Official Rules for Model Railroader’s photo contest!

2007 photo contest Grand Prize winner Richard Bourgerie Enter Model Railroader’s photo contest! Show off your modeling and photography skills, and you could win up to $750 in Model Railroader magazine’s photo contest! You don’t have to be a professional to win, just have an eye for images that capture the action and creativity of […]

Read More…

M.T.H. Electric Trains HO scale 60-foot flatcar

M.T.H. Electric Trains HO scale 60-foot flatcar

M.T.H. Electric Trains HO scale 60-foot flatcar A nicely detailed reproduction of a 60-foot flatcar is M.T.H. Electric Trains’ first entry into the HO scale freight car market. The MTH car is based on a prototype Pullman-Standard built in the 1960s and ’70s for Trailer Train, and accurately matches photos and dimensions printed in the […]

Read More…

Video: History according to Hediger 2

Orange diesel locomotives

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger has had many experiences working with the real railroads. In this episode he talks about how he acquired his collection of official paint chips from the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton RR, as well as how the DT&I […]

Read More…

News & Products for June 18, 2009

Woodland Scenics HO scale AutoScene figure and vehicle assortments

HO scale freight cars Heinz ketchup boxcar. Walthers Proto 1000 newsprint car customized with alcohol heater details to match cars leased to Heinz Canada. Eleven car numbers available. Metal wheelsets, separately applied ladders and grab irons, and magnetic knuckle couplers. $60 Canadian. Ready-to-run. Action Hobbies R-70-20 refrigerator car. Nordic Warehouse Inc. (Cold Train logo), Union […]

Read More…

No news OK for BNSF model railroading licensing agreement

Negotiations between the model railroad industry, represented by MTH Electric Trains CEO Mike Wolf, and BNSF Railway on a licensing agreement are quiet for now. For the model railroad industry, that’s not a bad thing. BNSF had sought to charge model railroad manufacturers a licensing fee to use the company’s trademarks on scale products, and […]

Read More…

Video: Watch the train elevator in action

Steve Harris

Model railroader Steve Harris uses a fully automatic train elevator to connect the two levels of his HOn3 Rio Grande Southern layout. Read about how he built the elevator in the June 2009 Model Railroader. Watch Steve describe and demonstrate this innovative device. […]

Read More…

Build a 1:24-scale baggage car PDF

Build a 1:24-scale baggage car

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]

Read More…

Build a 1:24-scale coach PDF

Build a 1:24-scale coach

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]

Read More…

Athearn HO corn syrup tank car

Athearn HO corn syrup tank car An 8,000-gallon tank car based on the North American Car Co. (NACC) prototype is the latest offering from Athearn Trains. These compact tank cars were designed to transport corn syrup. Why so small? Dedicated corn syrup tank cars were first built in the 1960s and are still a part […]

Read More…

Rapido Trains Inc. introduces HO scale freight car line

Rapido Trains Inc. announced that it will begin producing HO scale freight equipment. The first product in the firm’s new Transcona Yard freight line will be the HO scale Transcona Yard Wide Vision Caboose, based on the Canadian Pacific Ry. prototype. Expected delivery of the model is fall 2009 and it has a manufacturer’s suggested […]

Read More…

Railroad story of the month: February 2009

A supplement to the Classic Trains Online Look Back e-mail newsletter Outfits I have known By Michael J. McLaughlin One of the most memorable aspects of my career in railroad maintenance of way is the “outfit.” An outfit was usually a collection of old revenue cars–both passenger and freight–converted to sleeping, cooking, shower, supply, tool, […]

Read More…

Build a large-scale steel gondola car

This weathered, 40′ gondola is a new addition to the author’s Lower Paxton & Northern Railroad. It started life as a flat car. Bob Santos 1. This piggy-back flat car from Aristo-Craft provided the basis for the author’s gondola kitbash. Bob Santos 2. The disassembled car, ready to be converted into a gondola. The parts […]

Read More…