ve found that using multiple sites helps […]
