D&RGW L-131 break-in run

United/PFM Denver & Rio Grande Western L-131 2-8-8-2 brass locomotive

After some repairs, paint, and decals, Corey Bonsall took his new-to-him United/PFM Denver & Rio Grande Western L-131 2-8-8-2 brass locomotive for a run on his local club’s layout. […]

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Volcanoes DO belong on layouts

Model of a volcano

There is a cartoon on page 81 of the November 2017 Model Railroader which seems to say that a volcano can’t be put on a model railroad layout. Our model railroad club (South Hills Model RR Club) uses the free-mo modular standards for the layout that we assemble for shows and we DO have a […]

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New model trains for the week of October 5, 2017

Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale standard- and wide-cupola cabooses

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SDP40F diesel locomotive. Amtrak (phase I and II schemes). Four road numbers each. Road-number-specific details, detailed cab interior, and factory-installed and painted wire grab irons. Direct-current model with 21-pin connector for Digital Command Control decoder, $219.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $309.98. September 2018. Genesis series. Athearn Trains, 800-338-4639, […]

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HO scale Granite Falls Ethanol RR

HOscaleGraniteFallsEthanolRR

Name: Granite Falls Ethanol RR Layout owner: Rolf Malmborg Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 13 x 24 feet Prototype: BNSF Ry., Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Canadian Pacific Locale: Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana Era: 2013 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 180 feet Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (staging and industry sidings) […]

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HO scale Great Midwestern RR

HOscaleGreatMidwesternRR

Name: Great Midwestern RR Layout owner: Pete Walton Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 36′-6″ x 63′-0″ Prototype: freelance Locale: generic Midwest, based on northwest Illinois Era: 1950s Style: around the walls Mainline Run: 600 feet Minimum Radius: 27″ (yard), 31″ (main) Minimum Turnout: no. 4 (yard), no. 8 (main) Maximum Grade: 2 percent Benchwork: open grid […]

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HO scale H&R Steel Co.

HOscaleHRSteelCo

Name: H&R Steel Co. Layout owner: Mike Rabbitt Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 18 x 33 feet Theme: integrated steel mill Locale: Midwest United States Era: steam-to-diesel transition era Style: walk-in Mainline run: 135 feet Minimum radius: 30” (main), 12″ (mill) Minimum turnout: no. 3 (in mill) Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: 46″ […]

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HO scale Pacific & Eastern

HOscalePacificandEastern1

Name: Pacific & Eastern Layout owner: Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 26 x 52 feet Prototype: semi-freelanced Locale: southern Oregon Era: 1989 Style: double-deck walk-in Mainline run: 531 feet Minimum radius: 34″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (sidings) Maximum grade: 2.5 percent (main), 4 percent (logging branch) Benchwork: engineered […]

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Video: ScaleTrainscom HO scale SD40-2

ScaleTrains.com HO scale SD40-2 diesel locomotive

This HO scale SD40-2 from ScaleTrains.com is part of the firm’s Rivet Counter series. Our Norfolk Southern version features an admiral cab and bristles with other roadname-specific detail. The HO scale diesel locomotive also came factory equipped with an ESU LokSound decoder. Follow along as senior editor Dana Kawala uses the SD40-2 to work a […]

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